How long would you wait

[Brambles]

Hypothetically speaking of course

You get a lot of time off to hunt, and mule deer is on your mind

Its opening week you hike into a basin you've scouted in the pre-season for mule deer. You know a bachelor group of 8 bucks are in the area but nothing bigger than a 140 typical mulie has been seen, however only one scouting trip was done so bigger deer might show themselves with more time spent.

The kicker is in that same basin hanging out near the mulies is about a 140-150" 8x5 non-typical Whitetail and his little 3 point body guard.

How many hours, days, or weeks would you watch the mulies waiting for a bigger one to arrive before you shoot that whitetail?

I'm thinking a couple or three days, lots of country near by to continue the hunt for mulies once a unique character whitetail's pecker is in the dirt.

What would you do, purely hypothetical of course:smile:

[Wild Images]

Bye bye Mr Whitetail, a bigger mulie can be had later in the season :biggrin:

[lip_ripper00]

Hypothetically speaking if it has antlers and its leagle it coming home!!!!

[elkdom]

The big muley wont mind if you shoot the whitetail, in fact the big muley probably come lookin for who just got shot! Ive had muleys walk up several times right after I shot a white tail, had a four point muley watch me field dress a white tail buck a few years ago, the muley came within 25 yards curious as hell! duhhh !

[Moosenose]

Take the Whitey Pal, I sure would.
You still have the rest of the season to find a big Muley, and hypothetically, with a bunch of time off, of course.

[todbartell]

shoot the whitey

[BCRiverBoater]

A 150 non typical with some character? It is going down. You then have the whole season to concentrate strictly on muley's.

[hunter1947]

I would drill the whitetail.

As for the mule deer I then would keep an eye on that area even after I had taken this WT.

The mule deer will not go to far away after hearing one or two shots.

Latter on when the rut comes you might even see a hog of a mule deer ,just keep working your area and see what develops at the end.

If you want meat then drill the smaller mule ,if you want a trophy then wait to the end and see.

[Fisher-Dude]

Shoot whichever one is closest to the road. :razz:

[ruttinbuck]

If the basin is remote enough the whitey will be even bigger next year.Concentrate on the muleys,you can always shoot the rat buck next season when he gets even more trashy.RB

[Mr. Friendly]

what do you enjoy more on your table...the whitey or the muley? that's how I'd make my choice! ;)

[Brambles]

If the basin is remote enough the whitey will be even bigger next year.Concentrate on the muleys,you can always shoot the rat buck next season when he gets even more trashy.RB


I'm not worried about him getting shot by anyone else while he's in that basin but when he migrates out for the rut and to go to winter range he might get popped enroute by someone else. I'd love to let him grow another year if I could be certain he was safe. Its a gamble I guess.




what do you enjoy more on your table...the whitey or the muley? that's how I'd make my choice! ;)

I'm not worried about filling my tags, enough meat will be in the freezer by the end of the season.

[Wild one]

WT would go down as soon as I seen him.I would move on to another spot for mule for a week or so to see if I could find some thing bigger.If that did not work I would check out the first spot to see what is there.

[brotherjack]

I'd wait about 0.0001 seconds. Dead whitetail, like right now. Will come back later for mulies. :)

[hunter1947]

I'm not worried about him getting shot by anyone else while he's in that basin but when he migrates out for the rut and to go to winter range he might get popped enroute by someone else. I'd love to let him grow another year if I could be certain he was safe. Its a gamble I guess.





I'm not worried about filling my tags, enough meat will be in the freezer by the end of the season.
A gamble your right ,if you want the meat take him ,if you want to gamble let him walk ,there might be his big brother around that you have not seen yet ?? ,you might get a crack at an even bigger one latter on in the year ???.

[dana]

You haven't done enough scouting to answer your question. Get off your ass and scout the basin at least one more time to see what you see for muleys. You don't need to see a monster to know he's living in there. Monster bucks normally produce monster tracks. With the rain the entire province has been getting, should be good conditions to find some tracks. If there is no evidence of a big muley in there, I'd pop the whitey if he doesn't do a disappearing stunt and actually gives ya an opportunity. If pulls up stakes, I'd keep on scoutin for a big muley in there.

[Brambles]

You haven't done enough scouting to answer your question. Get off your ass and scout the basin at least one more time to see what you see for muleys. You don't need to see a monster to know he's living in there. Monster bucks normally produce monster tracks. With the rain the entire province has been getting, should be good conditions to find some tracks. If there is no evidence of a big muley in there, I'd pop the whitey if he doesn't do a disappearing stunt and actually gives ya an opportunity. If pulls up stakes, I'd keep on scoutin for a big muley in there.


I got one more 2 day scouting trip booked but that is all I can fit in with my work schedual, I agree'd to work a tonne more shifts in august so I can get more of the Sept season off. Not sure if we are going back in there or scouting a backup spot incase there are other hunters in our "primary" location come Sept 8th. We have a day or two before the season opens anyhow to scout a little more.

As far as stinking up the basin looking for tracks, well thats not my plan, IMO its too close to the season to be doing that and there are far too many deer in there to be pushing them out. Looking in from ridges and glassing is going to be my method, not pounding bush. I want to sneek in, scout and sneek out.

There are a couple other basins in close proximity and a couple spur ridgelines. The other basins are a little more remote and a fair bit uglier so I'm actually thinking the bigger bucks will probably be in those basins, perhaps on the other scouting trip we will go in there if my scouting partner agrees. There is also a big alpine face that isn't glassable from any location, you have to be on it to glass any of it. Unless you've been there you wouldn't know this grass face existed.