Thick, high country

[mcseal2]

I'm far from an expert muley hunter, just a very interested student of the deer. I'm a darn good whitetail hunter and have been very successful with patience and low pressure methods. If I was planning to hunt a muley in this type of terrain and had the time to make it happen I'd do a lot of scouting and try to find tracks that indicated a mature buck. I'd then take an overview of the area and try to pick a good spot to ambush him and then use the patience part of the equation. I know muleys and whitetail are very different, but especially with a bow you have to have a clear window to shoot through that allows for the arc of the arrow. If you are using all weapons still hunting doesn't always allow that in thick cover. As the season progressed and I moved to a muzzleloader or rifle I'd get more aggressive with my approach if I felt it necessary. I've found though that I can't overestimate a mature buck's survival instincts and the more days I can pursue an animal before he knows he is being hunted the more success I have. I had a 190" whitetail following my tracks after dark patterning me, saw it in the snow. I moved back another 100yds and killed him after the 4th day of seeing his tracks. From the new angle I saw his head pop out of the middle of a cedar and he stared at my previous stand location for 15 minutes motionless before committing to step out where I could shoot him. Without the snow he would have won but he taught me an important lesson. My limited experience hunting muleys on public land compared to whitetail on private (but where all properties in the area are hunted) has shown me that muleys are every bit as or more cautions than the whitetail.

Scouting I'd look for old established beds, water, and food sources, try to find some way to set up an ambush between them that I could get into and out of without spooking deer. Hunting I'd try to ambush first, still hunt second, or track if there is snow. I'd probably try the buttonhook method if still hunting that Denning and Darner both talk about in their books.

As I said I'm a rookie muley hunter. I would be happy to take and learn from criticism if this approach is wrong. I'm trying to learn all I can about muleys, they have become my favorite animal to hunt. I took an awesome once in a lifetime buck in 2010 by luck that started my muley fever, I'd love to take another I could claim I got by skill.

 

[rhendrix]

If I had a tag for an area you're describing, I'd run cameras and pattern deer and find a place to hang a stand if I wanted to hunt archery.

Come rifle season I'd still hunt like you described earlier.

If deer density is low, hone in on water.

If water is abundant and deer density is low, then I'd look else where.

Good luck, bud!

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Mule deer key in on edge habitat areas near water. If you can find tracks of a buck at a water source you're in business. Of course, the more modern method aforementioned is the use of cameras, which should be banned from such use entirely.