Posts Tagged ‘mule deer’

Written By: Mason Payer “I can’t be the first one to give up, but what are we doing?” This was the thought that ran through my head as I pushed my bike and trailer up the steep dirt grade. Myself, my brother Graham and our hunting partner Derrek “Butters” Butterfield were only half a mile [...]

Written By: Justin Moore Last year I got lucky enough to draw a mule deer tag for the unit in Eastern Oregon where I grew up hunting with my family and friends. There really is nothing like hunting with family in the same area where you first learned to hunt, fish and enjoy nature. The [...]

Deer hunting is a great American tradition that has been going on every fall for generations. Deer are common in America and no matter where you live; there should be some type of deer hunting available to you. While hunting has typically been handed down from generation to generation, more and more people are becoming [...]

Collecting hunting gear can become a whole hobby unto itself. Most of the hunters I know have enough gear to completely outfit at least two or three other hunters. While what you choose to carry with you on your hunt will be determined largely by where and for how long you are going hunting, there [...]

Having some basic survival equipment with you at all times can not only keep you comfortable in the woods, it can keep you alive. It is highly unlikely that you would become so lost that you could never be found, but it is possible that you could become lost or injured and have to survive [...]

This is the equipment that makes the difference between going hunting and going for a hike. Adding this hunting specific equipment to the clothing and survival gear from part I and II will complete the gear ensemble that you need to be an effective and efficient hunter. Rifle You wouldn’t be hunting if you didn’t [...]

The hunting method you choose has as much to do with you as it does the game you pursue. Not all hunting methods are suitable for all hunters, neither are all types of hunting suitable for all kinds of terrain. Physical limitations may prevent some hunters from being able to climb into a tree stand, [...]

Before you decide to start hunting deer in your home state, it is important to know which species of deer are available to hunt. Hunting tactics vary between the different species of deer and it is essential that you match your tactics to the species being pursued. The best place to find out for sure which [...]

The choice of when to go hunting is constrained by when hunting season is actually open. Deer season can last anywhere from just a few days to a week or more. In some cases, choosing when to hunt means choosing between first or second season as deer season is often divided up into two or [...]

Choosing a location to hunt requires the hunter to consider a variety of factors. Depending on the options available, one may choose to hunt public or private land, close to home or far away, in the same spot every year or in various hotspots. The number and or quality of deer in a certain area [...]

Once you have decided upon a location to go hunting, it is time to go scouting. Scouting is the process of looking for game in the area you intend to hunt, before the opening of hunting season. Scouting before season will provide you with information about the area you plan to hunt and the animals [...]

Knowing where to look for deer is one of the keys to being a successful hunter. To know where to look for deer, you have to know what habitat to look for. Habitat is the environment in which a particular species commonly lives. In hunting, we are typically concerned with what type of food sources [...]

There are two main species of deer native to North America, whitetail deer and mule deer. Technically, moose, elk, and caribou are also deer as they are members of the deer family, but in common terminology, only the aforementioned two are referred to as “deer.” There is much debate in scientific circles between those who [...]

Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement. More important than caliber, bullet weight, velocity, or energy, shot placement is the most important consideration if you seek to quickly and humanely take deer. Proper shot placement will always guarantee quick, clean, one-shot kills. Knowing where to place your shot requires you to know which organs to target, [...]

Shooting a deer in the field is much different than shooting targets at the range. In the field, the distance to the target isn’t at exact intervals, the deer won’t hold still for long, and there are no benches. The basic fundamentals of marksmanship still apply just as they do on the range, but it [...]

Many might think that blood trailing is only something done by bowhunters, but most deer taken with a rifle don’t immediately fall dead when shot, so there is almost always some blood trailing to do during the recovery process. Blood trailing isn’t difficult when a good shot is made as the hemorrhaging that results from [...]

Field dressing refers to the gutting and skinning of the game that you have harvested. Field dressing is the first step involved in preparing your game for butchering and ultimately consumption. Proper meat care is absolutely imperative if you desire to have good tasting, healthy meat from your deer. Once you have killed an animal, [...]

There is another way to field dress deer that has come to be known as the gutless method. The gutless method is just that, it eliminates the need to remove the intestines and internal organs from the deer. Rather than starting on the inside and working out, as in traditional field dressing, with the gutless [...]

If you are going to have your buck head mounted, you must skin it slightly differently than you normally would. For head mounting, the skin on the neck, chest, shoulders, and head must be removed very carefully working from the back of the neck rather than the front. To make a head mount, a Taxidermist stretches [...]

Choosing to butcher and process your own deer gives you complete control over the handling of your venison while saving you money over the long run. Processing your own also guarantees that you will be getting your own deer back. Meat processors do their best to keep the meat from individual animals separate, but it [...]