wild guide: itching for mulies
more time spent glassing the more Mule
deer you will most always spot. Quality
optics give you advantages at first and last
light. They make things appear brighter
and clearer as well as providing you with
better eye relief. You can be staring through
the lenses for hours when hunting Mulies
and a headache is the last thing you want!
KNOW WHAT TO DO AND WHEN TO
DO IT
You’ve spotted that buck of your wildest
dreams. Now you have to get within range
and make it count. Of course there are
only a few things standing in the way of you
wrapping your tag on this giant. Hunting
with the bow is something you can do
every season in most places, but prepare
yourself as it comes with lots of pain and
heartache. So many variables come into
play and everything has to click to make
it count. Patience is the hardest thing you
need but also the most crucial. There are
times when you need to leave a buck versus
spooking him out of the area. You need to
know when to make the stalk and when
to walk away. Of course, not every stalk is
going to be successful and you are going
to bust some of them regardless of what
happens. But playing the wind in your
favour for both scent and to help mask the
noise made on your stalk is a huge bonus.
Cover is key! Whether you are stalking up
the side of a ridge or coulee to have the
buck bedded below you, or using the cover
of a standing field of oats to get within
range, you need cover. Last but not least,
you need patience. You’ve made it this far,
so don’t blow it by rushing the stalk. Wait
patiently for the buck to stand and stretch
or get up to feed, and stay ready. Pay close
attention to their actions, ears, eyes and
nose. Once you get to know their tactics,
you will know when they are getting ready
to stand up.
FOOD SOURCES
Mulies are pros at covering ground and
can easily bed 3 or 4 miles from the food
sources they are hitting. These big bucks
are as sly as it gets, living their life in the
wide open, so they use every trick they can
to remain undetected, especially in the
fall months. First and last light is the key
time to scour these areas as the big bucks
will slowly start to make their way out of
the deepest, darkest spots, keeping down
low using every crook and cranny to their
advantage.
Look for those spots tucked away,
further than you’ve ever looked before to
be harbouring that dream buck, hidden
and hard to access. Spots that you can only
get to by foot or even horseback for that
matter. Those giant mulies hidden deep in
the bottomless ravines are the ones I often
dream of. Mulies are browsers, feeding on
shrubs and greenery in the prairies, but
if there are agricultural fields near your
hunting areas, make sure to check them
out. I’ve found many giant Mule bucks
travelling out of the hills just before dark
to feed in an alfalfa crop.
23 Wild Guide
. Fall 2017
CHANGES IN THE RUT
Once early November rolls around the
Mule Deer are starting the rut, so be sure
to pay close attention to herds of Does,
usually more out in the open and easier
to spot. Where the does are in November,
the bucks are sure to be close by, so scour
the areas surrounding the does, many
times I’ve almost given up, then spotted
a the tines of a gnarly antler sticking out
of a clump of buck brush, as a giant buck
watches him harem of females from a safe
distance. These big boys don’t get big by
making any mistakes, so you need to be
ready as they can look so docile one minute
and bust out so quickly the next minute,
they will leave you standing there with your
pants down! I’ve had giant Mulie bucks
turn me inside out on many occasions and
I’ve learnt just a little tidbit from almost
every single encounter.