Whitetail vs. Mule Deer

[Hard rock]

We have 22000 acres under lease on the Pecos over by Sheffield, not too far from Iraan. We do have both species, but my observation is that the whitetails will dominate and run the mule deer out. The whitetails seem a lot more competitive for browse, grazing, food sources, etc.

And as wide open as that country is, I believe the mulies who like to lie up on the sides of the caprock are more exposed and vulnerable to hunting pressure. The whitetails use the deep canyons, and thick cover more. Just what I have seen. Wish we had more mulies.

We have been getting mule deer doe permits too lower our mule deer population by Texas Parks and Wildlife I thought it was a mistake in the beginning and now I know it was I'm putting a end too it they don't know everything. A few years ago we had a heck of a mule deer herd 14 miles east of the Pecos on hwy 190 . All the wind turbine activity hasn't helped either , encroachment on habitat.

 

[dciron]

While it's certainly possible to find either species in the same area, hunting mature and mule deer bucks is generally a different process. Unless in the rut, I have had my best success hunting Western whitetail bucks either early or later in the day either near food bearing farmland areas, or positioning in a hide in proximity to the green river bottoms, catching them in transit…They frequent these areas. The further the distance and greater the visual expanse, the better. Given you have already had a successful whitetail doe hunt, a buck will usually be in proximity, but the mature whitetail will be quite savvy and require more careful planning compared to the younger bucks and does. Stalking a mature whitetail, while possible, is far more difficult then a muley. My greatest success with mule deer has been lots of glassing in hopes of locating a buck standing or bedded on the mountain/hillsides looking for either the shot, or a stalk to get within range. This type of hunting can be productive throughout the day. If I have a tag for either, or a tag for each, I will often hunt whitetails early and late in the day, and mule deer in the balance of the day. I personally love to hunt the Western whitetail overlooking a valley/river bottom. It was made for the long range hunter, and quite different from hunting whitetails in other parts of the country!
Below: A typical hide offering shots from 300-800 yards….and a couple of bucks I've taken in this particular area (near the Wyoming/Montana border)…using this approach.
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Greyfox, thanks for sharing your knowledge and pictures of your set up. I am a newbie, so learning these things is very valuable to be.

 

[skipglo]

This! I am not a trophy hunter, but all my hunts are trophies.

Right.....the game is just the bonus. .....like the time I told my wife I was going fishing for 10 days....brought back a couple of 25 lb Salmon and told here what a great trip it was .. .and it was a fabulous trip....her only comment was..." maybe next time.. you should take the price tags off" Now...where in the HELLO...did you go?

 

[rewiltshire]

@FEENIX People just don't understand that you can't eat them there horns. No matter how much you boil them - LOL!

 

[dogbuster0006]

The first one you'd be happy to kill on the last day. I'm from Kentucky and have killed a couple nice whitetail so I vote mulies, that being said first nice buck you see bust him. Come back next time and chase the other species, take a trip somewhere else for the other the adventure is have the fun.

 

[orkan]

I'm partial to muleys.

 

[bigngreen]

I'll take a mule deer every day for fine eating but will shoot a truck load of whitetail for sausage and to just generally do my part to shoot the invasive, worthless buggers. Loath seeing whitetails in hallowed mountain muley ground so please shoot whitetail and grab as many over the counter doe tags as possible!!

 

[blumtn]

I have had the privilege to hunt Montana for the last 6 years. My SIL's family have large tracks of property that also gives us access to large portions of BLM ground. Mulies are my heartbeat. To me there is nothing more fabulous than watching a mighty mature muledeer chase does in the rut. A mature whitetail to me is OK, but just doesn't do a thing for me. I have been hunting for over 50 years and have shot a ton of both species and a mule deer always makes my heart pound.