Mule Deer Watch: Bowhunting Big Mulies

Mule Deer Watch
Here’s Something to Chew On…

By Michael Burrell

I was belly-crawling towards a high basin where a buck had bedded just minutes earlier. I usually prefer to hunt alone, but a friend who sought to harvest this respectable buck was in tow. My friend would be the first to tell you, he’s a weekend warrior that just happens to hunt because he has some friends that live for it. My friend is better off in this high-tech century where he can surround himself with wires and loud music instead of pine limbs and silence. He tugged on my pant cuff, “Here, chew on this.” I turned to see his hand extended in offering; usually this was the start of one of his shenanigans. What was it? Soft deer droppings? Maybe a big booger? I reluctantly went along with his gag if it meant we could get back to hunting. He dropped a piece of candy into my hand. “It’s huntin’ gum. It eliminates the human scent in your breath.” Nodding as if he was still trying to convince himself that this gum actually worked, my friend stuffed his mouth with a couple pieces. And, with the tenacity of a Pee Wee player and a wad of Big League Chew, he began chomping. I think it was his flapping chops that eventually spooked the buck out of the country.

Later that afternoon while eating lunch, my friend emptied his backpack loaded with a GPS, an FRS, a PLB and some other acronymic gadget. As quiet as a hyena, he began giving me details on how he could download a satellite image of our exact location at that exact moment. Sitting atop a high-mountain ridge with a stunning view of the surrounding valleys, I felt snubbed that after reaching the summit my friend was more impressed with his industrial gadgets than with what Mother Nature had to offer right then, right there. Swallowing my last bite of jerky, I told him to put the robot away and breathe some fresh air…. Before you accuse me of being technologically challenged, or a hypocrite, let me explain that I do own rangefinders, ATVs, long-range rifles, expensive binoculars, and yes, I’m typing on a fancy computer. I understand that technology has done much good in this world. We need modern energy sources, sewer treatment plants, and automobiles; but what about in the hunting world? What started out as sticks and stones has quickly developed into lots of neat gadgets that help you become a “better” hunter.

I am not casting stones at sportsmen that use certain modern equipment, nor am I going to tell you which equipment you should be able to use or not use while hunting – I have a large inventory of updated hunting doohickeys myself and use them often. My intent in writing this article is to determine if new equipment will increase my chances of harvesting an animal. If the equipment is legal, and it does increase the probability of me shooting something, than it is more than likely that I will use it. However, as fellow sportsmen in this day and age; I do believe there are some questions we should ask ourselves: How is modern hunting equipment affecting our mule deer herds? And how is this modern technology negatively affecting us, as hunters?

How is modern hunting equipment affecting mule deer herds? It is a fact that if equipped with all of today’s modern “fluff,” a hunter does still need some skill to be successful, but not as much. That is the whole purpose for investing in all the gear such as long-range rifles, ATVs, fiber optics, laser beams, carbon arrows, scent-elimination, quieter, warmer, lighter, and stronger stuff; to make the hunt easier for the hunter. As hunting gets easier for the hunter, aren’t the hunts getting harder on the mule deer?

Ask any state wildlife agency and they will tell you that modern conveniences have increased hunter’s harvest success rates across the West. Some states are taking action by reviewing their management plans and tightening equipment restrictions in order to help deer populations. This year, Idaho Commissioners reverted back to allowing only the use of muzzleloaders with exposed, pivoting hammers during muzzleloader seasons – no more in-lines. Many states have recognized the 350-percent rise in registered ATVs since 1998. It’s no secret; ATVs make it a much easier, cheaper, faster ride to get from point A to point B. With today’s ATVs, a hunter may pursue deer in some remote timberline country and still be drinking fine wine in a fancy restaurant by evening. The huge increase in offroad traffic and off-road abuse has caused several states to recognize the need for more education, law enforcement, and wildlife habitat protection. Wildlife and land managers and responsible sportsmen (including responsible ATV operators) are speaking out all the time about the impacts of off-road ATV abuse on big game and critical habitat. As long as ATVs continue to push into the most remote areas of our public lands, quality mule deer-hunting opportunities are all but certain to continue to decline.

I assume modern hunting equipment isn’t as detrimental to mule deer as other harmful factors such as habitat degradation and weather conditions. Perhaps we will never know just how harmful technology is to mule deer because of its complexity to quantify. How could you put a figure on its effects? I dare say if today’s amenities were available in the 50’s and 60’s, the mule deer hunting may not have been as good.

How is modern hunting equipment affecting us, as hunters? Are these technological advances undermining the spirit of the hunt? Since the beginning of mankind, it was man vs. beast, up close and personal. Today, it seems to be technology vs. nature. We are distancing ourselves from our prey, literally. We have rifles that carry enough energy to kill an elk well beyond 500 yards. Nowadays, there are those that prefer sitting in front of their computer and hunting via a camera and an electronic rifle overlooking a bucket of bait which is connected to the “hunter’s” PC. Now that is long distance shooting. Where do we draw the lines?

On the other end the spectrum, Dan Godfrey, a southwestern Oregon native, grew up hunting and trapping the wet forests that surround his home. Dan hasn’t traveled abroad or even to the other side of Oregon to hunt, but his passion to hunt is as strong as in anyone I’ve ever met. Using a stick bow, Dan has stalked and killed a Roosevelt bull elk and a coastal blacktail nearly every year since he began hunting; an admirable feat. Dan has politely turned down my offers to take a trip for mule deer with a rifle. He simply prefers equipment without all the bells and whistles. Some warm clothing, a stick and string, his sharp knife, and his cat-like ability to get within 20 yards, man vs. beast.

As the world continues to progress by means of modern technology we, as sportsmen, will continue to fight for our sacred primal right to hunt. In a country where hunters are watched on TV and in the woods by the non-hunting majority, I wonder if we are headed in the right direction with so much emphasis today on modern equipment or how many yards away the animal was when it was harvested. Yet, I am just one of many sportsmen with an opinion. Who is to say that the reverting back to more traditional tools would help deer numbers and hunter recruitment? Hunters have already decided that technological development is acceptable in the hunting world with their consumer dollar and, well, we want all this stuff, right? Just something to chew on.