texashuntingforum.com logo
Main Menu
Advertisement
Affiliates
Advertisement
Newest Members
TraeMartin, Beatixre, MooseSteed, Trappernewt, casyoo
71987 Registered Users
Top Posters(All Time)
dogcatcher 110,788
bill oxner 91,416
SnakeWrangler 65,416
stxranchman 60,296
Gravytrain 46,950
RKHarm24 44,585
rifleman 44,461
Stub 43,768
Forum Statistics
Forums46
Topics536,994
Posts9,719,232
Members86,987
Most Online25,604
Feb 12th, 2024
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
Mule Deer observation... #2427939 07/14/11 04:50 PM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
F
fishhuntgolfgeek Offline OP
Pro Tracker
OP Offline
Pro Tracker
F
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
I've hunted whitetails most of my life....about 25yrs worth....and I recently have gotten into hunting mule deer about 3yrs ago. My observation: mule deer are stupid. scared Reason: Whitetails run to the next county when they spot you and give you the "white flag finger" as they bound off. Mule deer will look, run 50yds, stop, turnaround, and look at you again...that's when I usually get the shot off and droppem. Does anyone observe the same situation? popcorn



Live Free or Die...
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: fishhuntgolfgeek] #2427969 07/14/11 05:03 PM
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 24,258
D
dkershen Offline
Rev Dave
Offline
Rev Dave
D
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 24,258
Not a bad observation. But as Mule Deer bucks get older they eventually wise up. Just takes them a lot longer to learn that humans are danger.



To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

www.NewHopeEquine.com - Health and Healing through Horses.
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: dkershen] #2427990 07/14/11 05:10 PM
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 105
B
big l Offline
Woodsman
Offline
Woodsman
B
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 105
their dumb


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: dkershen] #2427997 07/14/11 05:14 PM
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
R
rifleman Offline
Sparkly Pants
Offline
Sparkly Pants
R
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
they're both dumb..


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: rifleman] #2428132 07/14/11 06:04 PM
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 5,271
P
Palehorse Offline
THF Trophy Hunter
Offline
THF Trophy Hunter
P
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 5,271
I've only had the good fortune of hunting mule deer once, last December at Matador. The young bucks seemed real easy to get close to compared to whitetail, but the bigger bucks that had been shot at a time or two, all you see was a white butt behind a big rack headed over the ridge. I was finally able to sneak up on one of the big boys, but the wind and cover was perfect, and he was distracted by a group of does. I guess chasing tail has made us all dumb at one time or another.


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: rifleman] #2428133 07/14/11 06:04 PM
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 19,498
E
Erathkid Offline
THF Celebrity
Offline
THF Celebrity
E
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 19,498
Mulies and whitetail are very different,whitetails are forest creatures and mulies are desert type creatures,they have evolved from totally different environments,where a whitetails defense in a close woodland type setting is to run, a mulie in a wide open setting is to just keep some distance between themselves and their perceived danger,also they dont know a 7 mag can reach out and touch them.MY 2 cents.



Life is too short, as is. Don't chance it.
Don't text and drive.
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: Erathkid] #2428181 07/14/11 06:24 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
S
stxranchman Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
S
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
From my 5 years of hunting Mule Deer in West Texas I am going to have to say that it is going to depend on the Mule Deer buck. Some are dumb (younger ones mostly) as a sack of rocks and some of them(older bucks) if you see them and spook them and they get away you can pretty much right them off seeing them again. For the most part they will tolerate movement and vehicles but if they smell you they are gone and in high gear most of the time. You might see them again in that area in a week or so or not till the next season in most cases. For whitetails it depends on the deer again. Most will run at the sight of a vehicle or person and will not tolerate smell either, but they will come back if that is their territory you find them in when spooking them.
The basic difference in them was pointed out above it is the habitat they reside in that makes them act different. Also the density of animals per 1,000 acres is much different also.



Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?[Linked Image]
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: stxranchman] #2428318 07/14/11 07:22 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 5,070
E
Elkhunter49 Offline
THF Trophy Hunter
Offline
THF Trophy Hunter
E
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 5,070
Go to Colorado and try and find a true 180" trophy Mule Deer and see how dumb they are. I'm amazed at the credit give to the elusive Whitetail. A mature WT and Mule deer offer very different but unique but challanges. If you not challanged by Texas Muleys then take a trip out west and see what kind of hunter you turn out to be. It's much different than hunting over corn. Later Baker



A true friend reaches for your hand but touches your heart.
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: Elkhunter49] #2428484 07/14/11 08:33 PM
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,355
B
Bowtech1233 Offline
Pro Tracker
Offline
Pro Tracker
B
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,355
I never have run in to anyone who hunts Mule deer over corn, regardless of what state it is...


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: Elkhunter49] #2428507 07/14/11 08:43 PM
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
R
rifleman Offline
Sparkly Pants
Offline
Sparkly Pants
R
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
Originally Posted By: elkhunter49
Go to Colorado and try and find a true 180" trophy Mule Deer and see how dumb they are. I'm amazed at the credit give to the elusive Whitetail. A mature WT and Mule deer offer very different but unique but challanges. If you not challanged by Texas Muleys then take a trip out west and see what kind of hunter you turn out to be. It's much different than hunting over corn. Later Baker


I think I'm going to give that a shot. up


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: rifleman] #2428656 07/14/11 09:47 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 5,070
E
Elkhunter49 Offline
THF Trophy Hunter
Offline
THF Trophy Hunter
E
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 5,070
Originally Posted By: rifleman
Originally Posted By: elkhunter49
Go to Colorado and try and find a true 180" trophy Mule Deer and see how dumb they are. I'm amazed at the credit give to the elusive Whitetail. A mature WT and Mule deer offer very different but unique but challanges. If you not challanged by Texas Muleys then take a trip out west and see what kind of hunter you turn out to be. It's much different than hunting over corn. Later Baker


I think I'm going to give that a shot. up


Good luck brother, mountain hunting will change the way you look at hunting. Good Luck on your hunt. Baker


Last edited by elkhunter49; 07/14/11 09:48 PM.

A true friend reaches for your hand but touches your heart.
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: rifleman] #2428772 07/14/11 10:35 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
S
stxranchman Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
S
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
Originally Posted By: rifleman
Originally Posted By: elkhunter49
Go to Colorado and try and find a true 180" trophy Mule Deer and see how dumb they are. I'm amazed at the credit give to the elusive Whitetail. A mature WT and Mule deer offer very different but unique but challanges. If you not challanged by Texas Muleys then take a trip out west and see what kind of hunter you turn out to be. It's much different than hunting over corn. Later Baker


I think I'm going to give that a shot. up

whip



Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?[Linked Image]
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: stxranchman] #2428797 07/14/11 10:51 PM
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
R
rifleman Offline
Sparkly Pants
Offline
Sparkly Pants
R
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
Well I am!!







Thanks elkhunter


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: rifleman] #2428813 07/14/11 11:00 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
S
stxranchman Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
S
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
Originally Posted By: rifleman
Well I am!!







Thanks elkhunter

clap Come on pack mule you already been there and done that except pulling the trigger. You know just how hard them mountain muleys can be. up



Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?[Linked Image]
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: stxranchman] #2428912 07/14/11 11:36 PM
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
R
rifleman Offline
Sparkly Pants
Offline
Sparkly Pants
R
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
Well you do have to honk at the younger ones to get them out of the middle of the road. Older ones overlook everything banking on you getting ticked off and shooting one of the younger ones for not getting out of your way. Honestly hoping I can lay the hammer down on one just off the 18th green grin


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: rifleman] #2428923 07/14/11 11:39 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
S
stxranchman Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
S
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
Originally Posted By: rifleman
Well you do have to honk at the younger ones to get them out of the middle of the road. Older ones overlook everything banking on you getting ticked off and shooting one of the younger ones for not getting out of your way. Honestly hoping I can lay the hammer down on one just off the 18th green grin

Or off of that mountain bike trail. up



Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?[Linked Image]
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: stxranchman] #2429050 07/15/11 12:25 AM
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
R
rifleman Offline
Sparkly Pants
Offline
Sparkly Pants
R
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
Definitely going to be glassing from up there


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: Elkhunter49] #2429200 07/15/11 01:24 AM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
F
fishhuntgolfgeek Offline OP
Pro Tracker
OP Offline
Pro Tracker
F
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
Originally Posted By: elkhunter49
If you not challanged by Texas Muleys then take a trip out west and see what kind of hunter you turn out to be. It's much different than hunting over corn. Later Baker


Didn't mean to step on your toes elkhunter...btw..I have hunted elk and mulies in NM. And I don't hunt over corn feeders. I'm a spot/stalk hunter from the old school.
I was trying to figure out if mule deer behavior was the same for other hunters. All 3 mule deer I have shot have been with a muzzle loader and right after they stop to look back. I'd love to see a 180 class in Colorado....maybe one day I'll get up there. deer2



Live Free or Die...
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: fishhuntgolfgeek] #2429286 07/15/11 01:56 AM
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
R
rifleman Offline
Sparkly Pants
Offline
Sparkly Pants
R
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
on hunts I've been on, shots have ranged from 401-697 yds. Watched a buck get bumped right before 2nd season.. 4 miles later and day before 3rd season we found him again. He was up high and would look through cover at you and found out about 500yds was what he liked to keep as a buffer between you and him before he put some more distance on it.


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: rifleman] #2429604 07/15/11 03:38 AM
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,262
BOBO the Clown Offline
kind of a big deal
Offline
kind of a big deal
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,262
Mulies are dumb... Watched a 180 grow all season one summer he was in the garden ever morning and evening....south of pagosa springs. Grandmother still was taking pics in early nov.

Mulies at our ranch are stupid...stupid stupid watched my cousin miss a 200 nt with a bow it ran 40 yards stopped looked back and walked off.....


Last edited by BOBO the Clown; 07/15/11 04:20 AM.

Donate to TX Youth hunting program.... better to donate then to waste it in taxes

https://secure.qgiv.com/for/gtgoh/mobile
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: BOBO the Clown] #2429607 07/15/11 03:40 AM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 41,320
B
BMD Offline
Silver Spoon
Offline
Silver Spoon
B
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 41,320
They are stupid! I Have to throw rocks at em to keep off the main road thru our lease so they aren't laying around when oil guys are driving thru.


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: BMD] #2429690 07/15/11 04:17 AM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,033
3
338ultra Offline
Veteran Tracker
Offline
Veteran Tracker
3
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,033
I had a 180"+ mulie I stalked in on in the panhandle of Idaho. I didn't know he was there and I am convinced he would have never moved had I not been out of breath and about to die on the side of that mountain. I had to stop to catch a breather and as I was looking around me, I belive he got nervous, because I was looking straight at him in the bushes, but couldn't make out what I was seeing. Whether or not they are dumb, I don't know. He stood and looked at me at 50 yards and I tried to shoot him. But my guides head was between me and the neck of the buck. When he saw the guide he took off and I tried to take him out on the run.

I think, that whitetails in Texas have more interaction with humans that try to kill them. Some of these mule deer in these mountainous places might not see humans but a few times a year, and some of those times it's backpackers that offer them no real threat. I hiked through Big Bend several years ago and walked right past 2 bucks within 10 ft of them and they never looked my way. They had watched 1,500 other people walk past them and were never in danger, so why should this human scare me? I think it's all what they are used to or the fact that they haven't had lead flying at them or seen 4 of their buddies get shot over the years of their life.



http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/rr223/jaschancey/RightSide-1.jpg
See Rule 17: Sig pics to be no more than 600 pixels wide x 125 pixels tall.
Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: 338ultra] #2429727 07/15/11 04:50 AM
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
R
rifleman Offline
Sparkly Pants
Offline
Sparkly Pants
R
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
back before a bad winter kill you would see 180s trying to hide from you in the bar ditch. Head flat on the ground and horns sticking up over the brush/grass. Heck the 2 bucks I'm going to try to find were on a golf course last I heard, they were in the same area last year, but obviously they were smart enough to avoid everyone during season, even folks with Gov tags hunting the area.


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: rifleman] #2430409 07/15/11 04:04 PM
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,512
R
retfuz Offline
THF Celebrity
Offline
THF Celebrity
R
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,512
You have to actually hunt muley's. You can't sit in a stand and kill him when he comes to eat at your feeder. Also, I don't know of a lot of high fenced "Zoos" that have mulies. And they are dumber than white tails, at least the younger ones.


Re: Mule Deer observation... [Re: retfuz] #2430419 07/15/11 04:12 PM
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,512
R
retfuz Offline
THF Celebrity
Offline
THF Celebrity
R
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,512
When I said you actually have to hunt muleys, I wasn't knocking hunting from a stand looking at a feeder. I've shot many deer doing exactly that, but the most fun I've ever had was walking through mesquite and cedar with the wind in my face and the sun at my back. It's truly exciting slow hunting, getting on my knees looking under mesquites for deer.


Page 1 of 2 1 2
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread

© 2004-2024 OUTDOOR SITES NETWORK all rights reserved USA and Worldwide
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.3