Utah Mule Deer Hunting:
Some hunters mistakenly think, "Deer hunting is just deer hunting" - and
they don't consider the vast differences between Mule Deer Hunting and
Whitetail Deer Hunting. Communication with your pro Utah Mule Deer
Hunting Guide/Outfitter will help you know about the terrain in which you
will be hunting, what kind of camo to bring, temperature and weather to plan
for as well as hunting licenses, regulations and draws. You will also
want to have a clear understanding of the accommodations, meals,
transportation and hunting services that will be provided on your Mule Deer
Hunt. Be sure to make prior arrangements for transporting your trophy Mule
Deer back home with you, as well as the meat.
Utah Mule Deer Hunting Techniques:
 Whitetail
Deer hunters are accustomed to still hunting from blinds or stands over food
plots, and some times Mule Deer are hunted using these methods. But
more often than not, Mule Deer are hunted using the "Spot and Stalk" method.
Some very important things to consider are how physically challenging the
hunt might be and what special items you need to make sure you bring.
Here are just a few things to consider as you plan a Mule Deer Hunt.
Be Physically Prepared for Your Mule Deer Hunt: If you are
used to still hunting, you will want to make sure you are physically
prepared for your Mule Deer hunt by getting in the best possible shape you
can. If you are accustomed to flat land in low or moderate elevations,
an all day hike in the mountains can really be a challenge, and take a lot
of the fun out of it. The only things, other than exercise, you can do
to prepare for the altitude change is arrive early so your body can get
acclimated to the altitude, drink plenty of water, stay hydrated, avoid
caffeine and alcohol and also eat high-carb foods. Signs of altitude
sickness are headaches, loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea or vomiting.
Obviously, this could be a kill-joy, but it is easily avoided by taking
those simple steps.
Get Mule Deer Fit: Hike for long distances with your pack
and in the boots you plan to wear. Walking for 20 minutes on a
treadmill in an air conditioned spa in your Nikes is not exactly going to
cut it. Strength training is important too. You don't have to
join the gym, but start by doing a moderate number of push-ups, sit-ups,
lunges, stretches, and dumbbell curls, chest flys, shoulder raises, shoulder
presses and pull-ups. These are basically the same things you had to
do in PE (perhaps a few years ago). They still work. Start
small, but gradually challenge yourself. Pretty soon, you'll be in
great shape and enjoying all the fringe benefits, too. Oh yea, check with
your doctor before starting any exercise program.
Get The Right Mule Deer Gear: Because spot and stalk is the
most common method for Mule Deer Hunting, you will want to make sure you
have invested in premium binoculars like a good pair of 8X40 or 10X50 roof
prism binoculars with high quality coated optics. Once you have
located the mule deer, switching to a good 20-45X spotting scope can give
you a better idea of the size mule deer and range you are looking at.
You will also want the most comfortable and highest quality hunting boots
AND socks you can buy. Do you homework and don't skimp on these items.
You'll be glad you did.
Hone Your Skills with Your Weapon of Choice: The next
important preparation in getting your skills with your weapon in shape.
If you plan to archery hunt for mule deer, understand you will need a
powerful bow capable of shooting long distances accurately. Train
those draw muscles by target practicing often. Check with your Pro
Utah Mule Deer Hunting Guide about the type of arrows and broadheads you
will need to use. As for you rifle, prepare for long distance shots.
Mule Deer travel all through the day and you may have to take shots that
would normally be considered out of range if you were whitetail hunting.
Practice at the firing range as often as you can. Remember when you
travel the chance of things getting out of order on your gun or bow is very
likely. Re-site your weapon and practice at the Outfitter's target
range before heading off on your hunt. Another reason besides altitude
change to arrive early.
Patience & Staling during the Mule Deer Hunt: Your pro Utah
Mule Deer Hunting Guide/Outfitter should have located the Mule Deer, or at
least have a good idea about local trails and habits of the herd, so
pre-scouting should not be required. Mule Deer, like their cousins the
Whitetails, have incredible vision, hearing, and sense of smell. If
you want to be successful on your hunt, you must address each issue.
To counter the Mule Deer's vision, wear the right kind of camo for the area
of the country you are hunting. Check with the pro hunting guide about
recommended camo patterns and manufacturers. Also, plan your stalk
from behind the deer. If possible, with the sun at your back and in
his eyes. If the deer stands up to stretch or feed during the stalk,
then it may be necessary to stay motionless for a long period of time.
Hunting Mule Deer in wide-open space requires a careful plan of attack!
Next is the Mule Deer's incredible sense of smell. NO SMOKING.
And drinking alcohol in excess is not a good plan. The smell of it
will be in your skin the next morning. Use fragrance free soaps,
detergents, shampoos, deodorants. Avoid smelly foods like bacon and
coffee. Take a big garbage bag with you and put your hunting clothes
in the bag over night with a little of the local dirt in the bag.
Lastly, plan your stalk downwind. It only takes one sniff of something
out of place to send them bouncing off into the next county.
"My, what big ears you have!" My first thought when I saw a Mule
Deer for the first time. They are big for a reason! Mule Deer
have amazing hearing. You will have to be very stealth during your
stalk. I have seen hunters remove their boots and stalk closer in just
their socks to be extra quiet and get a better shot.
In conclusion, spot and stalk Mule Deer hunting may be more challenging
than you first considered, but with careful planning and preparation, you'll
be in store for an exciting hunting adventure you'll want to repeat year
after year. And if you don't come away with a big rack, you are sure
to enjoy to delicious flavor of the mule deer meat.
More about Mule Deer:
There are 2 major subspecies: the
Mule Deer, with tail white above, tipped with black; and the
Black-tailed Deer, with tail black or brown above.
The Cervidae Family includes deer and their allies, including moose,
elk, and caribou. Member of this family occupy a wide range of
habitats, from arctic tundras to tropical forests, and can be found
over most of the world. All have slender legs. Most are brown or
gray in color, with white spots characterizing the young, and in a
few species, the adults. In all but one genus of cervids, at least
the males have antlers.
Comparisons - The Mule Deer, while closely related to the eastern species-the
white-tailed deer, are remarkably distinct in their biological,
ecological, and behavioral attributes.
The Mule Deer carries its thin, black-tipped tail drooped, unlike
the uplifted, bushy white tail of its cousin. They have a distinctly
different gait from the leisurely, graceful leaps of the white-tail.
When startled, a Mule Deer will move in a series of stiff-legged
jumps with all four feet hitting the ground together.
Mule Deer are usually a dark gray-brown, with a small white rump
patch and a small, black-tipped tail. Their large ears are
distinctive. White-tail deer are tan in color, with a larger tail.
Mule Deer antlers are normally smaller and branch to form 2 equal
forks, while the male White-tailed Deer has forward curving antlers
with a number of points (tines) branching from the main beam.
Mule Deer Physical Description - Mule Deer have large ears that move constantly and independently,
from whence they get their name, "Mule" or "Burro Deer." They do not
run as other deer, but have a peculiar and distinctive bounding leap
(stotting) over distances up to 8 yards, with all 4 feet coming down
together. In this fashion, they can reach a speed of 45 m.p.h. for
short periods.
This stocky deer with sturdy legs is 4 to 6-1/2 feet in length and 3
to 3-1/2 feet high at the shoulder. During the summer, the coat on
its upper body is yellow- or reddish-brown, while in winter more
gray. The throat patch, rump patch, inside ears and inside legs are
white with lower portions running cream to tan. A dark V-shaped
mark, extending from a point between the eyes upward and laterally
is characteristic of all Mule Deer but is more conspicuous in males.
Males are larger than females. The bucks' antlers, which start
growth in spring and are shed around December each year, are high
and branch forward, forking equally into 2 tines with a spread up to
4 feet.
The Mule Deer is slower and less colorful than the White-tailed
Deer, but its pastel, gray-buff color provides a physical adaptation
to the desert environment which disguises it from predators like the
Cougar, the Coyote and the eagle who will swoop down on a fawn.
Mule Deer have no canine teeth and, like the cow, have a multi-part
stomach, the first two chambers of which act as temporary storage
bins. Food stored here can be digested later when the deer chews its
cud.
Mule Deer Vocalization - Deer are not especially vocal, although young fawns bleat on
occasion. Injured deer utter a startlingly loud "blatt" or bawl.
Tail - The tail is usually tipped in black with a white basal portion, and
its under parts are white.
Ears - The Mule Deer large ear is gray on the outside and white on the
inside.
Mule Deer Feet - Another physical adaptation, its larger feet, allows the Mule Deer
to claw out water as much as two feet deep, which it detects with
its keen sense of smell.
Mule Deer Behavior - Seasonal movements involving migrations from higher elevations
(summer ranges) to lower winter ranges are associated, in part, with
decreasing temperatures, severe snowstorms, and snow depths that
reduce mobility and food supply. Deep snows ultimately limit useable
range to a fraction of the total. Mule Deer in the arid southwest
may migrate in response to rainfall patterns.
When startled, a Mule Deer will move in a series of stiff-legged
jumps with all four feet hitting the ground together. This gait
offers two advantages: it allows the deer to out-distance predators
in rough terrain, and to see above the thick brush. If necessary,
they can turn or completely reverse direction in the course of a
single bound.
Mule Deer are active primarily in mornings, evenings and moonlit
nights. This inactivity during the heat of the day is a behavioral
adaptation to the desert environment that conserves water and keeps
the body temperature within livable limits. Sweat glands and panting
also provide evaporative cooling during hot periods.
During the middle of the day, the Mule Deer beds down in a cool,
secluded place. The mature buck seems to prefer rocky ridges for
bedding grounds, while the doe and fawn is more likely to bed down
in the open.
Mule Deer Habitat - Mule Deer moves between various zones from the forest edges at
higher elevations to the desert floor, depending on the season.
While the Mule Deer occupies almost all types of habitat within its
range, it seems to prefer arid, open areas and rocky hillsides.
Mule Deer Diet - Food of the Mule Deer is quite varied. In Spring and Summer it feeds
on green leaves, herbs, weeds and grasses more than on browse
species. The reverse is true in Fall and Winter.
Mule Deer are browsers and eat a great variety of vegetable matter,
including fresh green leaves, twigs, lower branches of trees, and
various grasses. They are particularly fond of blackberry and
raspberry vines, grapes, mistletoe, mushrooms and ferns. They eat so
carefully they can even consume the fruit of cactus.
Breeding - The mating season for Mule Deer reaches its peak in November and
December, as antlered stags round up females and fight for their
possession. Antlers are shed after the breeding season, from
mid-January to about mid-April. Most mature bucks in good condition
have lost theirs by the end of February; immature bucks generally
lose them a little later. Males and females mix freely while
traveling together in groups during winter months, often down to the
desert floor.
Dominance is largely a function of size, with the largest males,
which possess the largest antlers, performing most of the
copulations
Mule Deer breed in late November and early December. A buck will
find a suitable doe and they will often play chase games at
breakneck speeds before mating. They will remain together for
several days.
When antlers start growing again in the spring, the group breaks up.
The females go off by themselves and eventually give birth and nurse
their young; the males wander in friendly twosomes or small bands
throughout the summer months as antlers grow.
From April through June, after about a 200-day gestation period, the
doe delivers 1 to 4 young (normally 2). Fawns are born in late May
or early June. A doe will usually produce a single fawn the first
year she gives birth and then produce twins in following years. The
fawn, colored reddish with white spots, weighs about 6 pounds at
birth. It must nurse within the first hour and stand within the
first 12 hours. During early weeks of life, the fawn sees its mother
only at mealtimes for feeding. Spots begin to fade by the end of the
first month.. They have white camouflage spots and are further
protected by having little or no scent. Fawns usually stay with the
doe for the first full year.
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