High priority Mule deer

[reddeerhunter]

Prediction only, next alberta hog Mule Deer WILL be shot within 60km radius of Red Deer. Too dang bad it wasnt me for sure.

[cougar bait]

reddeerhunter, what is your definition of a hog mule deer? Score? age?
A big score is nice but anytime you can kill a mature animal to me is a real trophy
Thanks

[packhuntr]

Originally Posted by cougar bait

reddeerhunter, what is your definition of a hog mule deer? Score? age?
A big score is nice but anytime you can kill a mature animal to me is a real trophy
Thanks

I agree! Age first, inches when they happen, and inches dont happen very often. Outsmarting old bucks is the game. Some pretty unrealistic would be mule deer hunters chiming in. Every one of them wants a 190 plus or a 200 haha. If whitetail were on draw guys would be singing the same tunes here with thier high priorities, trying to figure out how they can go hunting ONCE and snuff a 2 hundo lol. The answer aint magic boys. Either go find mature or old bruiser and have fun, or invest years and everything you have into an intensive scouting program. Too many guys spend too little time in the field, and read too many magazines i think

[reddeerhunter]

Did I miss something? Or did the thread start out by asking where a guy/gal would put in for a good mule deer? I have seen some crankers around red deer, to me a cranker has a lot of inches of bone. I have seen big typicals and big non typs. Pine lake, Delburne, Bashaw, Penhold and right in the city of Red Deer. I am a priority 5 and my preference is going to a gnarly dark horned warrior of a buck, score not of great concern. And it will be where there are dark antlers. Not Red Deer.
Not surprised master hunter Pack is chiming in though. Not sure why one would add nothing beneficial to a thread and still take the time to post about nothing what the thread is about.

[reddeerhunter]

Originally Posted by cougar bait

reddeerhunter, what is your definition of a hog mule deer? Score? age?
A big score is nice but anytime you can kill a mature animal to me is a real trophy
Thanks

A hog(to the majority in my opinion) is a great B&C score typ or non typ. Some young dandys in the 60km radius I have spoken of.
I also like an old gnarly buck, and my trophies are personal ones for me that are also not all about inches. Getting a target deer even if he is on downside is what I am after.

I was just helping the OP with some first hand views of big deer around Red Deer. Maybe a good spot to look if he has scouting time & permission before pulling a long awaited tag.

[nube]

For me it all inches. Sorry to say. I have 11 or 12 years of points and want a 190+ deer. Problem is trying to find one and I have no clue as to which wmu gives me the best chance. Been waiting so long I bet I could have hunted twice now lol

[packhuntr]

For all intents and purposes this same conversation could be about 180 plus bighorns. Both are equally hard to find and currently top producing units are no cake walk and do not harbour high density of magnum stuff. I think if guys are realistic about what mule deer and sheep are, there is no reason why he or she couldnt pick on a segment of any decent unit and get to know the animals within that area and with little or no issue go on to enjoying success beyond thier hopes and dreams. Not until guys start talking B&C typs and non typs does anything seem impossible for the would be slayer! If its inches, make sure you dont overlook a gold mine in gross score.
Reddeerhunter. You should find a pursue a hobby as a comedian, hunting aint your thing

[H380]

Originally Posted by reddeerhunter

Did I miss something? Or did the thread start out by asking where a guy/gal would put in for a good mule deer? I have seen some crankers around red deer, to me a cranker has a lot of inches of bone. I have seen big typicals and big non typs. Pine lake, Delburne, Bashaw, Penhold and right in the city of Red Deer. I am a priority 5 and my preference is going to a gnarly dark horned warrior of a buck, score not of great concern. And it will be where there are dark antlers. Not Red Deer.
Not surprised master hunter Pack is chiming in though. Not sure why one would add nothing beneficial to a thread and still take the time to post about nothing what the thread is about.

Not taking sides here , but packhunter is right ..far too many folks want to go the easy route and ask for a honey hole or even honey wmu and not put in the required legwork to acquire the knowledge themselves . Sure its OK to ask for some advice but dont expect anyone to hand you a big deer on a platter , whitetail or mule .
We hear talk about what is truly a trophy , gross score , non typ , typ, whatever , it is all in the eye of the beholder . The problem with looking for the holy grail 200" is the fact that a person really is setting themselves up for failure . Most hunters dont have a clue what a 200" deer even looks like , maybe not even a 180 or how few and far between they really are . Be prepared to go home empty handed if you dont do your homework . There are guys in my area that consistently shoot 140" whitetails that they claim are 160s and their muleys are all 190 .. funny how no certified scorer ever seems to put a tape on them to confirm it .They are part of the elite hunters that see a 200" everytime they go out ..lol . Just another case of folks not really knowing what to look for . If there were that many big deer around ,the B&C book would be 6" thick .
Some folks actually do just get flat out lucky and stumble into a deer of a lifetime , but as pack says you best be willing to pay the price to get one if you are serious about it .

[reddeerhunter]

Originally Posted by packhuntr

For all intents and purposes this same conversation could be about 180 plus bighorns. Both are equally hard to find and currently top producing units are no cake walk and do not harbour high density of magnum stuff. I think if guys are realistic about what mule deer and sheep are, there is no reason why he or she couldnt pick on a segment of any decent unit and get to know the animals within that area and with little or no issue go on to enjoying success beyond thier hopes and dreams. Not until guys start talking B&C typs and non typs does anything seem impossible for the would be slayer! If its inches, make sure you dont overlook a gold mine in gross score.

Reddeerhunter. You should find a pursue a hobby as a comedian, hunting aint your thing

Not comedy. Gonna open a circus act. You should apply. Star role for ya.



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[Bushrat]

Originally Posted by packhuntr

For all intents and purposes this same conversation could be about 180 plus bighorns. Both are equally hard to find and currently top producing units are no cake walk and do not harbour high density of magnum stuff. I think if guys are realistic about what mule deer and sheep are, there is no reason why he or she couldnt pick on a segment of any decent unit and get to know the animals within that area and with little or no issue go on to enjoying success beyond thier hopes and dreams. Not until guys start talking B&C typs and non typs does anything seem impossible for the would be slayer! If its inches, make sure you dont overlook a gold mine in gross score.
Reddeerhunter. You should find a pursue a hobby as a comedian, hunting aint your thing

Yup, have had those guys who talk about the big 190" deer they apparently see regularly, even had them point them out to me, or show me the pictures they took of them, somehow I wasn't seeing the same deer they were. I have priority 16, would be happy with a heavy horned 160 gross muley, might have seen 2 in the last 20 years around these parts.

[dshaw]

Originally Posted by H380

Not taking sides here , but packhunter is right ..far too many folks want to go the easy route and ask for a honey hole or even honey wmu and not put in the required legwork to acquire the knowledge themselves . Sure its OK to ask for some advice but dont expect anyone to hand you a big deer on a platter , whitetail or mule .
We hear talk about what is truly a trophy , gross score , non typ , typ, whatever , it is all in the eye of the beholder . The problem with looking for the holy grail 200" is the fact that a person really is setting themselves up for failure . Most hunters dont have a clue what a 200" deer even looks like , maybe not even a 180 or how few and far between they really are . Be prepared to go home empty handed if you dont do your homework . There are guys in my area that consistently shoot 140" whitetails that they claim are 160s and their muleys are all 190 .. funny how no certified scorer ever seems to put a tape on them to confirm it .They are part of the elite hunters that see a 200" everytime they go out ..lol . Just another case of folks not really knowing what to look for . If there were that many big deer around ,the B&C book would be 6" thick .
Some folks actually do just get flat out lucky and stumble into a deer of a lifetime , but as pack says you best be willing to pay the price to get one if you are serious about it .

I have to agree with you on this one. My shop is loaded with 160-170 inch mulies that when they came in were 190 or better. It takes so much to get to 190 0r 200. Once you get above 180 its only a matter of inches and the configuration of the rack. I mounted a 210 inch mulie last year with a 17 inside spread, 21 inch beams and 15 inch g2's. Yup he lots of junk elsewhere. Guys get excited about width but length is where its at (including brows). There are great mule deer in every zone, even the most hunted. The trick is just spending the time in that zone and being there at the right time when they start to wander in the rut. I would say that before the archery went to draw about 60 percent of the big bucks I would scout in the summer were killed by archery hunters. So I tend to stay away from those zones where archery is still general.

[bucknaked333]

I think I would pull the tag this year Nube. We had 2 good winters and the deer are in good shape. With a little rain we could be setting are selves up for a banner year. One bad winter like 2010 and it could be bad for a lot of years. I heard down south a few states got it really bad, it could happen here again. You must have a good idea where you want to go, do some scouting and put in some time, there's some big deer around..

[reddeerhunter]

IMG_1684.jpg
Heres an up and comer.


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[3blade]

Pick a 100 or 200 zone with a steep river valley and some nasty coulees, low tag numbers, and go for a drive. While hunting moose in a 200 zone in 2015, I saw 140s most days and a couple 160s over the season. The winters have been good since so the possibility for a cranker is there.

In hindsight, I should have shot one of those bucks in archery season while i was there. Will probably end up with a smaller buck on my draw tag

[SageValleyOutdoors]

I would imagine to anyone this is the type of stud mule deer you're looking for. This buck lived in a zone that has amazing genetics, and used to HFCs high deer numbers - but unfortunately, poor management (too many rifle tags and otc archery tags) has led to a huge decrease in deer numbers, age, and a skewed buck:doe ratio.
I would agree with what has already been said: a zone where archery season requires a draw, a deep river valley, plenty of private land. Get out there and talk to landowners. Not just in the two weeks before the season, but year round. In my experience, if you're friendly, respectful and take the time to treat landowners as people/friends instead of just someone who has something you want - you'll get access 75% of the time.

[nube]

Originally Posted by Bushrat

Yup, have had those guys who talk about the big 190" deer they apparently see regularly, even had them point them out to me, or show me the pictures they took of them, somehow I wasn't seeing the same deer they were. I have priority 16, would be happy with a heavy horned 160 gross muley, might have seen 2 in the last 20 years around these parts.

160 gross deer is a given in most WMUs. Easy to find one like that Bushrat. Maybe you should look into a different WMU if you are having issues seeing them.

[nube]

Originally Posted by bucknaked333

I think I would pull the tag this year Nube. We had 2 good winters and the deer are in good shape. With a little rain we could be setting are selves up for a banner year. One bad winter like 2010 and it could be bad for a lot of years. I heard down south a few states got it really bad, it could happen here again. You must have a good idea where you want to go, do some scouting and put in some time, there's some big deer around..

I think you are right. Deer age class is getting back to normal here with the last few years being good. I am actually going to try and whitetail hunt again this year hard. It has taken a long time for me to actually see that my time would be worth while chasing deer. I plan on getting the cameras out a bit this summer to make sure. I havn't had them out for about 8 years or more now it seems.

As fro mulies I know of some WMUs to put my time in but to be honest I have not spent the time scouting nor do I have enough time to drive down and spent the time looking and getting permission. That is the reason I don't have big mulies on my wall. I live too far from where I would feel comfortable putting in my time to scout and have other critters I am busy scouting. It takes a long time to know an area well. I could go kill a 170 mulie with no problem but I want a 190 plus. I think a 190 plus takes a bit of luck and skill and time put in to get. To me it's as equal to a 170 whitetail...

[walking buffalo]

Current issues concerning CWD have not been mentioned here.

This disease is proving to be highly fatal to Male Mule deer.
In some WMUs, bucks are just not living very long before contracting the disease.

The gov. is going to have to deal with CWD sooner than later,
I wouldn't be surprised to see much higher tag numbers soon in CWD infected areas.

This might influence when and where people draw tags when looking for a 200+buck.

[Bushrat]

Originally Posted by nube

160 gross deer is a given in most WMUs. Easy to find one like that Bushrat. Maybe you should look into a different WMU if you are having issues seeing them.

Not looking too hard, But looking for HEAVY THICK horns starting in the 160's, don't care much about pencil horned 180's. Personally would rather have an ugly thick heavy gnarly mature 160 rack than a spaghetti horned 190.

[reddeerhunter]

Originally Posted by Bushrat

Not looking too hard, But looking for HEAVY THICK horns starting in the 160's, don't care much about pencil horned 180's. Personally would rather have an ugly thick heavy gnarly mature 160 rack than a spaghetti horned 190.

Wmu 232/34/36 is your planet then.


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[7magtime]

I'd try within a 60km radius of Red Deer.....lol

[puphood1]

Originally Posted by dshaw

I would say that before the archery went to draw about 60 percent of the big bucks I would scout in the summer were killed by archery hunters. So I tend to stay away from those zones where archery is still general.

I don't know what the % is but it is high in the south. I am not down on bow hunters but limited regulations contributed heavily to a general decline in trophy deer ....just go to Canada Tire and get a free Bow with your tire rotation.

[Schatz]

Wmu 326 for sure


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[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by puphood1

I don't know what the % is but it is high in the south. I am not down on bow hunters but limited regulations contributed heavily to a general decline in trophy deer ....just go to Canada Tire and get a free Bow with your tire rotation.

Yes because simply owning a bow guarantees you a 200" mule deer

On average Bowhunters spend more days in the field...more time in the field is directly proportional to success in the field. More time in the field also means more days without success.

LC

[Deer Hunter]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

On average Bowhunters spend more days in the field...more time in the field is directly proportional to success in the field. More time in the field also means more days without success.

LC

^^^Blah Blah Blah. Bow hunters come in every shape and size. Just like rifle hunters.
There is nothing special about hunting with a bow but the ABA thinks there is. I remember special archery draw seasons in certain WMU's because of some bogus harvest data... What a rip off!
And I will blame the ABA and the poorly organized Alberta associations supposedly standing up for what is proper.

Some archers think they are some sort of special. They get a leg up because the season is earlier. That's it. Portraying them as some sort of elite species spending more time in the field fine. But only because they get more season. More opportunity. Continually at the expense of the rifle hunter.

Good luck with your 200" mule deer.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by Deer Hunter

^^^Blah Blah Blah. Bow hunters come in every shape and size. Just like rifle hunters.
There is nothing special about hunting with a bow but the ABA thinks there is. I remember special archery draw seasons in certain WMU's because of some bogus harvest data... What a rip off!
And I will blame the ABA and the poorly organized Alberta associations supposedly standing up for what is proper.

Some archers think they are some sort of special. They get a leg up because the season is earlier. That's it. Portraying them as some sort of elite species spending more time in the field fine. But only because they get more season. More opportunity. Continually at the expense of the rifle hunter.

Good luck with your 200" mule deer.

Lol....too funny. No one said elite you did..that was not even implied. Thanks for reiterating my point....more time in the field Equals more success, it also makes for more days without success. REGARDLESS OF THE WEAPON CHOICE.

On average a Bowhunter hunts for 3 years before they take their first animal with the bow. Not sure on the stats for those who exclusively rifle hunt but my guess is it is shorter. The longer season is in place to meet harvest goals because less animals are taken with stick and string.

Anyone is free to take up bowhunting and get their 200" mule deer because it's just that easy, according to you. Expense of the rifle Hunter? LOL, really? Sour grapes in Saskatchewan is what is TAKING AWAY opportunity for all in that Province. We are all Hunters aren't we?

LC

[harv3589]

Originally Posted by Bushrat

Not looking too hard, But looking for HEAVY THICK horns starting in the 160's, don't care much about pencil horned 180's. Personally would rather have an ugly thick heavy gnarly mature 160 rack than a spaghetti horned 190.

I agree, I love heavy boned bucks. The mule deer I took this last fall was really heavy, over 6" bases, some nontypical stuff, wide and just a very old buck. Grossed over 170"

[packhuntr]

Originally Posted by Deer Hunter

^^^Blah Blah Blah. Bow hunters come in every shape and size. Just like rifle hunters.
There is nothing special about hunting with a bow but the ABA thinks there is. I remember special archery draw seasons in certain WMU's because of some bogus harvest data... What a rip off!
And I will blame the ABA and the poorly organized Alberta associations supposedly standing up for what is proper.

Some archers think they are some sort of special. They get a leg up because the season is earlier. That's it. Portraying them as some sort of elite species spending more time in the field fine. But only because they get more season. More opportunity. Continually at the expense of the rifle hunter.

Good luck with your 200" mule deer.

Lord have mercy, here comes mr positive again. If life is so terrible, go tie off to your rifle and yank on the string man.
You refer to in your unbridled opinion, "what is proper".
What exactly does that entail? Rifle hunters having all resource surplus? Maybe mixed hunts where a province filled with archery hunters have rifle shots going off over thier heads from behind them all season long? Bullets ripping through decoys? What is proper you say. Surely everyones time in the outdoors should be lessened to merely time spent killing, and subsequently moseying on back to the daily grind to spend the rest of the year listening to guys like you bitch and moan about how your outdoor recreating has taken a solid raping by guys that were forced to follow your blowhard BS lead on this. Thank the heavens you are not in control of anything besides your multiple personalities

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Deer Hunter

^^^Blah Blah Blah. Bow hunters come in every shape and size. Just like rifle hunters.
There is nothing special about hunting with a bow but the ABA thinks there is. I remember special archery draw seasons in certain WMU's because of some bogus harvest data... What a rip off!
And I will blame the ABA and the poorly organized Alberta associations supposedly standing up for what is proper.

Some archers think they are some sort of special. They get a leg up because the season is earlier. That's it. Portraying them as some sort of elite species spending more time in the field fine. But only because they get more season. More opportunity. Continually at the expense of the rifle hunter.

Good luck with your 200" mule deer.

I always considered myself a hunter, not just a traditional hunter with bow or muzzle loader, or a rifle hunter, just a hunter.
Cat

[winger7mm]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I always considered myself a hunter, not just a traditional hunter with bow or muzzle loader, or a rifle hunter, just a hunter.
Cat

RIGHT THERE. The only one stopping anyone from getting out to enjoy the added opportunities of things like archery season, primitive seasons ect ect is YOU.

Personally I bow hunted way to much last season, I dont even wanna know how many days afield..... Funny though because ALL my 2016 kills were by rifle.... Didnt see the customary 200"er you get while carrying a bow though