Archery Mulies

[FlyingHigh]

so i didn't get my LEH. that means i can make another hunting trip elsewhere. i want to try for archery mule deer again. the first year i was trying the Loon Lake area in 3-30. however, i didn't see a thing, not even a doe.

i was wondering if anyone has any pointers on technique, location, etc. i have full camo, a blind, a couple calls, full archery set up. i could always buy a few smaller things if i need to.

i tried calling around meadows early in the morning, i tried stalking through the bush, i tried road hunting. not sure what i'm doing wrong. maybe i'm in the wrong area for archery mulies. :redface:

thanks. :razz:

[Bow Walker]

Archery Mule Deer is "spot 'n stalk" as far as I'm concerned (or have read about). How sneaky are you? How devious can you be?

While on a hunt for Elk up the Bull River (east of Cranbrook) we saw a veritable ton of mulies that were resting/snoozing/sunning themselves on the higher rocky ridges at around 3 in the afternoon.

We were out glassing for the next day's hunt and always saw mucho mulies just laying there chewing their cuds. Relaxed as you please, no less.

This was about 30 km east of Cranbrook and then about 60 km into the bush.

Does this help you any?

[FlyingHigh]

yup. that helps a little. i kind of figured that mulies would be spot and stalk, seeing as they don't read american hunting mags. lol

i'll have to go over my maps and such again. it's always a trick to find good areas that don't have a billion people in them.

[Avalanche123]

Mulie Deer hunting where I hunt generally sees the most success with tree stand hunting or hunting from a blind. Spot and stalk does work too however if the ground is frozen and things are crunchy.....you get the idea.

[horshur]

early season the deer still use the licks

[dana]

I'd give the highcountry a try if I were you. Nothing like glassin a buck from a couple kms away and getting in under 15 metres.

[huntwriter]

Hunting mule deer from a treestand can work very well. Of course first you have to do your scouting and figure out the daily routs to and from their feeding grounds. Spot and stalk with a bow is extremely difficult as it is nearly impossible to sneak into bow shooting range without been seen or heard by the targeted deer.

I find it always a lot easier to let game come to me rather than hoof around mountains and tire myself out. Maybe age is getting slowly to me. Lol.

[guest]

As Dana said, spot and stalk in the alpine. Early season, camo up, use the wind and country to help you. Hurry up and slow down when you think your going slow, slow down more. Glass from long away then move in, use the deers habits, active first light, then evening. Find them in their alpine beds and move in!
go get em !
C/T

[dana]

Huntwriter,
I've killed plenty of bucks spot and stalk with my rifle but well within bowrange. If you are patient, wait for the buck to bed, watch where his buddies bed, and plan your stalk as curly top suggested, it is surprising how close you can indeed get.

[huntwriter]

Huntwriter,
I've killed plenty of bucks spot and stalk with my rifle but well within bowrange. If you are patient, wait for the buck to bed, watch where his buddies bed, and plan your stalk as curly top suggested, it is surprising how close you can indeed get.

Point taken Dana. At heart I am a whitetail deer hunter and over the years have applied whitetail tactics to mule deer hunting such as using treestands, calling, scent and rattling and found it works too. Personally I am just not made to hike up and down mountains.

[FlyingHigh]

thanks for all the info folks. i'll have to try this alpine hunting. not much alpine in the area i hunt though. mostly dense forest, with some clearings here and there.

[Bow Walker]

thanks for all the info folks. i'll have to try this alpine hunting. not much alpine in the area i hunt though. mostly dense forest, with some clearings here and there.
Now that right there calls for "still hunting"...and good observation.

[FlyingHigh]

Now that right there calls for "still hunting"...and good observation.

that would mean walking super slow through the woods and stopping and looking every 10 ft or so right?

i tried that. didn't see anything. i'm probably doing something wrong. maybe i'm not in the right terrain, the right area, maybe i'm not quiet enough. i'm not sure. i'll give it another go again this year, if the doc clears me to get out.

[huntwriter]

Stalking is a difficult art but it can be learned relatively easy. Stalking works best in areas you have scouted before and know where the deer bed and feed. Once you spot a deer the stalk begins. Wear head to toe camouflage and keep the wind in the face.

Advance slowly, no more than two to four steps at a time. Use all available cover to your advantage. Then stay still, preferably behind a tree or bush. Observe your surrounding to all sides including behind you. A pair of good binoculars will help you to pick out the slightest movement or odd shapes, such as the tip of an ear or the glint of an antler tip. Don’t give it just a cursory glance, really look the area over inch by inch, that odd shape could be a rock or a bedded deer. The odd looking branch could be part of the antlers. Deer are masters at camouflaging and blending in to their surrounding. We pass by more deer that we never see and yet they are right there watching us.


Spend about ten to fifteen minutes observing and listening, before you move on. Also, before you move on look at the ground and visualize the next few steps to avoid stepping on branches. Wear light soled boots so you can feel what’s under your foot. Set the heel first on the ground and then gently lower the rest of the foot. I you feel a twig or branch gently pushit with the foot away before setting the foot on the ground. Try not to look at the ground as you walk but ahead of you so you can detect any movement in the distance.


Carry a deer grunt call with you and should you make any light noise stay absolutely still, blow the grunt tube once or twice and then wait a while before moving on.

And finally, stalking in wet weather, just after a rain, is better than in dry weather. Deer move more after a rain and the wet ground will damped the noice. Windy conditions are also perfect to stalk as any sound will be camouflaged by the rustle of the wind. In windy weather deer bed down this is a good time to stalk known bedding areas on the wind shelterd side.


Back in Illinois I have stalked cornfields many times and blown many more bucks than I have drilled with an arrow. It’s some of the thoughest hunting I have ever done but a lot fun. Hope that helps.

[FlyingHigh]

wow huntwriter. that helps alot. it'll give me something to go when i get out this fall. :)

[tinhorse]

If you are looking for early season deer with a bow try region 7B. When I lived up there both my wife and I were able to get into decient bucks with a bow up by hudsons hope. Lots of deer and not very weary of people.