October mule deer

[Bohunter33]

*FIRST POST* Hey y’all, I’ve been lurking for years following Robby, listening to every hunting podcast available, and generally devouring any and all hunting information I can find. Finally decided to join the fray.

What I wanted to post first is an October mule deer discussion. I’ve archery hunted mule deer every year since I was 14 or so and I love it because the deer are visible and you can find mature mule deer much easier, but harder to kill. This year I have my first rifle deer tags in over 8 years, drew a southern idaho controlled hunt and a third season Colorado. I’ve always had a bad attitude towards hunting deer after they strip velvet and before the rut but I want to become a more skilled hunter across all the seasons. Hoping to learn a lot in Idaho this October.

Any tips/tactics/approaches for October success when the deer are less visible?

 

[wide_groupings]

I have been meaning to make a very similar post. I'm in Oregon and have very little mule deer experience, much more with blacktail. But I have a mediocre rifle mulie tag this year. Success for me would be filling the tag.

- Obviously you're hoping for a cold snap, but can't count on that. Is a warm mid day spent in the thickest pocked of shade they can find? Maybe in some open areas that's just under some junipers, but if they're next to a timber stand I assume they'd move into that instead.
- I have a couple zones I know deer will be in during the season. How much do you keep scouting them? Should I be actually trying to spot and watch bucks now? Get better clues on their daily loops?
- It's not a long season, it's generally warm, and like @Bohunter said, they're just not super visible mid October. Would it make the most sense to laser focus on a single zone every day for a week?

My biggest asset for my hunt is that the unit is close to home, and I can spend a lot of time scouting. But I feel like I'm second-guessing myself on how to spend that time effectively.

 

[rw79]

I hunted mulies this past October in Wyoming in a low point unit. Hunt dates were mid-October. I saw a lot of mule deer, but I did not see any legal bucks during shooting light. Does were everywhere, and I was seeing 30-40 per day. Saw lots of elk too, but no mule deer bucks.

The country was mostly breaks with a decent amount of tree cover as well. I know bucks were in the area based on feedback from other elk hunters I spoke with in the field, I just could not locate them. It was my first mule deer hunt. Below are a list of my mistakes that I would correct if I were in the area again:

1. Not glassing long enough. I was in position well before sunrise every morning and until shooting light ended. I would probably glass as long as possible until it became too dark. For whatever reason, I saw legal bucks at night and in the early morning hours driving into my spot. While most were on private at that time, I think that if I just stuck it out a little longer past legal shooting light, I may have been able to find a buck and would have a decent chance the following day.

2. Not hiking into the nasty stuff. Being that I was new to the area, I decided not to hike into the nasty bottom breaks. I would certainly force myself to do this next time.

3. Slacking off midday. I tended to leave the area and grab food, drinks, gas etc. I should’ve stayed put all day to maximize my time.

4. Backpack hunting. I had a hotel in the nearest town (45 minutes from where I was hunting). Since the weather was so nice, I believe that if I would have camped and backpack hunted the area I would have been able to get in deeper, sleep in later, and hike further. After 5 days I was starting to feel the fatigue of getting up at 3:30 a.m. each morning.

Something I did correctly: I e-scouted like a maniac and did a decent job, in my opinoin, becase I was seeing deer and elk (no elk tag) every day. E-scout as much as possible.

I hope this helps. I drew a SW Colorado mule deer tag this year and plan to correct as many errors as possible.

 

[IrkedCitizen]

If you have been successful in killing bucks with your bow then you should be able to transition to being successful with a rifle. There are two things for certain.

1. Can't kill them from the couch.
2. Can't kill them if you can't find them.

Go find them!

Quality optics are important. Quality stable optics are more important. This goes for archery, muzzleloader, and rifle. The temperature might keep them on their feet longer than archery season. Or it could be just as hot as archery season.

 

[Soj51hopeful]

Scout them in the summer patterns. They will still be in the area come October, just mostly nocturnal.

 

[Bohunter33]

I hunted mulies this past October in Wyoming in a low point unit. Hunt dates were mid-October. I saw a lot of mule deer, but I did not see any legal bucks during shooting light. Does were everywhere, and I was seeing 30-40 per day. Saw lots of elk too, but no mule deer bucks.

The country was mostly breaks with a decent amount of tree cover as well. I know bucks were in the area based on feedback from other elk hunters I spoke with in the field, I just could not locate them. It was my first mule deer hunt. Below are a list of my mistakes that I would correct if I were in the area again:

1. Not glassing long enough. I was in position well before sunrise every morning and until shooting light ended. I would probably glass as long as possible until it became too dark. For whatever reason, I saw legal bucks at night and in the early morning hours driving into my spot. While most were on private at that time, I think that if I just stuck it out a little longer past legal shooting light, I may have been able to find a buck and would have a decent chance the following day.

2. Not hiking into the nasty stuff. Being that I was new to the area, I decided not to hike into the nasty bottom breaks. I would certainly force myself to do this next time.

3. Slacking off midday. I tended to leave the area and grab food, drinks, gas etc. I should’ve stayed put all day to maximize my time.

4. Backpack hunting. I had a hotel in the nearest town (45 minutes from where I was hunting). Since the weather was so nice, I believe that if I would have camped and backpack hunted the area I would have been able to get in deeper, sleep in later, and hike further. After 5 days I was starting to feel the fatigue of getting up at 3:30 a.m. each morning.

Something I did correctly: I e-scouted like a maniac and did a decent job, in my opinoin, becase I was seeing deer and elk (no elk tag) every day. E-scout as much as possible.

I hope this helps. I drew a SW Colorado mule deer tag this year and plan to correct as many errors as possible.

Which unit you hunting in colorado? My third season tag is for 75

 

[Beagle001]

I hunted mulies this past October in Wyoming in a low point unit. Hunt dates were mid-October. I saw a lot of mule deer, but I did not see any legal bucks during shooting light. Does were everywhere, and I was seeing 30-40 per day. Saw lots of elk too, but no mule deer bucks.

The country was mostly breaks with a decent amount of tree cover as well. I know bucks were in the area based on feedback from other elk hunters I spoke with in the field, I just could not locate them. It was my first mule deer hunt. Below are a list of my mistakes that I would correct if I were in the area again:

1. Not glassing long enough. I was in position well before sunrise every morning and until shooting light ended. I would probably glass as long as possible until it became too dark. For whatever reason, I saw legal bucks at night and in the early morning hours driving into my spot. While most were on private at that time, I think that if I just stuck it out a little longer past legal shooting light, I may have been able to find a buck and would have a decent chance the following day.

2. Not hiking into the nasty stuff. Being that I was new to the area, I decided not to hike into the nasty bottom breaks. I would certainly force myself to do this next time.

3. Slacking off midday. I tended to leave the area and grab food, drinks, gas etc. I should’ve stayed put all day to maximize my time.

4. Backpack hunting. I had a hotel in the nearest town (45 minutes from where I was hunting). Since the weather was so nice, I believe that if I would have camped and backpack hunted the area I would have been able to get in deeper, sleep in later, and hike further. After 5 days I was starting to feel the fatigue of getting up at 3:30 a.m. each morning.

Something I did correctly: I e-scouted like a maniac and did a decent job, in my opinoin, becase I was seeing deer and elk (no elk tag) every day. E-scout as much as possible.

I hope this helps. I drew a SW Colorado mule deer tag this year and plan to correct as many errors as possible.

Great lessons learned here! I’ve definitely learned all those along the way, and need to relearn them from time to time

 

[ChanceB]

Having hunted the mid October rifle hunt in Idaho for the past 5 years now I don’t have as much experience as a lot of guys but I’ll share what I’ve learned.

1. Like said before, the deer will still be in the same general area they were all summer, just much more nocturnal. So don’t be afraid to stick to an area and glass, glass, glass. The bucks will still get up to switch beds throughout the day and while everyone else is back at camp you can capitalize on that.

2. Get away from the popular areas, but don’t get sucked into the deep backcountry and miss all the good hunting between the popular roads and the back country. I’ve seen my biggest bucks in the hunt less than a mile from a road. They get big because they are smart enough to survive.

3. Invest in good optics, good gear, and good food. It’s a lot easier to stay out all day if the glassing is easier, your warm, dry, and feet feel good, and you’re well fed. I have had my best success by staying out all day versus going back into town mid day.

 

[huntnful]

Go scout the ID tag right now if you can. The bucks will still be in the general area more than likely, just moving A LOT less and staying in a little tighter zone. They'll slip up though. Finding them early gives you the confidence to stay in the area once the season starts, until you find them again.

With that said, I've gone blind to ID 4 years in a row, 4 different units, and killed 4 mature bucks. Glassing evening and morning at a location, and then moving camp mid day. And then repeating. Moved camp as many as 5 times on a 7 day hunt. If you're not planning to camp, then just drive and hike into a new location everyday until you find the pockets of bucks.

@Dioni A said it best when he said 90% of the bucks, live in 10% of the country. I've seen that first hand time and time again. No bucks, no bucks, no bucks and then bam, pockets of mature bucks all glassed from the same location.

 

[Bohunter33]

Go scout the ID tag right now if you can. The bucks will still be in the general area more than likely, just moving A LOT less and staying in a little tighter zone. They'll slip up though. Finding them early gives you the confidence to stay in the area once the season starts, until you find them again.

With that said, I've gone blind to ID 4 years in a row, 4 different units, and killed 4 mature bucks. Glassing evening and morning at a location, and then moving camp mid day. And then repeating. Moved camp as many as 5 times on a 7 day hunt. If you're not planning to camp, then just drive and hike into a new location everyday until you find the pockets of bucks.

@Dioni A said it best when he said 90% of the bucks, live in 10% of the country. I've seen that first hand time and time again. No bucks, no bucks, no bucks and then bam, pockets of mature bucks all glassed from the same location.

View attachment 743964

That’s impressive to go in blind and kill mature deer, I’m planning on taking at least two or tree scouting trips, the unit is heavily roaded so im mostly looking for different barriers to access whether it’s just overlooked areas or the few places you can get a mile or two from a road. Anything particular you’re finding in common with the places you’re finding bucks?

 

[huntnful]

That’s impressive to go in blind and kill mature deer, I’m planning on taking at least two or tree scouting trips, the unit is heavily roaded so im mostly looking for different barriers to access whether it’s just overlooked areas or the few places you can get a mile or two from a road. Anything particular you’re finding in common with the places you’re finding bucks?

Oh just knowing you're planning to make scouting trips already, I'm sure you'll find success.

I like hunting burns personally. Edge features in burns basically. If there isn't anything like that around, pick out 3-4 big vantages that overlook different types of terrain/vegetarian and hit each one for an evening and a morning. That should drastically help narrow down the areas you should be spending your time in.

Also, it's VERY easy to suck with a rifle. Learn how to shoot that thing. I bet you can shoot a bow better at 80 yards than you can free hand a rifle. So be cognisant of figuring out available rest options before and during your hunt. And get comfortable with your rifle prior to the hunt. Good scopes and good zeros drastically increase your effectiveness.

 

[BigTree]

I hunted mulies this past October in Wyoming in a low point unit. Hunt dates were mid-October. I saw a lot of mule deer, but I did not see any legal bucks during shooting light. Does were everywhere, and I was seeing 30-40 per day. Saw lots of elk too, but no mule deer bucks.

The country was mostly breaks with a decent amount of tree cover as well. I know bucks were in the area based on feedback from other elk hunters I spoke with in the field, I just could not locate them. It was my first mule deer hunt. Below are a list of my mistakes that I would correct if I were in the area again:

1. Not glassing long enough. I was in position well before sunrise every morning and until shooting light ended. I would probably glass as long as possible until it became too dark. For whatever reason, I saw legal bucks at night and in the early morning hours driving into my spot. While most were on private at that time, I think that if I just stuck it out a little longer past legal shooting light, I may have been able to find a buck and would have a decent chance the following day.

2. Not hiking into the nasty stuff. Being that I was new to the area, I decided not to hike into the nasty bottom breaks. I would certainly force myself to do this next time.

3. Slacking off midday. I tended to leave the area and grab food, drinks, gas etc. I should’ve stayed put all day to maximize my time.

4. Backpack hunting. I had a hotel in the nearest town (45 minutes from where I was hunting). Since the weather was so nice, I believe that if I would have camped and backpack hunted the area I would have been able to get in deeper, sleep in later, and hike further. After 5 days I was starting to feel the fatigue of getting up at 3:30 a.m. each morning.

Something I did correctly: I e-scouted like a maniac and did a decent job, in my opinoin, becase I was seeing deer and elk (no elk tag) every day. E-scout as much as possible.

I hope this helps. I drew a SW Colorado mule deer tag this year and plan to correct as many errors as possible.

I'm hunting wyoming unit 10 this October for mule deer. What unit were you in for your hunt?
I'm new to mule deer hunting and have hunted pronghorn in wyo a few times and have a general idea of what to expect on the ground there.
Their feeding areas and favored vegetation is all new for me. I am looking forward to a deer hunt that isn't in the thickets of western oregon!

 

[rw79]

I'm hunting wyoming unit 10 this October for mule deer. What unit were you in for your hunt?
I'm new to mule deer hunting and have hunted pronghorn in wyo a few times and have a general idea of what to expect on the ground there.
Their feeding areas and favored vegetation is all new for me. I am looking forward to a deer hunt that isn't in the thickets of western oregon!

Shoot me an email and we can talk about specifics. [email protected].

Which unit you hunting in colorado? My third season tag is for 75

78, 77, 771. I hunted elk here two years ago and saw a decent amount of deer so I have good starting points on where to go.

 

[LivinInTheRoot]

I've spent some time talking with a lifelong cattle farmer that lives in prairies, he's taken some amazing bucks over the years. He's always encouraged me to get out during october because bucks seem to stay fairly localized, so if you drum up a good buck you can wait for a good opportunity because he'll likely be in the same area day after day. Whereas once the ruts on you may only have one chance with a less than ideal stalk before that bucks cruising to narnia. Got two antelope tags for his neck of the woods this year so I'm hoping to see how well that logic holds up for finding a mature deer!

 

[wytx]

Mature bucks will be by themselves, not in groups.
3 rd season is end of Oct into Nov. Pre rut is starting. Bucks stage with doe groups, hunt the doe groups.
Been hunting mule deer this way in Wyoming for last several years , Oct 15-31 season. Last week in Oct is the time to find a mature buck if you don't have one scouted.

 

[jbkt]

In a very similar position myself. Hoping to punch my first MD tag in SE ID this October. Great information in this thread. Thanks to those vets who shared the hunting tips.

 

[LivinInTheRoot]

Mature bucks will be by themselves, not in groups.
3 rd season is end of Oct into Nov. Pre rut is starting. Bucks stage with doe groups, hunt the doe groups.
Been hunting mule deer this way in Wyoming for last several years , Oct 15-31 season. Last week in Oct is the time to find a mature buck if you don't have one scouted.

This was very insightful. thank you!

 

[FDme]

Good read through here. I’m in a similar boat. Usually a black tail hunter with a mule deer tag in eastern Oregon this year. New unit to me. Thanks for the thoughts

 

[MarkOrtiz]

Good posts here. My son's hunt in NV is Oct 5-Nov 5. My daughter had the same hunt last year. It was 2.5-3 weeks of no bucks besides little guys on private, then bam Oct 29 6-10 bucks a day. She got hers on Nov 3rd. We have some other high country e-scouted and plan to hit that the first few weeks then go from there.

 

[david2duck]

I think way too many people make “October” deer hunting out to be something that it isn’t. The deer are in the same place as September or damn close, most of the time. Sure they move a little less, bed a little earlier and come out later, but if you do your homework successful hunts can come easier than the almighty internet makes it seem.

Glass, glass some more, and when you think you’re done glass longer, if you’re hunting a burn/similar, or the desert. They will often re bed 2-4 times in a day. Often times guys have called it quits for the day when the deer need to get up. Most of the bucks we’ve killed have been between 11am-2pm. We either put them to bed or found them as they stood up to re bed. Once you find or kill a big buck in an area mark a waypoint. Often times there will be a big buck back in that same area the next year or so. We haven’t broke the 180” mark (hopefully that changes in a couple weeks) but we have killed 9 bucks from 152”-170” in the last 12 or so years. Edit to add. All of those bucks came from low point tags or OTC areas.

Good luck and have fun!!