This year's Muley

D

davlandrum

New member
Muley I got this year. Two of my boys (yeah, I got more than 2...) came out to see when I got home. He was a big 2x2. My unscientific guess is a 3+ year old, as he was with a 3x3 and was wider and taller than my buddies 3x3. My buddy said his grandpa and dad always called them "pacific strain" when they were obviously big enough to be more than a 2x2, but never branched more than that. Anyone else ever here of that?




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Well my dad and I are planning some hunting this weekend. Maybe we will see some of this "pacific" type here in west idaho (might be a little far off) and I hope I help your vicariousness RR :cool:
 
Hey, nice buck! I assume the "pacific strain" comment refers to muleys who interbreed with blacktails, which have smaller antler potential.
 
Tyra - Muley/blacktail crosses are commonly refered to as "bench-legs" and happen along the Cascade Range divide between western Oregon (blacktail) and eastern Oregon (Mule deer). This actually leads to monster "blacktails".

This was way away from any interbreeding possibility (at least until the mule bucks get big enough to breed the cow elk :p).

Sounded a little myth-like to me. Maybe one of those myths to develop an easy answer to really big forked-horns. Once it got passed around the campfire enough times, it became "truth".

Still, it was the biggest fork I have ever seen, let alone shot. I am having a European mount done on it.
 
The boys with me in this picture have a few years yet before they go. They are 6 and 4 respectively. My oldest will turn 12 this december, but has some challenges (ADHD plus anxiety plus lack of impulse control) that will probably keep him from even handling guns for a while. They all shoot bows and bb-guns under my watchful eyes, following strict rules.

My 6-year-old (on the left of the picture) ask when he can go. I told him that in a few years, he MIGHT be able to go if his grades were good enough for me to convince mom a week away would not hurt him. Got to get those incentives out there when ever possible.

Got a little girl in the mix as well that we are in the process of adopting. I am counting on her to be the final straw that gets mom out in the woods with us.

But, truth be told, for right now - getting away from the chaos of 4 kids for 1 week is a serious vacation for dad....:D
 
Great pic. I've never hunted muley but might go next year. How are muley's to eat compared to whitetail or antelope? I love antelope and in my opinion whitetail is best as chilli or jerky.
 
They are tasty! Of course I like any deer, second only to elk as far as game I get often enough to have an opinion on.

As with any, taking good care of it from the moment it hits the ground has everything to do with it. We do all our own processing, so have no one to blame if it is gamey other than ourselves.
 
I haven't eaten elk either. Of course I'm an east coaster who doesn't have the $ to go west to hunt them. I could go down to Asheboro, NC and kill one, but I think the zookeepers and police would get me before I got it field dressed. :D
 
Elk is the best game I have ever eaten. Not sure how to describe the difference between elk and deer, but it is there.

Of course, handling it correctly is the key, as with deer. Since elk is not an every year gurantee (OK, deer aren't either, but a lot closer to a slam dunk), we really work hard to make sure it is handled perfectly from kill to freezer to table.
 
Did you get it with a rifle or a bow?I don't think I have eaten mule deer unless it was in a hunting camp.Any different from whitetail?
 
I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between mulies, blacktails and whitetails if all handled well and prepared the same.

This was a rifle kill - 30-06, 150 gr Accubond over just short of max powder. Recovered bullet weighed 100 gr. So if you take out the ballistic tip, it retained probably 80%.
 
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