Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Mule Deer

673 - GREAT Deer and a very nice write up on your outing. Thanks for taking the time to pull all this together --- pictures, gear and scenery.

Thank you all for the kind words, I will look forward to your hunting adventures as they progress.

One of the things about Mule deer is the size of their antlers is no indication of body size. I have seen medium size Mule deer bucks, 200-225lbs with 30" thick and high racks, and 300lbs bucks with 20-24" racks, or less.

The largest Mule deer I have ever heard of locally, I never saw, but my friend shot it and weighed it at the butcher and it was well over 300lbs, and it was only a 2 point. My RP Bio friend says that the antler mass will decrease as they pass their prime and enter geriatric life, like people lol.

It would seem like nothing makes big antlers on Mule deer like fire.

Thanks for the story and photos

Great Buck.

How long does a fire benefit their antler growth? A couple seasons? A decade?

Exellent question, I will ask someone who knows for sure when I see them next.

I don't know lol, but there is a reason for that........There has been about 5 big fires within 2hrs of my home, the first 4 fires there were no restrictions on access, vehicle restriction, regulations etc....so what happened is everybody went over and hunted the burns, word spreads fast about big antlers and we call them "gut pile chasers". So I would say after maybe 5-10 years any benefit to fire become void because of the large harvest.

However, recently the largest fire 3 yrs ago, there is a vehicle restriction, you can still drive in there, leave your vehicle on the main rd and hunt, walking or horse only, which I agree with. We should be able to see more accurate the benefit and how long the benefits of fire on antler growth and overall Mule deer pops.

I think it safe to say the quality of the food is enhanced almost immediately after a fire (months) to maybe 10 years. Does begin to have 2 and even 3 fawns, they are larger and seemingly larger bodied. The fire has a much wider benefit of outside the fire area as the pops spill over into the other area's (where I hunt).

The real benefit of fire is in the quality of the browse, imo.

Nice buck, congrats! Extra points for using a Swede.

673 - you sink your teeth into any of that deer yet? If so what is it like? I am expecting a "mighty fine" as any brush mule deer I have taken has made excellent table fare.

Thanks for asking!
I was out several days looking for an immature Bull Moose, found him, no luck however, but gonna get back at it for an extended long weekend.

While out, I was feasting heavily on the Mule deer, steaks, chops, and a roast were all exellent. I have always said a pre-rut or early rut Mule deer is consistantly exellent eating, never tough. I have killed alot of them.

Like others, I always cut up my own game and do the same for friends, that way I am assured the finest quality and cuts I/we want, also wrapped how we like.

We always use Olive oil and Sage, salt, pepper, marinade for Mule deer, trim off any fat, exellent.

A Mule deer well into the rut of any size can be bad to rancid tasting lol, is going to be a sausage buck and even then I will be reminded of the horrible taste.

Nice truck!