Mule Deer: Bowhunting Big Mulies

Mule Deer
By Robert Denning

Bowhunting Big Muleys: Planning and executing a Successful Archery Buck hunt.

An almost untapped hunting resource is back country archery mule deer hunting. In many areas, bowhunting western mule deer in remote country is hunting at its finest: low hunting pressure and highly visible bucks. Because of lower demands for permits, archers can also enjoy hunting areas and seasons that rifle hunters only dream about. In this article, we’ll look at planning and executing a successful back country archery hunt.

When I talk about back country, I’m talking about areas that aren’t accessible by motorized vehicles. This crucial factor cuts hunting pressure way down - the key to your success. The area may be ten grueling miles into a Colorado wilderness or just a mile jaunt across a nasty Oregon canyon where hunters can’t take vehicles. Either way, if you don’t get away from roads, you’ll be disappointed even on lightly hunted archery units. To be a successful archer, you have to hunt areas where bucks can go about their daily routine virtually undisturbed.

Where To Go

By press time, most of the West will have completed their draws. If you pulled a good archery tag, great! But, even if you didn’t, this information is still for you. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that if you didn’t draw a good tag, you’re out for the year. Often, the best bucks are killed by guys who hunt general seasons or easy-to-draw areas because they can become intimately familiar with the terrain and deer habits by frequent hunting. A premium hard to- draw tag usually gives a guy only one year to kill a good buck. By the time the season closes, you’re just starting to figure out how to hunt the area.

Colorado: Deer are doing well in western Colorado now, a bastion of public land with plenty of backcountry. Checking the leftover list over the last few years, I’ve found hundreds of licenses available for good units. The leftovers go on sale August 14th. ( http://wildlife. state.co.us/Hunting/BigGame)

Idaho: There are many good units in southern Idaho with over-the-counter tags. Dates vary by units, with open seasons from August 30th through December 31st. ( http://fishandgame.idaho.gov)

Utah: As of press time, there were over 8,000 archery permits available. The permits go on sale June 14th. Many hunters balk at the idea of hunting Utah over-the counter areas, but some huge bucks are killed every year on these archery permits. (www.wildlife.utah.gov)

Wyoming: Last year’s leftover list had several thousand licenses for many regions; the list comes out July 10th after the regular drawing and you must apply for leftovers between July 10th and 20th. Any remaining licenses after that will then be posted on the website around August 1st. These can only be purchased by mail or in person. http://gf.state.wy.us/ wildlife/hunting)

These licenses provide opportunity, but keep Colorado’s, Nevada’s, and Utah’s limited-entry permits in mind for the 2008 main drawings. There are better buck-todoe ratios and each state has a point system allowing you to pull a great tag in a few years. Photos: author

Shooting Preparation

Archery mule deer hunting pushes an archer to his effective range limits. Rarely can I close the distance to less than 30 yards on a stalk. Ambush style hunting can shorten the range, but bucks don’t always appear where you planned.

I practice to 80 yards, and take good shots at bucks to 70 yards. Know and stick to your personal and ethical limits. I practice nearly year-round and only take a few months off in the winter. If you shoot a release, one session per week will keep you tuned up. If you shoot with your fingers, push for two sessions. Another great source of practice is 3-D shoots. Every time I attend one, I walk away a better archer. You will, too.

Camp Recommendations

Next to your archery equipment, your camp gear is the most important gear for your success. Why? Because to be successful at archery mule deer hunting, you must be mobile and your camp gear will dictate mobility. If your camp is hard to set up and take down, you’ll be reluctant to try other areas. I like to have three or more productive areas to hunt if I’m going to have a chance at a good buck. Often, they are miles apart. Being mobile allows you to hunt an area and, if you blow a stalk, which you will, hunt another productive area while those bucks get back to their daily routine. If you’re not mobile, I virtually guarantee that you won’t be successful because you’ll quickly educate the bucks of your ill intentions and that area won’t be any good for a week or more.

For back country hunting, I bring a highly mobile camp - whether it is a backpack camp or a horse camp that allows me to pack up in an hour and be on my way to another area that might hold stalkable bucks. If you’re camping on the road, the principle is the same. There are many good resources written on lightweight camp gear, the latest being David Long’s “Public-Land Mulies: The Bottom Line.” Put your time and money into making a good mobile camp and your success will improve.

Hunt Strategies: Watch the Calendar

Archers have two seasons when bucks are vulnerable. The first is the early season, August through September. The second is the late season, from mid-November into January. Your hunt strategy is mostly determined by when you’re hunting. I’ve used two types of strategies successfully to get close to bucks: classic spot-and-stalk and ambush hunting.

The early season is the best time to pursue trophy bucks and spot-and-stalk is most effective then. There are two advantages to the early season that make this strategy effective. The first is the ability to spot bucks more easily. Unless pressured, bucks will be in the most open areas of their habitat and move more predictably between bedding and feeding areas. Also, they are either alone, or with small groups of bucks, cutting down on the number of eyes and ears to detect you.

The late season seems like it should be the best time, but bucks are very difficult to stalk at that time due to their harems of does and crunchy snow or frozen ground that is very noisy to move over. I’ve found that ambush hunting is a better option.

Ambush hunting is different than stand or blind hunting in that you are still on the move, stopping for an hour or more in productive areas, like saddles and bottlenecks. In most Western states, it’s pretty cold in the late season and sitting all day in an unheated blind or stand is tough if not impossible. Also, mule deer are so mobile that you need to be able to move when they do.

In ten years of late season archery hunting, I’ve never found a hands-down, great spot to hang a tree stand or build a ground blind where I know a big buck will give me a shot. If I just want to shoot any buck, then yes, there are places I could do this, but big buck hunting is best done from the ground and on the move.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that big rutting bucks are dumb bucks. I’ve yet to kill a good buck with archery equipment on the late season. I’ve had several missed shots and opportunities at 28-inch to 34-inch bucks, but that’s after years of hunting. Keep at it though and one day, it’ll happen.

No matter the season, early or late, a successful archer will learn when to spot-and-stalk and when to ambush, often combining both strategies to get close to a given buck. Practice will perfect you.

Moving Undetected in Deer Country

During archery seasons, mule deer will be using the most open parts of their habitat – this is one of the biggest advantages that archery hunters enjoy. However, with this comes the disadvantage of the deer being able to see you too. Good camouflage, using cover and terrain to conceal movement, glassing properly, and not crossing skylines in the open can get you within 150 yards, but getting closer requires more. At less than 150 yards, you are easily detected by a buck’s eyes and ears. Keeping the wind in your favor is a given. No amount of scent protection will allow you to get past a deer’s nose that is downwind of your position.

To get within archery range, you’ll often be forced to move when deer can potentially see you. By traveling extremely slow, a hunter can sometimes continue to move undetected. This can close the gap enough to pull off a shot, even in very open country with no appreciable cover or terrain to hide your stalk.

So, how slow must you move? I’ve found that if I cover about 5 to 25 yards an hour, I can move undetected within 150 yards of visible deer. Once I get within 100 yards, I’m in his living room and odds skyrocket that I might get a shot. I often quit moving at this point unless I absolutely know I can close the distance to archery range. If the deer seems relaxed and is not looking my way, I may move several inches, until he either looks my way or I become fatigued.

At this point, it’s just a watch-and-wait game. Sometimes the buck will close the distance for me, especially on the late season when they move around a lot. The stalk then turns into an ambush. Other times, the buck may change positions and lie where his view is blocked and I can continue my stalk. There are no formulas, just patience and a dose of luck.

Moving this slowly sounds easy until you try it. You become tired from holding flexed muscles and transferring weight from one leg to another slowly. Your knees, hands, and butt get wet and tired from being on the ground so much. Also, concentration wanes and you can move too fast and blow all the deer out of the area. Your six-hour stalk job suddenly seems a waste, but it wasn’t. It will take years to master moving slow, but if you hunt archery bucks long enough, you’ll find that they were years well spent.

Whether you hunt a premium area or an over-the-counter tag this fall, keep this article in mind and the points I’ve given to increase your chances. Bringing down a big buck with archery equipment is one of the most satisfying yet difficult feats in the hunting world.

Tags: HI31, Robby Denning

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