Mule Deer Biology Book?

[UTJL]

I’m taking my wife on her first hunt this year (muley doe) and my father pulled his muley buck dream tag. This will be my first time hunting mule deer.

So I’ve been reading some of the classic mule deer books to get ready (Robby’s book, Eastman’s, Open Country Mule Deer). Also Ive been searching the site for biology type books, like North American Elk: Ecology and Management or Pronghorn: Ecology and Management. Is there a similar book out there for mule deer? These books have been incredibly helpful learning elk and pronghorn behavior and I’d like to do the same for mule deer.

 

[Pabst]

Val Geist and Jim Heffelfinger come to mind

 

[Travis Hobbs]

Mule Deer, By Dennis Austin is a great one. He was a biologist in Northern Utah for a number of years.

 

[idcuda]

Mule Deer, By Dennis Austin is a great one. He was a biologist in Northern Utah for a number of years.

Some Robby Denning guy gave it 5 stars on Amazon, so might be decent.

 

[Pabst]

Who dat

 

[mtnrunner260]

Wafwa mule deer committee
Not a book but numerous publications

 

[ShakeDown]

Mule Deer Country - Valerius Geist
Mule Deer: Behavior, Ecology, Conservation - Erwin Bauer
Public Land Mulies - David Long
Hunting Open-Country Mule Deer - Dwight Schuh
Hunting Big Mule Deer - The one and only @robby denning

Read em all, apply what is applicable.

 

[Travis Hobbs]

Some Robby Denning guy gave it 5 stars on Amazon, so might be decent.

Yeah it’s a good one! The interesting thing about Dennis is he is not a hunter, but a passionate mule deer expert.

It’s a great book on mule deer behavior and biology and I thought it very interesting and well worth the read! I think learning the “biology” the OP is interested in is a very smart approach. Sometimes a different perspective through the lens of biology and not hunting can be very good stuff.

 

[hutchinsonb]

David Long, and Robby's books are incredibly helpful. There are also the Eastmans books too. Western hunter is a good resource too in my opinion.

 

[mtnrunner260]

Yeah it’s a good one! The interesting thing about Dennis is he is not a hunter, but a passionate mule deer expert.

It’s a great book on mule deer behavior and biology and I thought it very interesting and well worth the read! I think learning the “biology” the OP is interested in is a very smart approach. Sometimes a different perspective through the lens of biology and not hunting can be very good stuff.

Hard to imagine the numbers coming through check stations back then.

 

[UTJL]

Thanks everyone. Looks like I’ll have to Dennis, Val Geist and Jim Heffelfinger’s books to the list.

The biology books have given me a leg up on how to find elk consistently. I’m hoping they’ll do the same for muleys. Many of the books written by hunters aren’t as descriptive about where animals are located through out the year. I think when you reach that level of expertise, you may think it is common knowledge or it’s become so ingrained you can do it unconsciously.

 

[highcountrymuley]

I like your approach UTJL! Valerius Geist 's Mule deer country is very short, kind of an introduction but very informative. From a biology perspective vs. hunting view. I think it is the best book out there for understanding mule deer. Good luck with your family hunts!

 

[UTJL]

Mule Deer, By Dennis Austin is a great one. He was a biologist in Northern Utah for a number of years.

I just finished Dennis’s book. This is exactly the type I’m looking for. Provides info on deer behavior, diet, survival tactics etc.

 

[Travis Hobbs]

I just finished Dennis’s book. This is exactly the type I’m looking for. Provides info on deer behavior, diet, survival tactics etc.

Awesome! Glad you liked it…

I figured it was exactly what you were after! It’s a great read and a very underrated mule deer book!