Mule Deer Hunts

Mule deer is term used to describe deer whose habitat is in the western half of North America. In most cases, the dividing line is the Missouri River. Mule deer get their name from their large ears, which resemble the ears of a mule. They are distant relatives to the white tailed deer, which is generally found east of the Missouri River. The most noticeable differences between whitetails and Mule deer (also called muleys) are the color of their tails and configuration of their antlers. Mule deer have black tipped tails and their antlers grow in a fork instead of coming off a single beam like whitetails. Male mule deer have antlers that start to grow in spring and are shed after mating season from mid-January to mid-April.

As mentioned before, mule deer are larger than eastern whitetails and an adult muley buck will weigh somewhere between 150 to 400 lbs. Some trophy sized bucks will exceed 400 lbs. The mating season, also called the "rut", usually begins in the fall. During this period, males will become more aggressive, and start competing for mates. Most rut competition involves some horn battles and pushing matches. In most cases, the deer do not injure each other. Bucks will mate with as many does as possible, and then fawns are born in the spring.

Aside from whitetail deer, mule deer are probably the next most popular game animal in terms of hunting. For mule deer hunting, consider a rifle that has good knock-down power with a 300-600 yard flat trajectory. Mule deer are tough animals and need something powerful to take them down. Due to the high terrain that muley's inhabit, some long range shooting may be required. When planning a mule deer hunt, be prepared physically to cover some uneven and potentially mountainous terrain. Also be prepared for the weather as it can change very rapidly at higher elevations. Most mule deer hunts are done through a spot and stalk method so good optics will be needed.

Here are some excellent Mule deer hunting trips that are currently available: