Differences between mule deer and elk strategy?

[NoriHunts]

Hello mule deer community! I've been hunting elk for years, but will be trying my hand at mule deer for the first time this year. I have a CO 3rd rifle buck tag. I saw a ton of big bucks in September during elk archery, but am sure they will be in a completely different area by now. I plan to approach the hunt pretty similarly to my elk hunts (mostly glassing edge habitat away from the trails where possible). Are there any things I should do differently for deer? Any major behavior or elevation differences?

 

[mcase308]

bump - also curious.

 

[Hnthrdr]

3rd will be late again this year, find the does, then you will find bucks, elevation can vary, if you find deer in a certain elevation band… you will probably find more deer at similar elevation. I would not look where you saw deer during Sept… they could be in another county come November 9th

 

[Rich M]

Let me grasp this - you elk hunt and see lotsa big bucks - then when you hunt muleys you do it at a diff time of year and somewhere other than where you seen these bucks?

Hmmm.

Why not hunt the deer when and where you see them? Just asking for a friend.

 

[dusky]

Unless those were resident herds of elk and deer at a lower elevation where you hunted in September, chances are they will have migrated down the slope by November. That's unless the feed is still good and snow still shallow up at altitude where you're hunting. I'd try to cut doe tracks at different elevations until you identified the elevation, then work laterally from there, focusing on SE slopes.
I imagine the buck tag in September is hard to draw or maybe you have a different hunt already planned for September?

 

[MarkOrtiz]

It has been basically the same for me. Locating them is half of it and then getting close enough is the other half.

 

[RockAndSage]

I haven't really hunted elk yet, but one thing I've heard several times from people who do is that Elk seem much more dependent on water & mud holes than mule deer. A muley in an arid region can go several days without watering, and will think nothing of travelling miles between bed and water when they do.

 

[Cow_MuleBuck]

Start broad and narrow in on what type of country the deer are in. Once you figure out what type of brush, elevation, slope face they like, then start finding places with that profile.