Mule Deer Bucks

[bowman177]

Hey guys just wanted to hear some stories about mule deer hunts and also photos thanks.

[Trophyhill]

I have a lot of fond memories hunting mulies. Big mule deer bucks shake me up a bit. When I used to rifle hunt them just seeing a big buck was far and few between. Since I started hunting them in '08 with a bow during the rut in southeast NM in January, I have multiple opportunities daily to stalk ranging from big to monster desert mulies. I'm still figuring it out. Rutting open country mule deer with a bunch of does and a few smaller bucks hanging around isn't a gimme by any means and IMO are the ultimate challenge. To me they are anyway.

I'm getting close though. I've been so close so many times to closing the deal on trophy bucks I wouldn't know where to start. The terrain is open with a few draws and canyons and not flat by any means. So even though it's open, I have limited terrain with choya cactus, mesquite, salt cedars, some sage brush and in some spots, "buffalo grass" taller than I am that swallows men whole for cover. Everything that grows has thorns and what grass there is, is dry and sharp. Lots of loose rock and prickly pear cactus too.

Trying to crawl is miserable as you can imagine. Hard to stay quiet when you stick your hand, forearm, knee or some other body part into a prickly pear seeing mule deer bucks fight is fricken awesome. It's fierce and furious! They don't mess around. Seeing a serious buck chasing a single doe he wants when she's playing hard to get is a sight to behold too! They are relentless!

It's not like hunting high country bucks in the Rockies but it is exciting. You can spot them from a very long way. Can you imagine killing a 300 lb mulie? These big boys get big for a reason. I'm convinced these deer are nocturnal 10 months out of the year and lay perfectly still during the day during that time. I think some of them migrate to this area from nearby mountains too.

This guy here is a small sample compared to some of the bigger bucks I've seen.

[nuevo_eph]

Good stuff and great pic!