I've been talking to several Nebraska outfitters about booking a mule deer hunt. In some areas, either a mulie or a whitetail can be taken on the deer license, and many areas have both.

I was asked the question- if you came across a real smoker whitetail while on a mule deer hunt, would you take it?

My own personal answer was, yes, of course.

Given the opportunity, though, others might have a different answer.

What would be yours?

If the whitetail was a heavy antlered screamer I would definately take it.

Nelson

Depends on my mood

In our state (NW WY) Mule Deer are in trouble, White tails are encroaching and cross breeding. Many ranchers view them as vermin and they are shot on sight.

This happens all the time on the eastern plains. Depends on what you've killed and what shows up. Have had numerous hunters say they wanted a mule deer but shot big whitetails as soon as they popped up. Big is big, if I could kill either/or I'd go in with a mule deer first preference but smack a 170"+ whitetail if the opportunity presented itself

As for your preference for Nebraska, why is that? I'd much rather go to CO where you can shoot a whitetail or mule deer on a tag. The mule deer are much better in CO and a 150"+ whitetail is a reasonable expectation in a lot of places

Bighorn - That would be TUFF for me to answer. Having hunted wt all my life and long to hunt mulies.

IF the wt was a BRUISER, probably.

IF there were BRUISER mulies in the area, probably NOT.

Nevermind, I see your from CO and probably have a spot to hunt deer here already.

If I were on a hunt known to produce 180"+ mule deer, I'd have a hard time shooting a big whitetail. I can't get enough of those big muley bucks.

Bighorn,

That's an interesting dilemma.
My answer is yes, without question, every time.
Of course, I'm partial to the whitey's to begin with.

Big is big regardless what kind of tail he's got.

Mule Deer 1st when in Mule Deer Country - They are getting harder to hunt as they are becoming fewer and fewer. Especially large Mule Deer bucks.

I've shot two decent whitetails while hunting mule deer and would shoot another one that way anytime.

Mule deer are getting scarce as the whitetail encroaches on the mulie territory.

Me, I'd shoot whatever I saw, if they were of comparable weight, to fill my freezer. With that said, mulies tend to outweigh the little whitetails we have here.

Biker

Yes. And vice versa!

Make that heck yes.

I've hunted both... shot mulies in Colorado and Nebraska... and hunted whitetails in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Whitetails are more wary, mulies are bigger (usually)... depends on whether you're a head-hunter (antlers) or a meat-hunter.

But all things being equal... I'd shoot the biggest deer that dared to give me a shot.

But as to your specific question... I'd have to answer "Yes"... take the big whitetail even if you're on a mule deer hunt unless it is illegal or not done by tradition and look down upon by the locals. In that case, I'd stick to whatever kind of deer I originally signed up to hunt.


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

Very few whitetails in my state so I would definitely take a nice one if it came along.

If whitetails were the norm where you hunt then I would be very picky. Unless a monster whitey came along I would hold out for a muley.

My preference is to shoot Mule Deer when hunting "out West" but won't pass up a big Whitetail. Happened last season in Montana. I should be hearing from Wielenga Taxidermy any day.


ddj

Mule deer represent one of the hardest to get trophies in North America. Shooting little mule deer bucks is easy, they will always turn and look at you. Let them get about 5 seasons on them and they become one of the hardest to get. Whitetails are every where and even though a big buck is a big buck, I would take a mule deer any day.

I'd rather have a really big Whitetail any day over a really big Mule deer.................Hillbilly.

If you get a crack at a really big muley, you best put him on the ground if given the chance. Good mule deer bucks are tough to get.

+1....There are a lot better places than NE if you are looking for a quality combination (WT/MD) hunt and to hunt mulies for that matter.

Smart answer....you better kill him.

We can write scripts for our own hunting plans, but the animals do not play fair

A crack at a really large animal of either species is rare.....

"Take what the hunting Gods offer today, and leave your heart's desire for tomorrow" .....................Elgin Gates.

160" + Whitetail would hit the ground. Zero hesitation.

My tag for Montana this year is good for either. As bad as I want to kill a big mulie if a big whitetail walks by I will be shooting at him.

Dink

WT are much cooler looking, antlers especially.

MULE DEER!!!!!!!!!
AMRA

I drew a whitetail-only tag for here in CO, along the Arkansas River. I hunt on my farm, and usually do it mostly for a 'meat hunt'. I got it as a second choice tag- still building my pref points back up for another SE CO mulie hunt.

Since I already have a CO tag, the NE thing just gives me more opportunity to hunt deer!

So....OK......tell me ,to the populace at large, which one is easier to kill?

A whitetail grossing 160+? Or a mule deer grossing 180+....

Sorry to have to nail numbers but we need a common frame of reference to define "big"........

So?

I've never taken a mule deer and would like to. While in Co ML hunting, I saw lots of what I though were big mulie bucks. Nice racks. I did not have a mulie tag. They would have been easy by our standards. They would just stand there broadside looking. I'd like to take one, but I would never pass on a nice WT.

Bob, I think a private ranch mule deer would be easier than a public ground whitetail.....grin

Yes!

My biggest mulie to date grossed 188 1/8- I may, or may not, ever see one bigger, or have the chance to take one again. But- hunting older, mature mulies is really the name of the game for me, regardless of score. An old, heavy-horned buck may not have the spread width or tine length to be a worthy 'wall-hanger', but I'll guarantee he will be fun, and a challenge, to hunt. I guess since I grew up hunting mulies, they are kind of special game to me.

I guess I don't get as buzzed up about whitetails, as some other folks- but, a 170+ class whitetail is certainly a wall-hanger in my book, and a shooter in almost anyone's book. There's no denying that a whitetail buck is a smart, wary, very worthwhile game animal to pursue, and is probably the nunber one hunt target of big game hunters in this country.

I've passed up 150+ whitetails in the recent past- I know they were that big, because guys killed the same bucks later in the season, and they were measured for score. When it comes to hunting whitetails, my hunts are usually for: A. Table fare, or B. Wall hangers, with the table fare hunts usually winning out.

As far as which is 'easier to kill'? It's pretty widely accepted that the mule deer has become the hardest animal to put in the B & C record book in North America.

I figure any private without a lot of pressure is easier than public.....

It's why so many lease....

In our neck of the woods that's definitely the case...

AJD, I was simply stating the obvious and teasing Bob because I couldn't answer the question....grin

All things equal I'd say it's a wash.

Sam in all honesty, I can't answer the question either.....IME once a buck of either species gets to be 5 1/2 years or older (public OR private land),and regardless of score, lets just say BIG.....he gets very hard to kill...

It's ok.

I've also seen nice WT on private that would have been easy to take.

I wish I had a preference- I just love to hunt bucks, white tail or mule deer- Like to see those old bucks with lots of mass- To hell with the B&C score- give me an old roman nosed bastid with the hair between his eyes all gray- Thats a trophy, two points or ten- camera or rifle

Fred

It's why I figure why the "hunting shows" are on private land. And why so many pay big bucks to hunt. All that is just different, I grew up hunting under a different scenario.

I'll agree with Bighorn on his many thoughts on mulies, and one of them stands out.....a mule deer is much more difficult to put in B&C than a whitetail, not really close. I'll also agree that older, mature bucks of either species are equally tough to hunt and kill. Everybody who has hunted them both knows that they are very different from each other with different habits. I'll give my pat answer as to how hard a big, mature mule deer is to kill. We can't hunt the rut, as it's a month later than the season. We usually only see the very biggest bucks during a 10 day period of the rut, and no other time of the year are they ever seen, much less killed.

Yeah, sometimes it seems all there is to it is to sit in the brush around a frozen bean field with a muzzleloader in Iowa, Illinois, etc.

Bang!

What was the question?

Having shot a few mule deer, but no whitetails, and not caring much about antlers on either, I'd shoot the first legal deer. I'd I was going guided (never have) I'd hold out for a decent one of either species. I hear whitetail' a bit tastier than Muley, so that'd be my preference, but wouldn't really matter much either way.

Yup.

Hunted Nebraska for many years, both Mulies and Whitetails. The Whitetails were in the woods, the Mulies out in the fields. But not always. I am a meat hunter so whatever showed up and was a good shot I took. The locals tend to protect the Mulies, the Whitetails are the invasive ones. They will ask that you pass on a young Mule Deer buck, take any Whitetails that you see. It was what I always did. Plenty of opportunities for both in several sections of Nebraska. Throphys were few and far between. Average weight field dressed was about 150. Best hunting was on private land, which requires landowner permission.

I don't know about that...............

Where I hunt a 180 MD is harder to kill than a 160 WT....there are just way less of them.

GW,
Agree with ya 100% on that. Just harder to find, plain and simple. Still if it is big rack, either is fine with me. Sometimes I don't get the amount of field time I would like.

I agree with Scott on the tough call. I'd love to ventilate a really nice Mulie, but would never pass a stud whitey....so much so for me I'd likely book a Mulie hunt where it's not so likely to see a big whitetail.

I'd really like to take a Mule deer so it would take an impressive whitetail to get my finger on the trigger. Although I've shot plenty of whitetails a really good one would still be able to derail my mule deer hunt.

If I've PAID to hunt mule deer, then it's mule deer I'm hunting.

Have you ever seen a really big mule deer? Only reason I ask is because I cant tell you how many times I've taken guys from out east hunting and they crap themselves at the first 150" muley thats 24" wide. Then you show them a "really big" buck and they seem to forget all about the whitetails

IMO there is nothing more spectacular than a big ole mature mule deer buck. There is a reason the demand is so high for big ones

Yep

Maybe your opinion, but not mine....

Not my opinion either and whitetails have been my world for my whole life. Where I live I see at least twenty whitetails a week and have been always so I may just be too used to whitetails but when I see a Muley buck I'm like "wow, that's sharp"!

Whitetail for me.

I've killed some nice Mulie bucks, but they never get to me like a big whitetail. I hate to say it, but most of the mulies I've hunted seemed sort of dumb. I'm sure they are very spooky in certain areas, but they have always seemed sort of laxed when I've walked up on them while elk or mulie hunting.

I know a guy that drove up on an absolute monster nontypical mulie that had to be well over 250(I saw the up close video of the monster), but wouldn't shoot him. He had a tag and was mulie hunting for that particular buck. He was on the particular ranch he was hunting and about to get out to open a gate when the buck appeared. He got out and thought about it, but let him walk and ate tag soup. He said the buck never spooked and sort of acted like a cow just easing around close to the truck. I personally can't say I wouldn't have shot him.

Old whitetails in high pressure areas are a very tough challenge, the toughest I've personally tried.

loder

If it was definately bigger rack than I already have, and was heavy, yes I would pull the trigger even on the first day.

No offense to you personally Reloader, but I always have to ask when someone uses the "dumb" card in regards to big mule deer...
1. How many big, 180" + bucks have you killed?
2. How many really big 190"+ bucks have you even seen?
3. Give some examples that you have personally seen big 180+ bucks being really, really dumb outside of the rut.
4. No offense to your buddy, but I'm calling BS on that story.....nobody passes up 250" mule deer if given a legal chance to kill one with a legal tag. Nobody.

It's certainly no trick to kill just a mule deer buck. It's certainly as easy, or easier to kill just a whitetail buck. Any lardass rich guy can sit in a blind and kill one. The "muleys are dumb" argument only applies to the ignorant.

What was your buddy holding out for if he passed on that one?...FYI, there are only a handfull of 250" mule deer bucks killed anually across the entire North American Continent each year. In my entire hunting career, I've only layed eyes on one buck of that caliber. Probably the only one I'll ever see...

Perfectly said.



That's a load of crap for sure.



"Muley".....that's what uninformed eastern dudes call them.

"Whitey" anyone?

I would rather shoot a 170 mule deer over a 190 whitetail.

I'll shoot both in the drop of a hat.

I have killed some nice Whitetails, but never anything that scored really high. I have never even seen a Mule Deer, so I would have to take the Mule Deer if it was either or.

Hope I get a chance to hunt them one day. Beautiful animals for sure.

I'd rather shoot a bigfoot.

The one that was the easiest to drag out.

Pat, he musta been holdin' out for one of those 260" bucks.....laughin'!

Always wanted to shoot a mulie. I can't imagine an animal tougher to hunt than an old big woods buck in the big woods. As far as I can see they are impossible. So illusive I can't even find their sheds or their carcasses. I get their pics on the trail cam but that's all I see of them in northwest Wisconsin.

My biggest mulie green scored 215 but after deductions is a little over 190. Not bad at all. He went down, dead as could be with one 150 grain core loct out of my '06. About 150 yds away.

Biggest whitetail (whitey) only scored 135 but one shot from my 25 06 shooting 120 grain something dropped him in his tracks. About 80 yds away. I like to sneak up on 'em.

The mule deer is big but that little whitetail sure is cute. And due to house downsizing, I'm gonna have to depart with both soon as I figure out how to do that.

I'm surprised you guys don't believe me, I'm not one to BS folks. Oh well, those that know me and those that were there know the story to be true. You have to know Ray, he's an old school guy and doesn't even care if he kills an animal. Ray knew that buck was in the area as he works the ranch and when the op presented itself Ray said there was no challenge to the hunt, the buck wasn't afraid of him at all at very close range, so he just watched the beatiful animal. We all sort of thought he was nuts for letting him go, but you gotta respect a fella that lives for the hunt and respects the animals.

That happened in 06 and I talked to Ray just last year about his decision. He felt the same.

I said 250 and I believe he might have been better, but by just looking at the video it's hard to say. It was a world class buck for sure. Sort of an 8x8 frame, very tall, wide, heavy, several long drops and tons of trash. Call it what you will. I watched about 10mins of footage of the beast, but no, I don't have pics so I can see why you fellas wouldn't believe.

JG, I've only killed one buck over 180" and only seen a few over 180. That big buck was with 5-6 other dandies, they didn't spook until we were about 50yds away and all it took was a whistle to stop them. I saw one in Sept that was a bruiser non-typical at around 75yds while MLer elk hunting last season, he just stood there watching us close to the camp. Several guys claimed he was over 200, but I felt he was in the 180-200 range. We also saw a nice herd close to camp that had bucks from the 150-180 range, the largest was a dandy 5x5.

Maybe dumb is too strong of a term. I would feel the same if someone said that about mature whitetails that I'm passionate about as you are for big mulies. My FIL hunted them for about 16 years straight on public land near Montrose and always referred to them as "dumb" deer. Yes, he's killed big mulies as well, his largest a dandy 6x7 on public ground(never been scored). I've only hunted mulies on public ground once. The rest I've hunted or seen on private lands. They've always been very unwary of hunters IME. The several big bucks I saw this past season while elk hunting were no different. They just stood there until we'd get very close, then bound a piece and stop.

I've hunted whitetail in many states and seen my share of dandies, but they have always been very spooky even on spot and stalk hunts in the Midwest or Texas where one may see several bucks at any given time. Here at home even more spooky.

I feel any animal can be tough in a high pressure area, so I believe your comments on mature mulies being tough quary in some areas.

Have a good one,

loder

Now I understand, Ray sounds like a good dude.

Can't say if they are dumb deer myself, but my hunting pards who hunt both BT and muleys sure say that relatively speaking they are. Their biggest foible, I'm told, is the "run a ways, then stop and look back" maneuver. Thinkin' that stopped working around the time smokeless powder came out!

The difference I have seen between WT and Mulies, mule deer are calm even getting away, though I did see one that would give a greyhound a race. Whitetail act like they mainline coffee since birth and need Valium to get sleep.

As far as which to hunt, take the one with the meat, racks are nice but make lousy soup.

Two biggest whitetails I ever shot stopped to look back.

I've shot only one reasonably large mule deer, 3 or 5 biggest ones I haven't shot(but seen) were all high tailing it out of the vicinity or I couldn't get close enough.



Older mule deer are not stupid by any means.

Closest I've come to either, is a BT/muley hybrid killed up near the Cascade crest, and a couple BT/WT hybrids killed down by Roseburg.

BUT, by gadfry I will be hunting mule deer next year, and a quality hunt too.

I do run into them while elk hunting over in eastern Oregon. I've seen a few dandy bucks. Beautiful deer.

The peak of the rut will make even the biggest animals stupid, regardless of species. IMO. Some of the biggest Sitka Blacktails are taken at the peak of the rut, standing by the side of the road. Try to find those bucks any other time of the year..

How busy of a road?


The rut certainly is interesting.

Logging roads. The #1 at the last awards banquet for Sitka blacktail was shot standing in a rock pit, during the rut. It's amazing how stupid those old mature bucks get a few days out of the year.

I'm sure a few old mule deer(and whitetail) get shot from a ranch road during the rut. Not many from the county road but that depends greatly on location.


Still no easy thing to find most of the time.

as others have said, prolly depend on my mood but then again i havent taken a wall worthy buck yet either prefer chasing mule deer but would be hard pressed to pass up a good whitetail if i came across one.....

I'm surprised that your surprised that people question a story about a guy that passed up a 250"+ non typical mule deer

Yes. Whitetails stop to look back, too.....sometimes....the differences are that most whitetails are hunted in thicker country and if you spook them,sometimes they will behave this way,running for the first 75-150 yards or so...the difference is that in cover you can't see them do it...but if you track them,and depending on how badly they have been spooked,you will see where they stopped to check on their backtrail and what spooked them.....

OTOH, mule deer are found in somewhat more open country,and you can see this behaviour.

But it can vary a lot and the bigger mule deer know how to use terrain....I have seen big one's stop, but others just melt off and disappear altogether in country so devoid of cover you can't fathom where they went.....in any event you better not count on it with a big one and generally your first crack will be the only one.

With either one expect the unexpected.

A really big mule deer has a very high "shock" value.....fact of the matter is that really big one's have an ability of not being even seen, at all....and not many hunters ever lay eyes on one...

Guys from back east tend to think muley's are "easy" because they see immature bucks standing around on sidehills in the open,and because they are still so much larger than the average whitetail these guys are accustomed to, they "assume"these are big bucks...they aren't..they're the little one's.But many easterners will shoot them and think they have killed a big deer.

You will work very hard to even lay eyes on a truly large one.It could take years even in good country.

And when you do see a really large one, unexpectedly,it takes a second to register......because they look like a different species.With their heads hidden at distance,based on body size, I have mistaken them for elk at a distance.

You see a truly large mule deer and a big rack on a 350-400 pound body,he has a very large "shock" value....you won't forget it soon.

Like Bob said.

Whities stop and look back too. The only problem is they will put enough schit between u and them to hide a panzer division.

At least that's the way it is here. I am sure open country whitetails may behave differently. I would guess in open country, distance replaces cover as the security mechanism.

I know the hunts I went on in the midwest, they weren't nearly as freaked out as back home and would cross open areas regularly. Something that is almost never seen here in daylight during hunting season.

I have hunted areas 5 miles apart here and seen a distinct difference in behaviors.

IME, movement & behavior really depends on a combination of pressure, predators, age class, doe ratios, browse availability, etc.

JM

John, I agree with you and others about mature whitetails stopping to look back at times and you're right, around here they are long gone in terms of cover before they ever stop. In the Midwest I've seen true giants spook and blow out of sight never looking back, but I feel that may have something to do with the way they are hunted by the locals(pushes or stalking). I have seen a few dandies pause a bit before bolting when they spooked, but they usually got the heck out of dodge as far as you could see them across the corn fields. The little guys will sometimes run and stop curiously.

I'd have to say the most laxed whitetail deer I've hunted were in Texas on private ranches(low fence/free range). They sometimes spook out of a field, then you catch glimpses of them slowly slipping in brush. Terrain is a life saver stalking them. I've only shot one in Texas from a blind, a pop up. The rest were spot and stalk or just sitting in site of a well used trail near rye or wheat fields. The largest I've seen in TX was a real bruiser pushing 170, had my wife with me, but she couldn't make the shot as it would've been off hand at close range and she has to get a good rest on the ground(She only has one arm). He disappeared in the brush before we could get set up.

I've seen some freaking giants in the Midwest, but they always seem to be out of reach for a shotgun. It's sort of funny when us Southern boys kill a buck up there, I've killed a couple upper 140s class deer in IA and the locals would just say "nice buck" like we say about a descent 8pt here at home. Our top two in IA were 160 and 162 the past few years and those seemed to get some respect from the local guys. Never been anywhere else where guys would shoot 150s-160s class deer and just saw the horns off. Last time out a guy shot a upper 150s about 20" wide and I asked him what he was going to do with it: "Probably just saw the horns off." Wow!

Have a good one,

loder

What's a 'whitetail'?

Seriously, they don't run where I hunt but if I had a choice and saw a nice one I'd take it.

We have about equal numbers of mule deer and whitetails around here. I am not a trophy hunter, and detest turning beautiful animals into statistics, but from what I've seen it is far easier to shoot a "160" whitetail than a "180" mule deer in Saskatchewan.

Being from the East. Unless the Whitetail was over 170" I would pass and continue to look for that BIG muley. We can get whitetails up to that size in this area, no mule deer though. Always wanted to get a big Muley. Can't shoot him if I shoot the first good whitetail I see.

There's more than once in a while I wish we didn't allow hunting during the rut. Wouldn't mind a few special permits via a draw but I would like to see how our mature bucks would do if we didn't shoot them during the rut.

Just a thunk.

Dober


(side note, I'll take the whitey each and every time)

Dober,

Is that because of your location, pest control, or just preference?

FB

FB-I'm a lil slow this morn, a bit doped up cause of some oral surgery and bone graft yesterday so forgive me but what are you asking me?

Dober

No sweat. Just asked why you would shoo the Whitetail over a good Muley.

I manage a dental office....we do pass out some good medication!!

Roger that. I often have the same feeling. The road hunters really clean up during the rut, as the bucks are running the roads in search of does. My buddy had to stop on the road this year, and wait for a huge buck to get out of his way. That's how stupid they get for a few days. The rest of the year tho, they are pretty damn smart.

Most of the big buck stories start with: I was driving down the road in early Nov..

FB-I have a thing for whitey's big lil or small they turn my crank. Love the coues the bestest of all!

Not that big muley's dont turn my crank when I see them but the whitey's are still my juice when it comes to venado.

Dober

Question for you all, say you're hunting the same kind of country (equal opportunity deer hunting..grin) and it had some really big muley's on it as well as some really big whitey's which one would you vote would be turfed first?

Thx
Dober

Again being from the east the BIG muley would go down first, even if I had to shoot over ten whitetails to do it.

I have been taking whitetails from this area and further south for the last 25 years, up to 5 or so per year.

Only one Mule deer to this date so they are eye candy for me.

Easy choice for this hunter.

I'd love to do a backpack hunt in some foothills/mountains for Whitetail/Mule Deer. Does such a hunt exist?

If you need both on the same hunt in a backpacking setting, that's gonna severely limit your options. We have both in CO, and while there is overlap the whitetails are more typically found along river bottoms where you don't have large tracts of public land where backpacking makes sense.

I'm in that camp as well.
Mule deer are seriously cool but nothing makes my socks go up and down more than a really big whitetail.

More than a few places in Montana that one could do a BP hunt for both.

Dober

The muley, only cause they don't live here at home and don't have any hanging on the wall.

A place like that is hog heaven to me...plus I love surprises.So....................

Whichever one of Toad-like status showed up first would be fine with me

If both are coexisting, then big is big in my book. Which ever would be the first to really impress would take the dirt nap.

Though, I'd really love a shot at a big Mulie. The biggest Mulie I can find around here lives at Cabela's!

Ok gang, let me be a bit less subtle, which of the two do you feel will be easier to find on that property...grin

Dober

Though, I'd really love a shot at a big Mulie. The biggest Mulie I can find around here lives at Cabela's! [/quote]

LOL,

We don't even have a Cabela's within a reasonable drive!!

From all I here, the whitetail, as really good Mule deer are very hard and expensive to find.

guessing, but I'd say the Mule Deer.

What I'm saying is you've found a area with both, money's not the Q here. Say a big private ranch with both on it, is the muley or the whitey gonna be easier to find and grass?

Dober

My answer would be neither, unless it's during the rut. IME/IMO a whitetail is much more patternable and predictable. For me and my gang personally, killing a 140 " whitetail is no big trick, but after 39 years I only have a handful of 170" mule deer, 2 190's, a 1 over 200". We can't hunt the rut here for mule deer, if we could I'd have probably 4 or 5 more 200" bucks. I got within 50 yards of this beast last December, during the rut, a month after the season closed...