Who said there are no big Mulies left in AB

[Mark]

I was out this past week looking at land to purchase and found this shed when I was walking the property.
For perspective, I put the antler of the whitetail(pic attached) I shot this year beside the mulie shed. While the whitetail wasn't a cranky by no means, he definitely was bigger than average for our area of southern ab where they usually get pick off in their first or second year.
I saw a couple other bucks last summer that may have been close in width and height, but definitely didn't have his mass. I don't have small hands and there is no way my fingers would come even close to touching when grasping the base.

I'm going to keep my eyes open for him this summer. I'm not a horn hunter, I like the meat from young tasty deer, and have had too many bad experiences with big mule buck. The last big buck I shot (right out his bed at first light) stunk so bad you could smell the musk for 10 feet away. (He must have had a busy night.) However, for this one, I may have make an exception.

[Phil McCracken]

Yep...a very nice one for sure...

[cowmanbob]

I hate to think that whitetail is larger than average. Not too bad of a mule deer shed.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by cowmanbob

I hate to think that whitetail is larger than average. Not too bad of a mule deer shed.

Unfortunately down here in our area, forkhorn and three points are average.
Most whitetail buck don't make it past 2.5 years. On the bald ass prairie they're just isn't much room for them to hide.
Mule deer making it a bit longer due to the draw and the crazy steep coulees. More than once I've looked down at a mulie buck at the bottom of the coulee and thought twice if it would be worth the work it would take to get him out. Where we live, it can easily be a quarter mile of straight down to the bottom of coulee. First step of the edge of the coulee is 500 yards straight down.

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by Mark

Unfortunately down here in our area, forkhorn and three points are average.
Most whitetail buck don't make it past 2.5 years. On the bald ass prairie they're just isn't much room for them to hide.
Mule deer making it a bit longer due to the draw and the crazy steep coulees. More than once I've looked down at a mulie buck at the bottom of the coulee and thought twice if it would be worth the work it would take to get him out. Where we live, it can easily be a quarter mile of straight down to the bottom of coulee. First step of the edge of the coulee is 500 yards straight down.

Hunt from the bottom of the coulee instead of from the top and push the bucks closer to the top before you shoot them. In the morning the air is rising out of the valley as it warms so the mulies will be higher up. In the afternoon air currents go downhill so the deer will like the bottom more.

[Mark]

Great idea and I've done it before. Works great except when you shoot one that almost at the top, but when you he drop he rolls all way back to the bottom of the coulee. Happened to me a couple of years ago. Then to add insult to injury he rolls into a run off ditch with the sides that are 4feet straight down with no purchase anywhere and covering with snow just to make it really slippery, and you're hunting by yourself.
Took me four hours just to get him out the ditch, then had about a 1000 yards up to the top of the coulee.
Shot him first thing in the am and took me all day to get him out.

[Ackleyman]

well i have to really commend you for your effort. I was in 102 on a mulie draw a few years back . Saw two REAL nice bucks and started in thru a maze of winding oxbows that were like 8" straight down to creek and the same going straight up , then the steep coulee's , lots of snow and not much to grab onto. I finally gave up , if i ever dropped a big mulie back in that terrain i would never get him out....my own fault , i was hunting alone . too old and the strength not what it used to be . saw a few smaller bucks in flat pasture but let em be.

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by Mark

Great idea and I've done it before. Works great except when you shoot one that almost at the top, but when you he drop he rolls all way back to the bottom of the coulee. Happened to me a couple of years ago. Then to add insult to injury he rolls into a run off ditch with the sides that are 4feet straight down with no purchase anywhere and covering with snow just to make it really slippery, and you're hunting by yourself.
Took me four hours just to get him out the ditch, then had about a 1000 yards up to the top of the coulee.
Shot him first thing in the am and took me all day to get him out.

Time to get a good horse and at least 500 feet of good rope.

I know deer tend to go downhill when hit and they find the snarliest places to fall over.

[ranstey]

Sorry for the poor quality (zoomed in) photo.... I saw this guy in my approved hunting field a week before the season.... Never to be seen again lol lol. From a distance (and driving) we thought it might have been an elk but nope... nice looking Mule.


[IMG][/IMG]

[Ackleyman]

Giant Mulie.jpg

[whitetail Junkie]

Dad has a nack/interest in finding some nice mule deer some years if he decides to look for them.

[whitetail Junkie]

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[whitetail Junkie]

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[whitetail Junkie]

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[Positrac]

Wow... those are some crankers your dad took WJ.

I didn’t see any decent ones on my trip down south in bow season last year but in 2019 I saw a cranker when I had a rifle tag. He was easily over 180 and I wouldn’t doubt much bigger. He was so big I through caution to the wind and froze my right hand so bad I almost lost my trigger finger due to frostbite. Still didn’t get him but I see him in my dreams often...