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I dont know if cats are the spookiest or just the stealthiest. Hard to see because when moving on their own they are hunting, and they do most of that at night.

Big mulies will not be seen in the mesquite, prairie grass country especially if there are shallow brushy draws unless you are airborne or its the rut or you are travelling across country and have the rare occasion to accidentally pass right by one. The big ones are nocturnal.

Its the same with big whitetails unless raised with feeders on big, lightly hunted ranches.

I have hunted 3000-5000 acre pastures in rolling prairie in west Texas many times each season for doves, quail, deer and then coyotes and see deer tracks right up to a highway, but you will never see a deer unless its the rut, youre in a helicopter, driving
across country quail hunting and run over one, or call in a coyote and shoot when some are bedded down within nearby and they jump and run at the shot.

In Jan, Feb, or March when times are hard and when mulies have eaten down the food back away from highways and they are in starvation conditions you might see them from the highway particularly in the AM and PM, especially on large lightly hunted ranches with a lot of deer.

I dont even care to try and hunt a big blacktail in the rain forests where they live life dodging cougars.

Last edited by jaguartx; 09/02/17.

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Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
After reading the post on Melania's shoes on the Campfire forum, I'd have to say that this cougar is the spookiest critter I've ever encountered. Can you imagine having this creep into your tent at night?

[Linked Image]



She would get a bad case of lead poisoning in short order.


Ecc 10:2
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but that of a fool to the left.

A Nation which leaves God behind is soon left behind.

"The Lord never asked anyone to be a tax collector, lowyer, or Redskins fan".

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By far the spookiest critter i ever ran into in the woods was a black bear. I had worked my way down some pretty steep places off benches on the side of a high ridge in a western state to get down in a high little valley in archery elk season and had no gun.

I hunted up the valley for elk sign until late evening when i ran into a bear feeding on a big cow it had killed in the trail i had to take up and out the side of the valley to get back to camp.

I thought it would run off when it saw me but instead it let me know it would not let me get by it and out of the canyon that night unless it was over its dead body by popping it teeth and grunting "eh,eh,eh,eh" in a rapid manner. When i drilled it, it charged dead at me while i stood readying my little thin belt hatchet.

By the grace of God it fell about 15 yards from me and went to flopping, finally saying goodbye with its death moan.

Thats why I shoot Muzzy 4 fixed blade heads.

I thought I was real happy until I realized I was on an adrenaline rush like i had never experienced and sat down on a log to try and calm down.

That was the spookiest critter i ever dealt with in my life, for sure.


Ecc 10:2
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but that of a fool to the left.

A Nation which leaves God behind is soon left behind.

"The Lord never asked anyone to be a tax collector, lowyer, or Redskins fan".

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Originally Posted by Judman
And that's why California isn't even in the equation.... re hint


Ah, emulating Stick are we? I knew you admired him.

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The sambar.
Dodges tigers for a living so a hunter is not much to deal with.

Seconded by a mature Fallow buck as opposed to a 3-5 year old. Probably on par with a seasoned white tail and not to be confused with park deer found out in the open.


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southwestern coues deer

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They are the stealtiest for sure, the lions I've encountered in the woods weren't too spooked...


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Originally Posted by moosemike
Originally Posted by Judman
And that's why California isn't even in the equation.... re hint


Ah, emulating Stick are we? I knew you admired him.


I guess so douche Mike... grin


Ping pong balls for the win.
Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable
I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.

Ain’t easy havin pals.
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Blacktails can be tough to find, but believe it or not, that is their downfall. By understanding how rigidly they adhere to their patterns of behavior you can predict when and where they'll be. Mostly where, the when is a little more of a challenge. They don't require vast tracts of perfect habitat, they require a few yards of perfect cover, or less. I look for that place that is so stupid no one would hunt it. If there's feed and water nearby, there's probably a deer there, and good chance it is a good buck.

Bears also super predictable. Cougars hard to find, but not particularly spooky. Never hunted wolves, bet that's a tough one. Whitetails are pretty jumpy.

Oregon Roosevelt elk get hunted very hard and are extremely wary, especially in the Cascades where I hunt them. One hunt I did I tracked one to a thicket in an inch of snow. I circled that thicket in a 50 yard circle, cow calling, pulling grass, generally making cow noises, hoping he would reveal himself. As I closed the circle and my scent was about to blow down in the thicket, I assumed he had snuck out in the melting snow and I had missed his tracks leaving. I threw my pack off and was rummaging thru it for tp when he exploded about 15 yards away. I never even saw him. I'd been within a few yards of him for an hour and he held tight, not giving me so much as a chuckle to let me know he was there. Buried in hemlocks in such close proximity you'd think you were crazy to believe he would hold so tight. They are extremely tough to get when they've been hunted like they are here.


Last edited by Fireball2; 09/03/17.

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This topic comes up relatively often and one common theme is that most people's responses echo what they normally hunt in their locality.

I am no exception...as I truly believe mature mule deer are THE spookiest critters out there. Certainly more so than whitetails of any age. Second place is a lead cow elk.

Cats and wolves are sly as hell but I wouldn't call them particularly spooky. I've seen both sit there and stare at me. Not so with non horney mulies and lead cows. My limited experience with blacktails tells me they're a worthy trophy no doubt, but not as spooky as a seasoned mule deer. They're more sly like cats.



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If you've hunted deer very many times you've probably got one or at least seen one, same with Elk, Bears, Wolves, Sheep, Oryx, etc. Just about anything mentioned. BUT, if we include mountain lions, how many people could get one or even see one in a life time without dogs. I guarantee they have seen YOU! If we rule out the cats, it's got to be big Muleys on public land, look at the record books, lots of white tails in the book taken with a bow, how about Muley bucks taken with a bow. Once the bell rings, they are tough! You can bowhunt white tails in the rut, hard to do that with Muleys.

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Hard hunted Whitetail in the piney woods.

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Originally Posted by Idaho1945
BUT, if we include mountain lions, how many people could get one or even see one in a life time without dogs.
Dick


First I agree with you about spooky vs sly. There is a difference.

I am in a group of exceptions, not the only one. Since 1976 I have seen an 'aggregate' of ONE
Mtn Lion. The first occasion I saw ONLY the long swooping drooping tail as it crossed a log road.

Yrs later I saw most of a M L's body from the shoulder back.

Lastly, in 2011 I saw a M L's HEAD stuck out of brush then it disappeared.

Never had a shot at one.

Jerry


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I wouldn't call a cougar spooky. Spooky is when the animal will light out for parts a long way off. A cougar will hide and often stay put. He's very wary and that's not the same thing.

I've hunted in cougar country for over 50 years and have yet to see a wild one. They're there and hunters with dogs get them but they stay well hidden.
Our SIL is a pilot for Homeland Security. For a few years he flew helicopters for the Border Patrol along the CA-MX border. He has some photos he took from the chopper of a cougar in front of its cave. It's a scroungy old thing but it's still neat to see.


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Desert big horn sheep, hands down...

They have an uncanny ability to sense danger, and they can hightail it across the rocks in a flash.


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Originally Posted by tedthorn
Buck Jackalope

I've spotted countless doe but the bucks stay hidden.



You should try to get a shot at the hybrid pfhackelope. This one is the only specimen in existence as far as I know.

[Linked Image]


Hunt with Class and Classics

Religion: A founder of The Church of Spray and Pray

Acquit v. t. To render a judgment in a murder case in San Francisco... EQUAL, adj. As bad as something else. Ambrose Bierce “The Devil's Dictionary”







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Our whitetails act like they are on crack. Practically crawling out of their skin and hyper-aware of everything! Mule Deer seem chill in comparison. The few black bears I've seen freaked out at the sight of humans and hauled out of there.

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As said earlier, a lot depends on how hard the critter is hunted. Our black bears are often pretty casual about having people around. My grandson lip squeaked one to keep it from leaving a few days ago and to give his partner time to get in position for a shot. Then the grandson said “Hey,” to the bear and when it lifted its head at 38 yards, the other hunter shot it.

Incidentally, this thread is like a cordial exchange of real opinions like around a campfire. I'll stick with hard hunted rain country blacktails.

My experience is not as great as some here but I have hunted mulies a lot, in WA, Idaho and British Columbia, whitetails in WA and British Columbia, California blacktails from Los Angeles to the Oregon line, and sauntered around Coues country and eastern hardwoods with binos, plus scouted and went along with hunters in Oregon, Wyoming and Saskatchewan. Have hunted bighorns, Stone, goats, cougar without dogs, lynx, wolves, bow hunted coyotes...

A few observations: We can glass for mule deer and Coues (and sheep) from across a canyon or at distance in most of their ranges. Not so in blacktail country unless you hunt only alpine or recent clearcuts.

True that the big mule deer bucks tend to sneak away rather than bust out, but that is standard for virtually all blacktail.

Another factor is the visibility of the deer's tail. Mule deer cannot hide the white patch on their rump. That has enabled me to spot and tag several bucks in poor light, the most recent of which I spotted in the dark and watched and waited till legal shooting light. Whitetails tend to wave their bright white flag. Blacktails have their white rump patch covered and they don't wave their tail to get your attention. They are HARD to spot.

Last edited by Okanagan; 09/06/17. Reason: afterthunk
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Originally Posted by Teeder
Sasquatch. When was the last time you saw one of them?

Go to a prom in Iowa-they're the ones wearing the dresses.


molɔ̀ːn labé skýla
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