Early season mulies

[rides bike to work]

Well after being denied by the leh gods I have moved on and am excited to concrete some plans for the season.

One goal I have set for my self is a early season mulie. I love the look of a velvet rack. I will be hunting along the canyon between lyton and cache creek.

My question is what elevation should I be looking at this time of year should I be low glassing the open sage or should I be up high hiking in the timber.Any other tips are welcome .

Where are the velvet mulies at on the opener .

[markt308]

generally you wanna get high in that early season. Lot's of glassing.

[markt308]

Oh ya, are you talking archery or rifle? Cuz by the time rifle opens you will need to get out there opening day or as close to it as possible if you want a velvet buck in that area! I bow hunt region 3 every year and even Sep 1st some bucks have shed the fuzzy stuff. Just a little side note.

[rides bike to work]

I'll be going out rifle season openning day

[4 point]

The biggest buck I have ever seen was at dawn Sept 10th opening day in Reg 3 several years back. He was a beauty. He saw me as I saw him but he was to far away downslope and after we had made eye contact he slipped away. While I was trying to locate him again in the binos out came another smaller but very nice 4pt.trying to also slip away. I followed him (2nd one) in the glasses until low an behold he hooke up with the big guy at timbers edge and after both looking back at me one last time they both slipped in. Hunted that same are several times in the days thereafter but never saw him again. I'll be out there again this year on the 10th as I am every year looking for a big guy.

[Husky7mm]

Well after being denied by the leh gods I have moved on and am excited to concrete some plans for the season.

One goal I have set for my self is a early season mulie. I love the look of a velvet rack. I will be hunting along the canyon between lyton and cache creek.

My question is what elevation should I be looking at this time of year should I be low glassing the open sage or should I be up high hiking in the timber.Any other tips are welcome .

Where are the velvet mulies at on the opener .
If my memory serve me correct the lyton to cache creek side open on the the 10th, there will be very few with velvet left by the 10th. A better choice would be the zones that open on sept 1......

[bruin]

Hunt high. Be in a glassing spot at daybreak and spot right till dark.

[GoatGuy]

Get into the high country if you can. Find yourself a nice perch, be up well before daybreak with a spotter and binos ready and start scanning the countryside. Look for patches of bush and debris, as well as fingers and small ridges where the bucks will be bedded down. If it's really hot they'll bed down in dust baths or dirt holes in the side of the mountain to help keep cool. Make sure your perch allows you to move on anything out of sight. Don't skyline yourself and don't stink the place out by setting up camp right in the middle of the action.

Start looking as soon as you get a free weekend to get things figured out. Get in there a day or two before the 10th as well, it'll help you get the jump on most of the others hunters. Those old bucks only need to see a person or two before they'll disappear into the woodwork until the rut in November.

Plan on any kind of weather from hot sunny days to snow. Make your stalk count, you'll only get one on a big buck.

[swampthing]

You will want to be up high. Right where treeline stops is where I have had my best success for sept 1 velvet mulies.

[horshur]

there is deer low don't be seduced up high unless you want. Many of the largest deer I see are low all the time and utilize hay fields which can be problematic with access permission but maybe not either.

[dana]

There have been a low number of bucks above tree line the last few years. With an abundance of moisture, bucks don't have to go high to get lush feed. I suspect this year will be no different.

[frenchbar]

there is deer low don't be seduced up high unless you want. Many of the largest deer I see are low all the time and utilize hay fields which can be problematic with access permission but maybe not either.

thats true enough i know ranchers that tell me all the deer are down low in sept and dont see much up in the alpine when their chasing cattle ; i know its not the same all over .. but the trend is changing ..

[shed-hunter1]

i shot a full velvet sept 18th last year so you never know

[Husky7mm]

There have been a low number of bucks above tree line the last few years. With an abundance of moisture, bucks don't have to go high to get lush feed. I suspect this year will be no different.
Less up high or just less in general.....

[dana]

Way less up high and way more down low. Just have to use your reasoning as to why? Hmmm, abundance of moisture. Good Eats everywhere! No need to head high to follow the LUSH. Besides, a lot of high country didn't melt out last year until early Aug. And because of the heavy rain last year, a lots ranchers had the first cut over ripe waiting for a few days of dry. Where do ya think the bucks were hanging out?

[The Dude]

High bucks:
Depends where you are. Lots of cats in that area, so smart bucks like to avoid the timber and trees, and bed down where they can see a long ways away, and have several escape routes they can use. Some of the biggest bucks I have seen share bedding elevations with sheep.
Low Bucks:
If you can't get permission to hunt farms, try and get up above them early, cuz I bet any of these newly domesticated monster bucks will still head up in the dark to get a bedding area where they have a good lookout. Get a better lookout and glass, glass, glass as it gets light. remember if it's on a shale slide type area, the buck will be (generally) uphill of the thicket or tree it's bedded near, so concentrate on being UP, looking across and down. I've been after a PIG in one of my areas for three years, and people only ever see him at night, leaving the alfalfa fields. Still trying to figure out where he beds. When I do,the thread wil be, of course EPIC!
Some good bears in that valley, and, rumour has it a Black Puma Concolor.
Good luck.

[hunter1947]

Deer are where you find them just like elk they can be hi or low lots to do with the conditions for water and food I have seen elk and deer travel many miles to get there water and food from there bedding areas ,many of times I have watched mule deer come down off the mountain to get there water then head back up the mountain in the late summer months....

[Husky7mm]

Seen the same mature bucks up high last fall, until nov. The north and west slopes are always luss, luss , luss, yet where I hunt the deer were up in the rocks eating short dryed out little weeds. The opener here in the ek was very hot, and very muggy, and there were hoards of mosquitos. There are no hay fields to speak of where I hunt however I could for sure see that being a factor in much of the province. If the transition zones were full of the country's usual mule deer bucks where have the sheds gone to prove they ever exisisted?

[hunterdon]

Well after being denied by the leh gods I have moved on and am excited to concrete some plans for the season.

One goal I have set for my self is a early season mulie. .

Same for me. As already mentioned, those mulie bucks could be anywhere, irrespective of altitude. As for one in velvet, well, it stands to reason, the earlier the better. As far as location is concerned, my thinking is to hunt in areas where there is little human intrusion, even into the regular hunting season. Of course that usually means access is a bit more challenging, but not always. As your name implies, you're a bit of a cyclist. You may want to consider an area with motorized vehicle restrictions, if you don't mind a little extra work. Good luck this season!

[dino]

Most of the hunting I do is up high all season, last year I was expecting what dana mentioned about but I was surprised to see there were lots of bucks. The bucks were all abnormally small though, I hunted region 8 after that and saw lots up high there too. I do think that certain snow loads will have an effect and this year I see ten feet of snow still on the ground where there was none this time last year, Some areas of the province will have above snow load and less snow melt that will create what danas talking about but other areas will be fine. All I know though is this year I cant even hike into the alpine to hang cameras where I have for years because of the snow load, Its going to be interesting.

[dana]

Yes, it is a big province and you can see different conditions and the deer behaving differently because of those conditions. I know the areas I hunt the alpine has been dead to mature bucks for several years. From what I've heard from others, is pretty much the same in many other areas of the province. Many hunters jump to the conclusion all the big bucks have died. I, on the otherhand, have just changed with the deer and have been hunting a lot lower in the early season in recent years. Go with what works for you.

[Jelvis]

Those big muley early bucks with huge velveeto are spaced out in the mountains from top to bottom and in betwixed.
The thing is what is big for you? Some guys go gaga gazing at a gagger rack over 150 typ or non muley buck.
With velvet the antlers look thick and huge, high and wide.
I was told by some hunters to get out opening day early morning while the deer are low down before the bullets and arrows start flying, then they go up on the hills farther after they see and hear the week end warriors carrying rifles.
This would be the best time down low, or you could try going high. Rocky Mountain kinda High.
Alpine and beyond tree line or just along and a little lower at the bush line inside the shadows a bit.
All depends how much hiking you do, how far you can shoot, how much you can afford and how much free time you have. And what MU and the BC Hunting reg's requirements to fit too .. many different variables.
Jp .. (Hunt) where the BC record book has the most consistent entries for record buck racks locations ..
You gotta go where the big bucks go

[shed-hunter1]

Seen the same mature bucks up high last fall, until nov. The north and west slopes are always luss, luss , luss, yet where I hunt the deer were up in the rocks eating short dryed out little weeds. The opener here in the ek was very hot, and very muggy, and there were hoards of mosquitos. There are no hay fields to speak of where I hunt however I could for sure see that being a factor in much of the province. If the transition zones were full of the country's usual mule deer bucks where have the sheds gone to prove they ever exisisted?

good point i see big bucks every year but cant find there sheds find lots of smaller ones a few 140 class bucks b ut no monsters ive been trying new things to find these sheds and hopefully that leads to the big buck in the fall

[dana]

Seen the same mature bucks up high last fall, until nov. The north and west slopes are always luss, luss , luss, yet where I hunt the deer were up in the rocks eating short dryed out little weeds. The opener here in the ek was very hot, and very muggy, and there were hoards of mosquitos. There are no hay fields to speak of where I hunt however I could for sure see that being a factor in much of the province. If the transition zones were full of the country's usual mule deer bucks where have the sheds gone to prove they ever exisisted?

No hay fields? You do know muleys can migrate over a 100 kms from winter range to summer range? They can stop anywhere on their usual route and hang up for the entire summer. Some years they might chose not to leave the winter range and some years they might go the entire 100+kms. That is a lot of country to shed hunt. There are always areas that never see a shed hunter's boot prints. To locate a buck in the high country and then pick up his sheds is next to impossible. I have done it once. Only once. And I had 7 years invested in the search.

I find it intresting that you were saying all the mature bucks were dead on many posts earlier this year but now you are claiming to have seen mature bucks up high until Nov??? Are you pulling our legs now or were you pulling our legs before when you were claiming all the bucks in the Koots were dead?

Also, you do realize that mule deer change their diets from lush veg to browse in early Sept right?

[iwing]

I've been scouting a spot for the last four weeks, its around 1800 meters and I haven't seen a muley yet. I see alot of Whitetails though, Caught a decent buck with big heavy tracks on trailcam. It is logging slash and scrubby, thick, timber. Should I expect mulies to move in or is it likely that it will be dominated by whiteys, moose and grizz? I think it will be a great spot for following big tracks when the snow flies, but I was surprised by the lack of mule deer.

[dino]

I've been scouting a spot for the last four weeks, its around 1800 meters and I haven't seen a muley yet. I see alot of Whitetails though, Caught a decent buck with big heavy tracks on trailcam. It is logging slash and scrubby, thick, timber. Should I expect mulies to move in or is it likely that it will be dominated by whiteys, moose and grizz? I think it will be a great spot for following big tracks when the snow flies, but I was surprised by the lack of mule deer.

Maybe the deer your looking for are migratory, I have found in one area I set my cams up that I had lots of activity until about the end of July then there was nothing for the next two months. I suddenly got all kinds of pics near mid November, I realized the deer were staging for a while then passing through to higher ground. I keep a journal and I think it was about the 4500 foot elevation.

[Big Lew]

Several areas I bow hunt are near the height of land in the area but not even close to true alpine. I see monster mulies and the occasional huge whitetail in these areas. These areas are frequented by summer holiday traffic which makes the big boys very hard to get close enough to with archery equipment but I enjoy trying. One monster last year, a 5 point in full velvet, looked like an elk he was so large, and he was frequenting fresh logging slashes even during the middle of the day while the men and equipment were still knocking down and processing the timber. As others have said, some of the true giants never leave the lowland farms and ranches but normally it's not possible to get hunting permission which is why they live long enough to become so mature. Over the last 10 years I've noticed a trend of seeing bachelor groups of large bucks, normally usually seen high up in the alpine, frequenting logging slashes etc. at around 1500-1700 meters. All these sightings are before and during the first week of September. They seem to scatter and become more nocturnal after that first week, possibly because of increased human interest (deer are aware of the difference between people just traveling by, and those that want to get close) or the change in the season and their biological clock.

[Jelvis]

If you were a big mule buck and was born on a huge private ranch inside a gated community why would you need to go any wheres? No one can get to you and if they did they can't shoot. Born inside the fences on a huge private spread and brought up under protection.
Feed, water, salt and many antlerless around.
Jel .. Like living in Beverley Hills .. With all the thrills and frills ..

[upcomer]

Where should the mulies be as of right now? Was up in the princeton area doing some minor scouting around 4500 ft. Saw one WT quickly scurry by, but other than that no deer... not even a doe!! Hard to plan for september when you can't even find them now! Is that still too high for them, have they already moved up passed that to around 6000ft or am i just a terrible spotter?

[Husky7mm]

I dont think the elevation is dictating where they will be right now so much as the aspect, as well as the mountians in the area affecting the way the sun hits everything. The lush feed right now is at a variety of different stages on just about every aspect. As usual there are mule deer up following the decending snow line back up the ranges where not much of anything is growing yet. Lots of blow down and erosion puts lots of goats beard on the ground for deer to survive on as they pass through or hang up. I can not speak for the princeton area, but either they are higher than your looking already or they are on route still. Fresh logging seems to cause them to hang up or be perhaps one or too mountains over from where we think they should be.....

[Jelvis]

Their are no voids in the terrain of the wild bush and forests. Anywhere could be a deer living if it had to.
But it doesn't have to, so it goes where the mother taught it to go, and come from, a fawn to a yearling through it's first birthday at least with mommy.
Daddy didn't do anything but go and eat every thing insight and hang with the boys til the pre-rut or so.
Bucks are low and bucks are high, some in between. Early season when in velvet they stay out of the thickets with branches and broken limbs from April on now in the end of August to mid September the velvet is starting to come off and so he starts helping it by rubbing on little fir trees.

[Husky7mm]

No hay fields? You do know muleys can migrate over a 100 kms from winter range to summer range? They can stop anywhere on their usual route and hang up for the entire summer. Some years they might chose not to leave the winter range and some years they might go the entire 100+kms. That is a lot of country to shed hunt. There are always areas that never see a shed hunter's boot prints. To locate a buck in the high country and then pick up his sheds is next to impossible. I have done it once. Only once. And I had 7 years invested in the search.

I find it intresting that you were saying all the mature bucks were dead on many posts earlier this year but now you are claiming to have seen mature bucks up high until Nov??? Are you pulling our legs now or were you pulling our legs before when you were claiming all the bucks in the Koots were dead?

Also, you do realize that mule deer change their diets from lush veg to browse in early Sept right?

No not trying to pull anyones leg then or now. I am done however blaming my effort as not being good enough. As for what I "see" in november no year has ever been the same in my 7 here in the EK. Some of it is not a big buck siteing so much as mature buck sign. I did pick up a set of sheds off a buck I saw earlier in october and he did not go very far. However with that being said I found them at 1550 meters on just the right kind of aspect so he was not the kind of mulie that migrates 100+ ks because he didnt have to. I also found a really nice set off a good buck from 2010-11 at almost 1700 meters which was a nice surprise.
Anyways the mature bucks are not all dead just most were killed before they were mature, which poses a problem if thats what your looking for.
For sure I understand that they eat different feed from sept to november but as I stated earlier the feed on the north and west slopes is always green and lush even without the excessive rain and extra snow of last year.

[Jelvis]

Mule deer can be found beside the rivers around Kamloops at the end of summer. Some bucks got nice velvet antlers too. 1120 foot level.
Early mule deer is a great idea for the hunter. Nice meat and velvet rack, and the mule deer can be deboned at home, then put the meat on thin metal cookie trays and put it all in the refrigerator for 72 hours.
Then eat fresh and freeze the rest.
Jel .. (Go ) Early, the Early bird get's the worm

[dana]

Here's a few low elevation bucks from yesterday in your area Jelly.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/P7020039.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/P7020046.jpg

[spear]

Saw bachelor group of 4 bucks, two matures down fairly low this weekend, hanging around agriculture fields. Hard to say if they are resident because of the protected private property, or migrating through. Haven't seen them before though.
Also had an area chalk full of does and fawns, no sheds to speak ok, no rubs, and no bucks. Is this an area where the does are going for protection, ie. Should I be hunting this area in early season, or late season during the rut?
I too plan on chasing mulies early in sept, with a bow. Im torn between staying low and looking for "resident" deer, or heading high into sub alpine/scrub to look for any bucks still in the open.
Dana, you mentioned the bucks can hang up all summer and then move again in Sept, do you think this is purely feed driven? Or are they just hanging up more because of good cover or easy accesible water in the hot months??

[dana]

Feed and protection are their top priority in the summer. Water ain't much of an issue here in BC as for the most part, water is everywhere.

[Ourea]

Early season mulies when you can hunt screaming elk!!!? Not derailing the thread but.....I cant commit to mule deer early like you cats. I hunt my mule deer awfully hard but never let them get in the way of my elk....
Mule deer are the hardest critter to consistantly pattern in my experience....guess I should invest even more time :mrgreen:.
Bottom line folks, get in the bush!!! Every day you spend in the field getting to know your targeted area and its inventory, ....you are one day closer to scoring. Less chat....more boots on the ground..........
Jelly approved....

[Husky7mm]

The big cost to being dedicated to early season mule deer, especially a big one is that it can take up all your available hunting time. If your hunting moose up north your not scouting for mule deer, and if your hunting for elk opening day and as the rut heats up same problem.....you get out of touch with them, cause your chasing elk and it's sometimes in different country. I have ignored legal bulls( small ones) while hunting early season high country mulies and many times alone in the middle of nowhere prayed not to see the a big elk or to even reaspond to his bugle... Perhaps it's time for a change as the areas I hunt have a lot more elk.

[dino]

Saw bachelor group of 4 bucks, two matures down fairly low this weekend, hanging around agriculture fields. Hard to say if they are resident because of the protected private property, or migrating through. Haven't seen them before though.
Also had an area chalk full of does and fawns, no sheds to speak ok, no rubs, and no bucks. Is this an area where the does are going for protection, ie. Should I be hunting this area in early season, or late season during the rut?
I too plan on chasing mulies early in sept, with a bow. Im torn between staying low and looking for "resident" deer, or heading high into sub alpine/scrub to look for any bucks still in the open.
Dana, you mentioned the bucks can hang up all summer and then move again in Sept, do you think this is purely feed driven? Or are they just hanging up more because of good cover or easy accesible water in the hot months??

I was out up top this past weekend right to the snow line, the deer that like to summer up top are going be there again this year from all the sine I see. From what I can tell they will be just a little behind schedule. Spear if those deer you saw were on farmland I dont think they are going to move to far but try to keep an eye on them, I would do the early season bow on farmland on the opener. Hunting with a bow up top would not be an option for me in region 3 , spot and stalk with a rifle is the way. I bow hunt too and its almost always down low on crown land beside a farm or if Its hot and I feel lazy I just drive around and take one road hunting. You would be blown away at how many bucks you see road hunting in bow range in the bow only season.

[rides bike to work]

Huskymm I can help you out with that legal bull elk problem just let me know when and where

[Jelvis]

Deer migrate come down after the snow starts piling up in late October up above around six thousand foot level.
They will move down to a lower level then stay there for a week then go down another five hundred feet.
Deer don't wait til the snow piles up they can smell the snow coming in the air they breath.
Then stay on winter range or just above it or beside a river on the steep slopes of shale and knolls of grass and bushes in the wash outs. No man is going to hunt them there on a day hunt unless he was super man.
The deer come down the lowest in April with green up getting started and as the weather warms the snow melts and they start working their way back up to summer range. Does and yearlings go first following the moist gullies up wards and finding new green shoots sprouting from the minerals in the soil.
Bucks leave last from the winter range, remembering the long journey back to the highest mountains and the long trails through cougar and wolf country. They go a little higher and farther than the does do, so they reluctantly start moving up the steep side hills and across the ridges. But there dad did it and he's doing it too.
The deer start in April moving around with the green up then start moving up to summer.
Come back down in mid October.
Jel .. Some migrate for a hundred miles and some maybe twelve miles .. some live low all year round, some high all the time.
It's the low life, living the high life. There's a first time for everything .. High roller living the low life .. Hooked Up!
In the Rut

[Husky7mm]

52`04'38.10n x 118`04'32.28w

[dino]

Deer migrate come down after the snow starts piling up in late October up above around six thousand foot level.
They will move down to a lower level then stay there for a week then go down another five hundred feet.
Deer don't wait til the snow piles up they can smell the snow coming in the air they breath.
Then stay on winter range or just above it or beside a river on the steep slopes of shale and knolls of grass and bushes in the wash outs. No man is going to hunt them there on a day hunt unless he was super man.
The deer come down the lowest in April with green up getting started and as the weather warms the snow melts and they start working their way back up to summer range. Does and yearlings go first following the moist gullies up wards and finding new green shoots sprouting from the minerals in the soil.
Bucks leave last from the winter range, remembering the long journey back to the highest mountains and the long trails through cougar and wolf country. They go a little higher and farther than the does do, so they reluctantly start moving up the steep side hills and across the ridges. But there dad did it and he's doing it too.
The deer start in April moving around with the green up then start moving up to summer.
Come back down in mid October.
Jel .. Some migrate for a hundred miles and some maybe twelve miles .. some live low all year round, some high all the time.
It's the low life, living the high life. There's a first time for everything .. High roller living the low life .. Hooked Up!
In the Rut

How can anyone not love you?

[Legi0n]

Deer migrate come down after the snow starts piling up in late October up above around six thousand foot level.
They will move down to a lower level then stay there for a week then go down another five hundred feet.
Deer don't wait til the snow piles up they can smell the snow coming in the air they breath.
Then stay on winter range or just above it or beside a river on the steep slopes of shale and knolls of grass and bushes in the wash outs. No man is going to hunt them there on a day hunt unless he was super man.
The deer come down the lowest in April with green up getting started and as the weather warms the snow melts and they start working their way back up to summer range. Does and yearlings go first following the moist gullies up wards and finding new green shoots sprouting from the minerals in the soil.
Bucks leave last from the winter range, remembering the long journey back to the highest mountains and the long trails through cougar and wolf country. They go a little higher and farther than the does do, so they reluctantly start moving up the steep side hills and across the ridges. But there dad did it and he's doing it too.
The deer start in April moving around with the green up then start moving up to summer.
Come back down in mid October.
Jel .. Some migrate for a hundred miles and some maybe twelve miles .. some live low all year round, some high all the time.
It's the low life, living the high life. There's a first time for everything .. High roller living the low life .. Hooked Up!
In the Rut

I actually understood this. It's a miracle :shock:

[Husky7mm]

How can anyone not love you?
Jel Giest .... One of a kind

[Islandeer]

Muley bucks are where you find them, I'm no expert on finding whoppers however i can find them in the area I hunt each season in the EK. The constant thing with there location is that it changeas each year. So the usual culprits contribute to these changes, like weather,habitat change,predation,feed and the wild card stuff that aren't obvious to humans.

Best advice I have is Dana's, put in lotsa time, spread the work out with your partners, and hunt differently.

So Husky, time to get off the quad ... lol

[Husky7mm]

Haha well put mr. Itchytriggerfinger!!

[BCptown]

Haven't done a whole lot of spotting thus far, but I have done a little and all I have seen is does....... hopefully things will start to change come mid august :)