One thing that really affects mule deer shot distance (vs whitetails), is that you tend to be approaching the deer, instead of the deer approaching you. Once you're in comfortable range, you tend to not try to get closer. I'll stop at 30 yards, unless the terrain or situation dictates that I have to get closer. In my limited whitetail stand/ground blind hunting experience, opportunities have been at closer ranges because I've set it up that way. Just thinking out loud right now.