Western WT

[TradLife406]

Any of my fellow westies almost prefer hunting whitetails over elk and mulies? For me I absolutely love spending an entire day on a river bluff watching cotton wood river bottoms in November. Kicked back with snacks, an audio book and a cigar behind the glass.
Didn't do much of this last year but I'm planning two solid weeks of it this year.

Backpack hunts are fun and challenging but this is what I grew up doing so it's always fun to do it.

 

[jimmy33]

Im not sure I prefer WT to mule deer but I like both of them the same. I definitely prefer deer to elk. I hunt North ID and NE WA and dont ever want to miss an opportunity to chase WT during late November.


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[TacoTaylor]

Something about Idaho and WA whitetails has been interesting me more and more. I think I’m finally going to commit some time and do more this year. Any tips from you guys would be appreciated. I’ve got a good ID mule deer tag this year but would like to get out in November as well for whitetails

 

[guscottie]

I can honestly say that I love hunting the white tails in many states. I've had great success in Wa, Montana and Wyoming chasing the random WT in the mule deer sage country.

 

[Coveyleader]

Without a doubt.

 

[7RemMag]

I don’t know that I necessarily like hunting whitetails more, but I definitely hunt them a lot more. I like chasing mule deer, but in a handful of years of hunting and living in the West I’ve never killed one, or even really hunted them all that hard. I drew a pretty sweet limited deer(muleytag in WY though. Hopefully this will be the year I knock down a muley. No doubt some of the allure for whitetail is that there’s an abundance of them in the Black Hills of WY, 10 minutes out my driveway. Sometimes you can’t beat convenience.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I love it. I’ve spent most of my hunting life hiking mountains after deer and elk or hunting antelope, so I really enjoy when I get the opportunity to hunt whitetail. I don’t do but every other year or so.

 

[Coyote Commander]

My problem with mule deer is it takes a HECK of a buck to impress me anymore.

150-160 mule deer just aren't that impressive, and even those are hard to come by anymore!

Not to mention, whitetails are far more challenging of an animal. When you go mule deer hunting, you really aren't up again the animal, you're up against the terrain. They're pretty dumb animals. Nothing dumber than a 2 year old mule deer buck.

That being said, I've never shot a truly good mule deer. Its on my list. But it seems to be getting harder and harder to get these days.

Everybody comes out to shoot a mulie, they more or less leave the whitetails alone, so I go whitetail hunting, and they leave me alone too.

 

[7RemMag]

Not to mention, whitetails are far more challenging of an animal. When you go mule deer hunting, you really aren't up again the animal, you're up against the terrain. They're pretty dumb animals. Nothing dumber than a 2 year old mule deer buck.

Your entire post pretty much mirrors my own and admittedly articulates most of my thoughts much better. This point in particular really sticks with me, though. Upon coming to the West, one of my first thoughts about mule deer was something along the lines of "Gee, it's not a surprise their numbers are low. They're dumb." If they
re not the dumbest ungulate (as a whole) on the continent, they're right up there.

 

[ianpadron]

I dumped a ton of cameras in the foothills last year as exercise while rehabbing my knee. Pulled them after the season and had a ton of big whiteys...including 1 that I would cut my general deer tag on.

I've never killed a whitey buck (muley addict) but the itch is starting to become hard to ignore much longer.

The big woods, beaver swamp, NW MT stuff they live in is pretty special too

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

Never will I overlook a muley for a whitetail but they are fun to hunt and are good eating
Got me an extra buck tag with some good access to private this year
Very easy hunt
Sit in truck and glass the river bottom
Spot big buck
Drive to best spot
Get out and shoot said buck
Drive out and load in truck
Go drink beer and relax

 

[TradLife406]

My problem with mule deer is it takes a HECK of a buck to impress me anymore.

150-160 mule deer just aren't that impressive, and even those are hard to come by anymore!

Not to mention, whitetails are far more challenging of an animal. When you go mule deer hunting, you really aren't up again the animal, you're up against the terrain. They're pretty dumb animals. Nothing dumber than a 2 year old mule deer buck.

That being said, I've never shot a truly good mule deer. Its on my list. But it seems to be getting harder and harder to get these days.

Everybody comes out to shoot a mulie, they more or less leave the whitetails alone, so I go whitetail hunting, and they leave me alone too.

Montana's prairie mulies have gotten so bad that in the same way. Thin crab claw horned mulies do nothing for me.

Ha but on the flip side a 125" basket whitetail turns me into a 12 year old kid

 

[cole96]

I think I like elk hunting more, but think a western WT hunt would be awesome. But I’ve only whitetail hunted the SE my whole life

 

[Hnthrdr]

Never hunted them really, I’m not opposed to it some day, but elk and MD receive the bulk of my attention, seems kind of like an old man hunt, not that there is anything wrong with that. I really enjoy the peace and quiet of glassing in the (hopefully) freezing November weather, with the chance some brute appears out of nowhere.

 

[Wrench]

I live in what was once GREAT whitetail habitat and now it's been several years since I have seen a whitetail in my entire county. Our management has sucked so bad that I would feel bad even pressuring one.

 

[Ross]

No way whiteys over Mr Bull Elk….that would be madness!