Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Where to get on a big Mulie

I've never hunted mulies, but after seeing the amazing mule deer in BobinNH's thread on Big Deer, it's got me reconsidering.

In the US, where does a fella go to expect a chance at a good 'un and what can he expect to pay? And in the draw areas, how long does it typically take to get lucky?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

That is a difficult question with hundreds of possible answers which would require a treatise on trophy m d hunting to answer. Start applying for p pointd in Colorado and when you get 7 or 8 start 5hinking of hunting.

Depends on how big to you is big.

Contsct Muley Mike on the fire. Contact outfitters in Alberta and Wy and Mexico.

Think it's about $5k to get access/guide on prime private country around here.

I'd follow tanner and Drummond around if I wanted to shoot a big mulie.

Yep, Drummond, or Huntsonora, as he's known on the Fire, is the man to see if you want a shot at a monster Muley.

Arns you might want to look for an outfit or access up in the Panhandle,just for starters.

They may be closer than you think.

Another place to consider is the Sandhills of Nebraska and then down in the lower SW corner of Nebraska. No Draw Licenses. If you go with an outfitter/guide prices can range from $2500 to $4500 and that normally includes lodging and food.

Here are a few places they exist..

http://www.jicarillahunt.com/mule_deer_hunting

http://www.bullbasin.com/Deer_-_Piney_Valley_Ranch.html

http://www.findmeahunt.com/blog/tag/heaton-ranch/

http://www.westernlandshunting.com/public/html/hunting.php

Big Muleys on public? Well thats another ball game. Years to get tags, or lots of hard work in general area's.

Big mulies on public is a tough deal for sure, at least around here.

Private is a cake walk in comparison.

For sure. You have your work cut out for you even on the better draw area's.

West Texas and the Panhandle

yeah, $6000.

Strange that no onr has mentioned Mexico. Muy Grande Outfitters iirc.

If the goal is an average mule deer buck, there are lots of places to try.

But if you want to kill something that grosses in the 180 class or better ( to pick a somewhat arbitrary standard),then you have to narrow your focus,because not a lot of places have them....And there will be more competition in draw units or access through outfitters will get more expensive.....or both.

Even then there is no guarantee.

For truly top end bucks, I'd go straight to Sonora, MX if you've got the $$$$ and the cahones' to go down there. Even then you better be prepared to come home empty. For a real chance at a 180'+ buck, I'm staying closer to home.....much closer.

Gotta go where they live, which as Bob eluded to, is easier said than done nowadays.

Thanks for the replies, fellas. Guess I'm gonna have to keep dreaming (and saving pennies!)

If you don't want to spend the money and have the time there are places in Colorado that a guy can hunt public land and draw tags with 0-2 pts. You never know what you might turn up. Ive personally hunted a 200+ deer in a unit that took 0 pts to draw the tag. It may take several trips to put in the time to truly learn the unit and it may take a few years of going to find a monster so money wise it might be about the same for you to save up and go on a $6000-$10000 hunt since you don't exactly live next door to Colorado. For the $6000-$10000 hunt I would do lots of research for a ranch that is well managed and is not over hunted whether it be in CO, KS, MX, TX or wherever.

Where to get on a big mulie? From the left side, I would imagine.

I'm going to agree with JG on this. Which is the big reason why I love hunting the desert so much.
While you are saving your pennies, I'd suggest visiting the area where you plan to hunt during the full rut. If the herd has exceptional bucks, that's when you get to see them. Either on the ground at a distance or from the air.
One of my favorite big buck tales involves a huge buck that I saw when he was perhaps only three years old. Even then, he had a 34 inch spread that went about 22 inches high. He was only seen on one other occasion, a couple of years later, and that was long after the season had closed.
In spite of his home range being known, even serious efforts to see him on the ground or from the air, failed to actually see him during the summer months.
Finally, at aproximately age eight, two weeks before the season was to open, with his antlers in velvet, he was videoed from a helicopter that was doing bighorn sheep counts. At that age, his antlers were about 37 inches wide, about 24 plus inches high and sported 7-9 pts. per side.
He was never harvested. Bucks similar to him have been in that area for mmany years. I had a picture of one like him that was killed in 1940.
So find an area with a history of them. If the buck to doe ratio has remained pretty constant over the years, they will still be there. Some them will be huntable. E

Great story E, and I believe it. Big mule deer bucks are not only very smart, elusive, etc, they are an entirely different breed of buck than immature ones.

Oh, yeah. E