Ask Mr. Mule Deer

Ask Mr. Mule Deer
Got a Question for Mr. Mule Deer?

Q. What types of habitat do elk prefer to frequent in September, versus habitat preferences in October and November?
Jene Jensen – Gillette, WY

A. In order to answer your question, let’s first discuss bull behavior during the fall and winter months. In August, bulls rub the velvet from their rack, break away from bachelor groups and begin associating with cows. September is when the peak of the rut occurs. Throughout September, you will find bulls wherever there are cows and calves. If you hunt mountainous terrain, the cows may still be in the high country in September. As the weather grows colder in October, the rut slows down and the bulls are completely exhausted from fighting other bulls and chasing cows. Bulls are now vulnerable to extreme weather conditions and predators and they know it. At this time, bulls will leave the cows and search for heavy cover and nutrition. Old friends reunite in these “bull nests,” and apologize to one another for the severe belligerence that took place weeks earlier. October and November weather pushes the cows from the summer grounds in search of forage. The bigger bulls will soon follow, but tend to stick to heavy cover in the higher country a bit longer in order to recuperate in preparation for a long winter. If you’re hunting in October or November, glass the steep, remote slopes with plenty of cover from a distance to find these late-season bull nests.

Q. How do you field judge the weight of a mule deer on the hoof?
David Felton – Leggett, CA

A. By nature, hunters are inquisitive, but I’ve never heard anyone ask this question. Perhaps it is because this is a question no one really wants an answer to while packing out a deer carcass on their back. Mule deer weights vary throughout their range. For example, mule deer bodies are much larger in Canada than they are in the desert, so it is difficult to generalize an accurate method of weight measurement. A good rule of thumb is that a young mule deer buck will weigh approximately 125-150 pounds; a good mature buck’s weight in the fall will range from 150-240; and then there are the behemoth bucks that can weigh as much as 450! There is a weight formula if you are able to get a field-dressed carcass on a scale. Take the field-dressed weight and multiply it by 1.42 and that will provide you with a live-weight estimate. The only way to become accurate at judging weight in the field is to spend time practicing. Take the time to look at each deer and study their different physical characteristics.

Q. Can grouse really be found in the same habitat that bucks usually are? It seems every time I am bowhunting and see a nice buck, I spook up a lot of grouse around the same area.
Jason Barnett – Tremonton, UT

A. Jason, you may be on to something. The two mountain grouse in the lower Rocky Mountains are the blue grouse and ruffed grouse. Ruffed grouse are usually found in what I consider doe country - willow bottoms and aspen parks with plenty of understory brush. Blue grouse are usually found in what I consider big buck country - conifer stands and open meadows on steep slopes and rock outcroppings. I don’t believe the grouse are intentionally “hanging around” the bucks, but they naturally seek the same environment. Next time when I’m out deer hunting and I see a pine hen perched atop a rock, I’ll make sure I’m ready for a shot.

Q. I bowhunt California mulies during late August and early September, long before the rut. Will a buck’s curiosity allow him to respond to rattling or fawn bleating shortly after rubbing off the velvet?
Don Hinton – Paradise, CA

A. Don, occasionally a hunter is successful by thinking out of the box. On a few different occasions while calling coyotes in August and September, I have been surprised to see a buck following a doe to investigate the call to within bow range. It was always a young buck that was too small to hang with the big boys and still hanging with his momma. By using a call or rattling antlers early in the season, you could possibly bring in a curious, young muley, but I believe you would be better off using the early season mule deer tactics that have been proven to be effective through the generations.

Q. I’ve always hunted water holes in the evenings. Are mule deer as prone to water in the morning hours?
Jimmy King – Hobbs, NM

A. Evening is a good time to sit on water since deer regularly bed throughout the warm day, and the first thing they crave when they get up is to quench their thirst. However, many bucks have been killed around water in the early morning hours as well. Before hunting season begins, take your camera and go and sit at your favorite water hole and find out what the deer are doing. Mule deer that live in an undisturbed environment may visit water holes whenever they get thirsty - whether it is morning, afternoon, or evening. Once mule deer sense danger or have had some hunting pressure, their watering patterns are broken and it is difficult to predict when they will come to the water. By the time a buck has matured, he has learned that water holes are also danger zones that attract not only two-legged predators, but four-legged predators as well. These big bucks will use the tanks during the night when it is safest.

Q. When it is raining, do the deer still move around?
Koe Robertson – Deleon Sprints, FL

A. Some of my favorite memories include wet clothes and big bucks. If it is a mild or short rain that comes from an afternoon rainstorm rapidly cooling things down, deer will often get up to either switch beds or take advantage of the moisture on the plants and begin feeding a couple hours earlier than normal. If it is a substantial rainstorm, most deer prefer to stay dry and look for protection. Many times the deer will bed in a heavy canopy to protect them from the downpour. When it is really coming down hard, it is time for you to take advantage of the disruptive noises of rain and the soft ground, which make perfect stalking conditions.

Q. Is it true that mule deer are mostly grazers in the summer and browsers in the winter?
Ira Waldron – Dixon, WY

A. Ira, your statement is true to an extent. Most biologists would consider mule deer browsers primarily (they eat shrubs, forbs, trees). Their narrow muzzles and chisel-like teeth allow them to clip food off stems or forbs close to the ground. Grazers, such as cows, have wider muzzles and wider rows of teeth to mow the grass down. These “wide rows” muzzles make it difficult for grazers to be specific when selecting certain parts of plants. However, in order to survive, mule deer adapt to changing environments and alter their foraging behavior. Mule deer seem to forage on whatever is available seasonally. In the winter, the snow covers the dried-up grasses and deer tend to browse heavily. In the springtime, as green grass sprouts from the thawing ground, mule deer will decrease their browsing activity and increase their grass consumption. If there are rye-grass or wheat fields nearby, once again, the deer will graze and take advantage of the best nutrients around.

Tags: HI32, mr mule deer

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