Spot And Stalk Mule Deer Hunting

[Len Backus]

I have a PSE Tac 15i crossbow coming soon. It slings an arrow at 402 fps with incredible accuracy. I am thinking of this as an ideal western state mule deer hunting tool. Especially for Spot and Stalk.

Tac 15 video It takes a while for the video to load.

PSE Tac 15 Spec Sheet

But I have zero experience in mule deer with archery equipment.

So tell me how to Spot & Stalk mule deer. I'll be hunting up on the top of the Big Horns in NW Wyoming this fall. 8,000 feet or so of elevation.

[zuba]

After shooting that at the deer & turkey show with you I decided I needed a faster bow. I'm now shooting @ 334 fps! I am hoping to get a chance at bowhunting mule deer next year, didn't put in for a tag this year... So I'm going to have to watch this thread and try to remember!

[WildcatB]

1. Walk in the dark and get high on a ridge.
2. Glass basin’s and ridges below.
3. Find your buck feeding. Watch him until he beds down. Mark where he is in reference to something close to him – bush, tree, rock, drainage….keep referencing this point as you sneek because things will look different when you get closer to him
4. Plan your stock.

a. Get the wind in your favor

i. Afternoons the wind is usually going up hill

b. It’s usually best to come in from above them because they often bed looking down hill
c. Start your sneek – like Elmer Fudd – be vewy vewy quiet.
d. Use any cover you can and never move when the deer is looking your direction.
e. Drop your pack and take your shoes off when you get to about 150 yrds. This will force you to slow down and make you a lot quieter.
f. If your lucky enough to not have the wind swirl on you or have other deer bust you, when you get to a comfortable shooting distance wait until the deer stands up (or shoot him bedded if he’s positioned so you can hit both lungs.) then let it fly.

5. Patience is a virtue. Stocks can take several hours.
6. Plan on lots of stocks before getting a good shot. Don’t get discouraged.
8. If you do make a good hit, give the animal lots of time to die before trying to recover it.

There are some good videos on eastmans.com that show how it's done:
Full Episodes | Eastmans' Hunting Journals | The Magazines for Western Big Game Trophy Hunters

look at:

2009 Eastmans' Hunting TV Episode 4Bow Hunt with David Long

and

Nevada Mule Deer Bow HuntBow Hunt with Cameron Hanes

[Chas1]

Pretty cool, shoot us some pics once you get it. Enjoy.

[bigngreen]

Mule deer will pick you out a mile away if you sky line, more than other deer or elk but if you don't do that they aren't that hard to stalk. Muley's are super curious so just when they are gone they do something stupid.

[Len Backus]

Thanks, guys.

Paul, there seems to be the foundation of a really good feature article from you in that list of "How To's".

The videos are really helpful, too.

[tlshootst]

Hunting Open Country Mule Deer by Dwight Schuh is an exellent book. I have read that book many times over.