deer hunter 5 tracking trophies guns update

Use the image as a reference in case you lose your bearings.Īs always, be on the lookout for other deer and other game, even livestock. Consider taking a photo with your camera of the landscape you’re stalking into. Often it will look different when you’re on the same ridge as the deer compared to how it looked from where you glassed him. Memorize the terrain your animal is located. Once he has found his target buck, he waits until the animal moves into a position that offers a high-percentage stalk.įind unmistakable landmarks before your stalk begins. He’s a man of solid consistency on taking mature bucks with a bow. If there’s one person to learn from, it’s Randy Ulmer (AZ). But for archery hunting mule deer, closing the gap within bow range is where it gets tricky. Once you’ve spotted the buck you’re after, getting within 200 yards isn’t extremely difficult, which is fantastic if you’re rifle hunting. Even if you’re hunting with a rifle or muzzleloader, read on-there’s nothing more deadly than a hunter with a rifle in hand employing some bowhunting tactics. And in the evening, glass until it’s too dark to see, you’ll understand and appreciate the term “coming out of the woodwork”. Deer move throughout the day, typically to change beds as the shade transitions. A lot of hunters only hunt or glass in the early mornings and evenings. If you’re perched in a vantage point before the sun crests, you’ll have gotten there without being seen, it will give you time to catch your breath and you’ll be ready to focus on spotting a monster mule deer.īe ready to glass all day. If you’ve trained yourself to look for deer in their summer coat, you’re going to glass over trophy mule deer that are usually the first to “grey out” into their winter coats. On the contrary, deer primarily living on the east-facing slopes are out of their beds earlier in the evening than deer living on west-facing slopes.ĭon’t get in the habit of looking for red-colored deer in their summer coats. The Mule deer who primarily live on east-facing slopes tend to bed down for the day earlier than deer living on west-facing slopes. The mule deer habitat will indicate around what time it will bed and wake. Mulies typically favor the shade, but don’t let that keep you from glassing into every possible location.Īs you plan out when and where to glass, consider where the mule deer spends most of their time living.

A lot of times I’m not in the middle of the unit or the furthest in, most times it’s a transition area that doesn’t have a trailhead or has some sort of uninviting topography such as a steep ridge that drops into the headwaters of a basin.” commented Kissel.įor the best place to find mule deer, pick a good vantage point and look to the shade. These voids typically have limited access, or secluded areas that are often overlooked by other hunters. First, I’ll lay it out and draw in every hiking trail, road, and access point get everything positioned out where I can visually analyze and look at it… From there, I’ll pick apart each of those areas and look for what I call voids.

“Anytime I’m going to be hunting a new unit, I pick up an actual hard-copy topo map of the unit. If you see a deer do the same thing twice, you’ll get him the 3rd time. Mule deer might not run the same program every day, but they are habitual in the drainages, basins, and areas they hang out in. The deer you can find during the summer months are typically in the same area during the hunt. Along with knowing your location, learning the habits of the deer you’ll be hunting is priceless. He uses these resources to pick his top-12 spots to check out before ever stepping foot on the unit.ĭetermining a list of locations to scout beforehand allows you more time more time to scout, more time to hike and glass upon arrival, and more time to stay mentally focused instead of sitting in your truck, throwing shots in the dark trying to figure out what to do or where to go next. SCOUTING IS THE FOUNDATION FOR YOUR HUNTĪs the old saying goes, “If you have five minutes to chop down a tree, spend the first three sharpening your axe.” As an out-of-state mule deer hunter, AJ Kissel (WI) prepares his hunts with a topo map of the unit and Google Earth. Continue reading to see what it takes to be successful when hunting the elusive muley. We sat down with expert mule deer hunting veterans, AJ Kissell and Randy Ulmer, as well as our in-house team of hunters for some mule deer hunting tips. Turning up a mature mule deer buck on public land may be one of the toughest hunts out there. 7 Core Tips for a Successful Mule Deer Hunt

Deer hunter 5 tracking trophies guns update