I found these mulies with my Bushnell H2O 10X binoculars and made a long stalk to get closer. I got well within 30-30 range without spooking them. Scouting is one of my favorite weekend activities!
Is the rack on that mulie unusually tall? Do they usually grow high like that? Seems more upright than most any white tail I have seen.
Nice pic!
Brent
I live right across the line from Custer County. You season opens Nov 1st. The same time the second season (north of Hwy 16 east of 85) or right across the road from me. Makes for good shooting. You guys chase them over our side of the state line. Most people here hunt Area 9, which opens Oct 1-15.
Regardless there are too many dern deer in this part of the country and not enough hunters. Suckers are costing me a mint eating my hay.
Mulies have wider and taller racks than whitetails. Bodies tend to be heavier, too. But some heavy whitetails are taken each year in grain country such as Illinois, Kansas, and Iowa. Mule deer does around here commonly weigh in 170 to 180 lbs live weight. Bucks typically weigh 225 - 275 but I took a 300+ lb buck in 2001. It took two of us to load into a wheelbarrow and tie it down!! It was a big 'un but not armor-plated. One shot through the chest knocked the animal down.
Dakota mule deer antlers nearly always have less mass than Rocky Mt animals. The antlers are smaller diameter and I don't know why this is so common. A wildlife biologist would have more input. This photo shows one of my best Dakota bucks. Hopefully, you can detect the smaller diameter antlers I'm referring to. It's very common for eye guards to be absent or very small.
Dakota mulies are found in many places from arid butte & canyon country to high alpine meadows. They thrive on sage and other plants. But here is my input you'll rarely see it print:
Find a patch of mountain mahogany on partially shaded north slope and watch it from 125 yards or so after snow covers the ground. Mulies are drawn to this plant like a magnet each and every year. My BEST shots at this set up occur about 15 minutes before dusk. I like to sit on a insulated pad with my back to a boulder or tree to break up my human outline. Wait until the heads are down feeding before moving your rifle into position. Choose the animal and wait for a good shot through both lungs. Doesn't really matter what rifle you hunt with as long as its accurate and light enough to carry long distances in rough country.
