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Tougher to hunt |
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Monster
Optics Master Joined: December/16/2008 Location: So. Cal Status: Offline Points: 2031 |
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Posted: December/23/2008 at 20:49 |
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Which deer is tougher to hunt, whitetail or mule? Of course I have my biases, being on the west coast, but I want to see what your opinions are....
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"Get Busy Livin' or get busy dyin'" -Red (Shawshank Redemption)
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HuntMaster
Optics Master Joined: March/19/2007 Location: St Stephens,Al. Status: Offline Points: 1053 |
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I think Southern Whitetail, as well as, South Alabama Turkeys are the toughest animals around to hunt. Their keen sense of smell, as well as eyesight, coupled with the dense underbrush here, make them very difficult to stalk.
I base my opinion only on watching hunts on outdoors shows. I've never hunted anywhere else. I know animals here will not let you get close to them before they bolt. - somewhat like pronghorn.
Derek Edited by HuntMaster - December/23/2008 at 20:55 |
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swtucker
Optics Master Joined: September/03/2008 Location: Low Moor Status: Offline Points: 1430 |
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Whitetail no question. I've been around both. |
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Monster
Optics Master Joined: December/16/2008 Location: So. Cal Status: Offline Points: 2031 |
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What are the things that make whitetail tougher to hunt? |
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"Get Busy Livin' or get busy dyin'" -Red (Shawshank Redemption)
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rifle looney
Optics Master Joined: November/21/2008 Status: Offline Points: 2553 |
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Never hunted white tail,tough id like to I am going to tell you a mule deer is more challenging,due to the fact there are fewer of them,they live in much harsher country,and some in much higher country than white tail.and I believe they are a lot more weary,and a little smarter..thats my experience others may differ.
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helo18
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: December/02/2006 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 5620 |
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Depends on the age of the animal, and how well you know the area. Honestly, if you know the area and the habits, neither is that hard. If you don't know the area, then I would say whitetail outside of rut. They tend to like the heavy brush more, and seem to be more skittish. I have seen older mulies that act like whitetails. Once rut starts, they are all dumb.
You want a real challenge, come hunt world class size elk with me in the Missouri River breaks, or mountain lion without dogs! |
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To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.
GEORGE WASHINGTON |
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swtucker
Optics Master Joined: September/03/2008 Location: Low Moor Status: Offline Points: 1430 |
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I base my statement on 3 things:
1. My buddy who has a 183" mule deer on his wall, and several nice whitetails...I hunted with him in Colorado. He has killed several of both, and says that mule deer only get 'skiddish' when they get old (ie. over 30 inches)
2. When I was in Colorado, a buddy and myself sat and looked at 3 HAMMER mule deer for about 5 minutes. They were about 15 feet off the road. We took pictures, etc. That will never happen on 3 big whitetails. I've deer hunted a lot, and a mule deer is dumber....sorry.
3. My buddy from Virginia went to Nevada and he said as long as they haven't been shot at, it's simply looking for one that you want to shoot.
The laws are different here in the east. Everyone can deer hunt. So our deer get more pressure...we don't have to "draw" a deer tag...hell you can kill two bucks and as many does as you feel like dragging.
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rifle looney
Optics Master Joined: November/21/2008 Status: Offline Points: 2553 |
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why are there more whitetail heads on peoples walls then muleys ?
Edited by rifle looney - December/24/2008 at 10:51 |
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helo18
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: December/02/2006 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 5620 |
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whitetails multiply like rabbits! and are found in more states
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To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.
GEORGE WASHINGTON |
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rifle looney
Optics Master Joined: November/21/2008 Status: Offline Points: 2553 |
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Therefore perhaps making them a little easier to hunt ,maybe? |
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helo18
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: December/02/2006 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 5620 |
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you can find them in more areas. you can find either easy enough here in Montana. Just take you pick as to which one you want. The whitetail bucks are harder to hunt than the mulie bucks till they get older, then they are both hard.
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To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.
GEORGE WASHINGTON |
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jonoMT
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: November/13/2008 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 4853 |
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I've found either one seems easier to hunt after hunting elk. So many times I've spooked deer (or antelope) and they will run a bit and then stand still...long enough to be fatal. Elk never stop to look back! That said, whitetail seem a bit more crafty. I've seen one wait until we got back into the truck and then she burst out of brush and took off.
helo18, I look forward to hunting the Breaks someday. It's hard with small children to get much hunting time, let alone go that far away. But I've canoed through twice and have spotted both elk and sheep while hiking around our campsites. Jon |
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rifle looney
Optics Master Joined: November/21/2008 Status: Offline Points: 2553 |
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Monster, I gather that from state to state and region to region there are going to be many variables,and many opinions, but Im sure you can figure that yourself.
I wish you luck .. on all your adventures in the fields. |
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mike650
Optics God Joined: May/14/2006 Location: West of Rockies Status: Online Points: 14569 |
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Blacktails in Cal "A" zone can be tough to hunt where temps can be 100+ during the day, the mixed terrain and other variables only add to it. The final week or so the temps will usually start to drop and the rut starts, then it really gets interesting.
Helo, you nailed it, as they get older they definitely get wiser. Edited by mike650 - December/24/2008 at 00:38 |
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“A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.” – Fred Bear
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Chris Farris
TEAM SWFA - Admin swfa.com Joined: October/01/2003 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 8024 |
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Both are tough to hunt and both are easy to hunt. It all depends on where you are hunting them, when you are hunting them and mostly what age of animal you are hunting.
I can take you to a spot where The Powder River meets the Big Horn Mountains and you can shoot Mule Deer out of a field like rabbits. I can take you to a place in Central Texas where you can see and shoot your limit of Whitetail in one hour.
I can also take you to a place in Mexico where the Mule Deer have radar and you'd be lucky to see one, much less get a shot off. I know a spot that is known for monster Whitetail but unless the state of Texas changes the laws and allows you to use night vision you'll never see 'em.
These amazing animals are like U.S. Marines, they improvise, adapt and over come. It all revolves around the amount of predation involved.
The hardest deer that I have ever hunted is Coues Deer. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hardest to hunt), I would rank Whitetail an average of 7, Mule Deer an 8 and Coues an 11.
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Monster
Optics Master Joined: December/16/2008 Location: So. Cal Status: Offline Points: 2031 |
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Wow blacktails that sounds fun I'm only in southern cal |
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"Get Busy Livin' or get busy dyin'" -Red (Shawshank Redemption)
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Monster
Optics Master Joined: December/16/2008 Location: So. Cal Status: Offline Points: 2031 |
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hmmm.....from the sounds of things the field is pretty split on this question
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"Get Busy Livin' or get busy dyin'" -Red (Shawshank Redemption)
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mike650
Optics God Joined: May/14/2006 Location: West of Rockies Status: Online Points: 14569 |
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Which zone in Cal do you hunt Monster? |
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“A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.” – Fred Bear
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swtucker
Optics Master Joined: September/03/2008 Location: Low Moor Status: Offline Points: 1430 |
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I feel bad for you guys who have to "draw" a tag to kill a deer! I don't think I could stand it. But it's a trade off...we have lots of deer, but very, very few make the 'book'. |
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trigger29
Optics Master Extraordinaire X = 180 Y = 90 (X+Pyro)+(Y-Pyro) = ? Joined: September/29/2007 Location: South Dakota Status: Offline Points: 4353 |
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I too believe it depends on where you are, and the animals themselves. I could say that mule deer are harder because of the terrain they hang out in, but here we have whitetails right along side them. Our whitetails seem to have more keen senses, and be more spooky. In the black hills I pretty much had to shoo mule deer away, because I had a whitetail only tag. They are dumber than a post out there. In the open parts of the state where there is A tree every couple miles, the whitetails will start running at the sight of anything human related, and not stop for 3-4 miles. I think these are the toughest deer to hunt in our state. If you get a shot at all, it's 400 yards plus. Many times on the run.
Edited by trigger29 - December/24/2008 at 06:54 |
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