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Tougher to hunt

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Monster View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Monster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Tougher to hunt
    Posted: December/23/2008 at 20:49
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....
"Get Busy Livin' or get busy dyin'" -Red (Shawshank Redemption)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HuntMaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 20:53
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 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote swtucker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 20:59

Whitetail no question.  I've been around both. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Monster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 21:04
Originally posted by swtucker swtucker wrote:

Whitetail no question.  I've been around both. 



What are the things that make whitetail tougher to hunt?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rifle looney Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 21:09
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 21:16
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote swtucker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 21:27
Originally posted by Monster Monster wrote:

Originally posted by swtucker swtucker wrote:

Whitetail no question.  I've been around both. 



What are the things that make whitetail tougher to hunt?
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rifle looney Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 21:35
Get Your Popcorn Ready 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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 21:39
whitetails multiply like rabbits!  and are found in more states
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rifle looney Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 21:54
Originally posted by helo18 helo18 wrote:

whitetails multiply like rabbits!  and are found in more states


Therefore perhaps making them a little easier to hunt ,maybe?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 21:59
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonoMT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 23:01
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rifle looney Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 23:01
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mike650 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 23:25
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chris Farris Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/23/2008 at 23:40
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Monster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/24/2008 at 00:21
Originally posted by mike650 mike650 wrote:

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 older they definetely get wiser.


Wow blacktails that sounds fun I'm only in southern cal
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Monster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/24/2008 at 00:24
hmmm.....from the sounds of things the field is pretty split on this question 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mike650 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/24/2008 at 00:40
Originally posted by Monster Monster wrote:

Originally posted by mike650 mike650 wrote:

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.


Wow blacktails that sounds fun I'm only in southern cal


Which zone in Cal do you hunt Monster?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote swtucker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/24/2008 at 06:06

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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote trigger29 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/24/2008 at 06:53
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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