Prerut October Mule Deer Hunting Strategies

[blacktailcentral]

hello fellow sliders,
Wanted to start a discussion of what everyone does to kill a muley during the hardest part of the year? What elevations, terrain, etc

 

[littlebigtine]

1.scout
2.glass
3.personally I seem to have best luck turning up bucks on the east, northeast->northwest bedding areas
5.500’->1000’ lower than locations in august
2.glass
4. Snow? All bets are off. Get in there
5.glass
6. Havent shot one yet? Bummer dude
7. Keep glassing
8. Focus on migration routes
9. Come on dude make it happen
10. Glass
11. Glasssss
12. Did I mention that you cant find deer if you are not looking for them?
13. More weather? Perfect, focus on the edges of bedding habitat.
14. Do these bucks even need to eat in October? Guess Ill keep glassing
15. What a great October rifle season high fives all around.

 

[blacktailcentral]

1.scout
2.glass
3.personally I seem to have best luck turning up bucks on the east, northeast->northwest bedding areas
5.500’->1000’ lower than locations in august
2.glass
4. Snow? All bets are off. Get in there
5.glass
6. Havent shot one yet? Bummer dude
7. Keep glassing
8. Focus on migration routes
9. Come on dude make it happen
10. Glass
11. Glasssss
12. Did I mention that you cant find deer if you are not looking for them?
13. More weather? Perfect, focus on the edges of bedding habitat.
14. Do these bucks even need to eat in October? Guess Ill keep glassing
15. What a great October rifle season high fives all around.

Haha thats a good synopsis!

 

[Pistolpete28]

Tough time to kill them, but scouting or snow definitely helps! I have a love hate relationship with October mule deer hunting. The mature bucks I’ve killed in October, were a combination of glassing/stalking/then setting an ambush.

 

[eamyrick]

Heading out late October for this exact scenario. Had the same tag two years ago and I can tell you the bucks were a good bit higher than we were looking. Saw 20 or so does everyday from 7500-9k. Our group killed one buck at 9500 and he was 100 yards away but starting to satellite a group of does but in no way rutting. I’ll hunt the timber edges 1000 foot higher this year.

 

[blacktailcentral]

Heading out late October for this exact scenario. Had the same tag two years ago and I can tell you the bucks were a good bit higher than we were looking. Saw 20 or so does everyday from 7500-9k. Our group killed one buck at 9500 and he was 100 yards away but starting to satellite a group of does but in no way rutting. I’ll hunt the timber edges 1000 foot higher this year.

Thats very similar to my experiences, the unit i hunted last year and will hunt again this hear tops out at 11k, i was lucky to get a foot of snow around the opener and hunted 8500-9000ft and that seemed to he the sweet spot