I was wondering if anyone knew of any good websites or books/videos that would have good information on hunting mule deer? We hunt mule deer in eastern alberta in some almost badland areas with big valleys, a river at the bottom and a fair bit of trees. We are new to hunting mule deer and were caught busting them out on almost every hunt that we had. We tried to catch them while traversing across the farmers fields in the mornings on their way to the valleys but were either just late, or not in the right spots. Anytime we would try to stock them in the valleys we would end up spooking them and watching them somewhat run away around 80-100yards away. It's in a area that is also rifle hunted starting in november, so they are somewhat skittish deer. Here is a topo of our hunting area. The black outline is where we have permission to hunt. We have a 1/4 section along with a couple quarts of crown land by the river. Any information is greatly appreciated.
Bottom line... mule deer are tough to hunt. They smell like a whitetail, hear better and their terrain makes them difficult. Stalking is your best bet, the key is being extremely patient and slow moving. At times, removing your boots for the quiet factor is necessary. For mornings, I like to get up on the ridges and watch the deer come out of the fields in an attemp to either cut them off or watch them bed and make a stalk. Early in the season (much like whitetails) they'll get on a pattern and enter a field or leave a field at the same location. Eastman's Outfitter Journal has a few books that may interest you. The majority of the time you'll see the biggest bucks bedded down at the tops of the ridges to where they can see down one side or both and catch the wind as well. Good luck!
Thanks for the info. We just got the land during hunting season so we had no time for pre season scouting. This year we will probably bring some trail cameras and a couple tree stands to try and help our cause. Hopefully we will be able to find their bedding areas and routes of travel.
