Mule Deer vs. Whitetails

[jivetrky31]

I live in Western NY where we have a piece of public land that is a 17 mile long canyon/river bottom. There is hunting pressure in this park but most of it is concentrated on the top where the park meets ag fields for most of that length. For you mule deer hunters that are active in areas with both muleys and whiltetails, are there behavioral differences that require different hunting styles for them even in similar habitats? The reason I ask is I'd like to spend this upcoming season using a glassing/spot & stalk approach vs. the traditional sit in a treestand and hope they come by. I think the terrain lends itself to this type of hunting and I'd like to try because 1. it gets old sitting in a treestand and 2. I'd like to do a western hunt in the next couple of years and practice makes perfect. This area is limited to bow, shotgun, and muzzleloader. Any and all input is welcome. Thanks - Pat

 

[robby denning]

Where I've encountered both whitetails in mule deer terrain that is glassable, they are behaving similarly.

 

[Tony Trietch]

Pat, whitetail bucks can be killed spot and stalk just like Muledeer. You need terrain that allows you to find them and get to them undetected. I realize that's a very simplified game plan but that's the point.


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[Bar]

Whitetails will spook much easier and be gone. Mule deer are more curious before they bolt and the younger ones will stop to look back. Mature bucks will also hide and let you walk right by them. I've never seen a whitetail do that.

One last observation and it's a matter of opinion. Whitetails taste better.

 

[Tony Trietch]

I have to agree on the spookiness of whitetails. Straight up paranoid at times. But I've seen old mature md bucks the same way.
I've had many mature whitetails let me walk right up on top of them only to bolt the second our eyes met.
Bottom line is whitetail can be killed spot and stalk. I didn't say it was easy.


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[Bar]

Never said they couldn't. They can be killed still hunting too. Also not easy.

 

[jivetrky31]

http://www.bikerag.com/images/MAPS/ny/ny_letchworth trail map.JPG

This is the terrain. Big canyon with a river and a number of smaller canyon offshoots. The river bottom is a mix of fairly open terrain and stuff too thick to walk through along the river edge. My plan is to spend time glassine the trails leading down into the canyon and bottom this summer to get an idea of which are most used. The logical place to start are those that are close to the at fields that border the park on top. There are a number of pinch points also created by the river winding close to the canyon walls.

 

[Gumbo]

To me there isn't any difference in spot and stalk hunting mulies or whitetails in the same terrain. What makes spot and stalk more difficult isn't the species in my experience, it is the amount of vegetation and topography. Where I hunt, whitetails typically bed in thicker cover (creek bottoms and brushy draws) that makes spotting bedded deer or pinpointing the exact location of a deer that you know has bedded more difficult. Muleys, on the other hand, often bed in terrain that doesn't have as many trees, but is rougher in topography, and while I might not see exactly where a mule deer beds, I can use the terrain to my advantage to find him. The difference isn't in the deer, it is in the terrain/vegetation. And in general what has been said about their behavior when escaping is true, although I've seen mulies bolt and whitetails look back.

 

[Bubblehide]

I tend to lean more toward what Gumbo stated. However, in general, mule deer bucks tend to prefer bedding in an area where they can see a good amount of country, being able to see predators coming, and utilize other deer as a warning system. When the pressure gets turned up, they tend to move to out of the way places, really rough topography, of into the thick stuff in an area that provides a few escape routes. The thick stuff is usually noisy to move through. I tend to scout areas year round, weather permitting. But by far the most information I get from scouting an area, is during the season, as deer and buck behavior tends to significantly change during the season.

 

[camping1601]

I live in North Central PA so I know very well what pressured Whitetails are, and I travel a fair amount out west. Did you mention gun or bow? I still hunt PA with the rifle all the time but won't bother with the bow. Also not really any place around here to glass for deer.

Edit: I meant stillhunt as in that style of hunting.

 

[jivetrky31]

I live in North Central PA so I know very well what pressured Whitetails are, and I travel a fair amount out west. Did you mention gun or bow? I still hunt PA with the rifle all the time but won't bother with the bow. Also not really any place around here to glass for deer.

This particular area is bow, shotgun, and muzzleloader. Rifle is out unfortunately.

 

[Bar]

I live in North Central PA so I know very well what pressured Whitetails are, and I travel a fair amount out west. Did you mention gun or bow? I still hunt PA with the rifle all the time but won't bother with the bow. Also not really any place around here to glass for deer.

Edit: I meant stillhunt as in that style of hunting.

Why wouldn't you still hunt with a bow?

 

[camping1601]

Why wouldn't you still hunt with a bow?

Terrain. The chances of stalking within bow range are so slim to none that all your doing is laying down human scent and ruining the area. Deer around here will go nocturnal just from smelling a human foot step.

Keep in mind a 40 yard shot around here is risky.

 

[Bar]

You have to walk to your stand.

 

[Scoot]

Mature bucks will also hide and let you walk right by them. I've never seen a whitetail do that.

One last observation and it's a matter of opinion. Whitetails taste better.

Interesting Bar- I've seen whitetails do this dozens of times. I've walked past them and the brush pile they were holed up in only to have them bolt the other direction once I was 50 yards or more past them. I can't imagine how many never bolted at all- just let me walk on by. Sneaky buggers... I've definitely seen muleys do this too.

I absolutely agree with you regarding taste- whitetail taste better to me too.

 

[Bar]

I guess the ones I walked by were more spooky. I've walked a couple of feet by muley's. Of course this is when hiking and scouting. I would hope I see them long before getting near them when hunting. Then i'd spook them on purpose and be ready for a running shot. Fun stuff.

 

[camping1601]

You have to walk to your stand.

Not the same thing. We map out a plan to get to our stands knowing where the deer will be traveling and with the least chance of disturbing an area. If I walk into an area that has a buck that's even 2 1/2 and spook him he's gone for good until the rut. So if I was still hunting where the deer are and was not able to get that one in thousand shot I would have just ruined that spot.

Back to the op's original question.

 

[Bar]

For the record. I walk though an area multiple times and the game don't leave. No need to leave a scent when only your feet are touching anything.

I didn't know we were off topic? We're still talking about deer behavior.

 

[camping1601]

http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/tactics/stand-hunting/huntingtactics_ht_1003stands/

Here's a decent explanation of what my typing skills won't allow me to do.

Keep in mind my perspective is from the mixed hardwood mountains of PA. Even if I had a 1 in 100 chance at success it still isn't worth it. If you asked 100 bowhunters I'd bet 99 of them would rather not sit for hours in a tree, but the smart ones know it's the best tactic. When you see a guy walking around you know he's inexperienced or just not to serious about his hunting.

 

[Brendan]

I've had many mature whitetails let me walk right up on top of them only to bolt the second our eyes met.

Agree with this. If they think you don't see them, sometimes they'll just hold tight and hope you walk right by. But this may be what they're used to. If they have more people hiking, walking, running, biking in their area - they get used to people walking right by. If they see humans rarely, my guess is they bolt long before you get there if they see/smell/hear you coming.