Understanding Deer Herd Dynamics.

Bob Collyer with a 29-1/2 " Mule Deer

Here is the short answer as to why we see more does than we see bucks.
Mama says,"Females are cautious and careful while males are reckless and stupid".
Okay, that might be over simplifying it, but it might not be.
Biologists tend to complicate simple matters into evolutionary necessity statements like; "an over abundance of females is essential for the survival of the species". It is true that 52% of fawns born are male, but even before the first year is up that ratio will become extremely lopsided in the favor of the does.
Let’s talk about mortality rates and how they effect population dynamics even in herds that receive little or no hunting pressure. Out of a group of buck fawns 50% will die before they become yearlings. Of the surviving bucks, 50% of those deer will die of natural causes (disease, predators, broken legs, etc.) before they reach age two. This pattern continues until around age 4 and then the bucks seem to become bullet proof.
Does on the other hand have a much higher survival rate. We will only lose about 25% of a group of doe fawns annually before they become bullet proof.
Let’s do a little math. If we had a group of 20 buck fawns and 20 doe fawns. By the end of the first year we would have 10 bucks and 15 does. By the second year we have 5 bucks and 12 does. Not bad, but it real falls off from here on out. In year 3 we have 2 bucks and 9 does and 1 buck to 7 does by the fourth year. Yikes! It looks like Mama might have been right. "Females are cautious and careful and males are reckless and stupid."
But the real problem as to why females live longer than males is, of course, the effect females have on males of any species. Now, the buck knows that hanging around the does can be dangerous, but at certain times of the year he will risk everything just to stand next to the fire.
Take the buck pictured above, my brother Bob and I put this buck and his two companions (a fork horn and a 3 X 3) to bed one morning. Later, while trying to relocate the bucks, I bumped a couple of does who ran right through the middle of the bucks like fluzzies out for an autumn stroll. Of course, the younger bucks jumped up and followed the does. This type of behavior has led to the demise of many a young buck.
The big buck stayed put as is common behavior for mature deer. Bob stalked him and killed him at 20 yards while he was still laying in his bed. It seems like I’m forever hearing complaints about hunters seeing only little deer. The big bucks are there, they just prefer to do their courting after dark.
As much as I hate anthropomorphizing bucks, it sometimes makes things easier to understand. Young bucks, like young boys, are eager to rush in and get the job done as quickly as possible. While the old boys have learned to appreciate the satisfaction and pleasure of a job done purposefully and slowly.
Good Luck and Good Hunting,
Jim

Stink Bucks

The author with an Idaho "Stink Buck"

Big bucks have the nastiest habit of holding tight. There are plenty of bucks that have got my goat using this technique. If he thinks he is undetected, a bedded buck will often let you almost step on him before he bolts. Many times I have bumped a group of mule deer and watched and waited. Then finally thinking all the deer have left, I have turned to see a monster looking back at me. It’s uncanny just how much patience ol’ mossy back has.
There is, however, one exception to this tendency, no buck no matter how savvy can or will tolerate the scent of a man. If the buck is holding tight, I can guarantee you that he hasn’t smelled you yet. Sometimes the buck will tolerate the sight and sound of man, but if he smells you he is gone. A mule deer can easily smell you down wind for up to 300 yards or more.
Not paying attention to wind direction is the most abused cardinal rule of mule deer hunting. It seems that the more open the country, the more this rule is abused.
If you have to cross up wind from the buck to make a stock ,just make sure that you are at least 300 yards away. Remember to error on side of caution, to the untrained observer 300 yards looks more like 500 yards.
We have all heard the excuses, "the wind keeps swirling all the time, if I have to pay attention to wind direction I might as will not hunt."
I couldn’t agree more. If the wind is wrong, you might as will NOT hunt. When the wind is swirling, go hunt somewhere else and come back another day. It is far more preferable to come back to an undisturbed deer than run a buck out of the country.
Mule deer bucks use olfactory to an extent greater than other deer. Not only will the buck use his acute sense of smell to locate food and to warn him of danger, he also uses it to navigate and to breed.
During the breeding season the buck becomes one of the smelliest creatures on the planet. The phrase "Stink Buck" refers to this putrid order. If you have ever had the opportunity to watch a buck enter a feeding area during the rut, you will notice that he will always enters up wind of the herd. His scent helps bring all of the does into season at once.. The does will come into season no matter what, but the smell of the buck hastens this and brings the enter herd into heat, thus ensuring that the fawns will be born within a day or two of each other come spring.
If this mass birthing didn’t happen the predators would be able to pick off the fawns, one by one, at birth. But so many babies being born all at once guarantees the survival of the species. Domestic herdsmen have used this knowledge to their own benefit for centuries. The Shepard would rub a cloth rag all over the male goat or sheep and then rub the females face with the rag to help their flocks to come into season all at once. This way the kids and lambs will be of similar size at market.
If you have ever tracked mule deer during the rut this use of the olfactory becomes even more obvious. The doe group will move in one direction and the bucks track will be following them in a zigzag pattern. The novice might think that the buck is trying to keep his herd together, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Deer are a matriarchal society. The lead doe is in charge. Males are followers, not leaders. This zigzagging serves two purposes. First, to keep the bucks scent blowing into the does and secondly, he is continually crossing all of the does paths to see if any are receptive.
It seems like our own egos get in the way and we become less aware of the deers scent and more aware of our own. In the last few years scent blocking clothing has become popular and to some extent even fashionable. This is good stuff and I even own a set. These cloths might confuse a buck for a moment or two, but will never be a substitute for using the wind favorably. As humans we shed an average of 2,000,000 skin cells each hour and it’s impossible for any suit to catch them all. Most human scent comes form behind our ears, our shoes and our breathe. Areas generally not covered by scent blocking clothing. These suits do help and can make a difference. But personally, I’ve been busted too many times in them and no faith in them what so ever. I’m sorry, but I have to breathe.
Good Luck and Good Hunting,
Jim

Best Spots to find a Trophy

Doug Burris' World record Mule Deer

It seems like everyone who hunts mule deer believes that the next world record will come from the ridge behind their house. Wouldn’t it be wonderful. This might be truer than you think. It takes a lot of tire rubber and shoe leather to locate and harvest trophy animals. To paraphrase Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, "there is no place like home."
Just in case your interested, here are the facts on where a hunter has the best chance at harvesting a truly huge buck. This is the short list, the very best counties in the very best states to take a Boone & Crockett mule deer.


Colorado
The west slope of the Rockies has put more mule deer in the book than any other state. Almost 2:1 over any other state. ( 471 total entries ) The greatest Mule Deer of them all was killed in the San Juan Mountains by Doug Burris in 1972. Here are the top producing counties.
County:
Eagle..............................51 B&C Entries
Mesa..............................50 B&C Entries
Montrose.......................32 B&C Entries
Gunnison.......................30 B&C Entries
　
Idaho
Idaho ranks second in producing record mule deer. ( 264 total entries ) though huge bucks have been taken throughout the entire length of Idaho, the southeast region is clearly the top producer. The odds of killing a book buck are almost 20:1 better in the Snake and Caribou Mountain Ranges than in any other part of the state. Adams County has put more bucks in the book than any other, but has only produced two entries in the past 20 years
County:
Adams..........................26 B&C Entries
Bonneville....................24 B&C Entries
Caribou........................14 B&C Entries

Utah
With 189 entries Utah ranks third in top producing states. Kane County’s northern portion of the fabled Kaibab National Forest is the top area in the state. The Fishlake region, though often over looked, has produced some wonderful heads also.
County:
Kane............................25 B&C Entries
Utah............................15 B&C Entries
Summit.......................13 B&C Entries


New Mexico
Rio Arriba County is the number one county in America in record book mule deer (113). Total entries for the entire state is 130. If you plan on hunting in New Mexico, why would you want to be anywhere else. However, the vast majority of these have come from the Jicarilla Indian Reservation. Trophy mule deer management is what the Jicarilla Apache reservation is known for. Relatively low harvest levels allow many bucks to reach maturity of 5-7 years of age.
County:
Rio Arriba....................113 B&C Entries

Arizona
Arizona comes in at number 5 with 108 B&C entries. The world famous Kaibab herd is found here in Coconino County. The hunting is great, but the odds of getting drawn are about 2%. The quality of deer in the Kaibab is so great that it is well worth the effort to put your name in the draw.
County:
Cocnino......................75 B&C Entries
mohave......................21 B&C Entries


Montana
Northwestern Montana is your best odds for great deer in the "Big Sky State". This is heavy timber country and some of the toughest mule deer hunting on the continent. The area is know for it’s heavy bucks (300 pound deer are common). The racks are thick and heavy, but generally don’t have the wide spread associated with other regions.
County
Missoula..................6 B&C Entries
Lincoln....................5 B&C Entries
Flathead.................5 B&C Entries
Ravalli....................5 B&C Entries

Nevada
Since more 40" spread deer have come from Nevada than any other state, it’s hard to believe that only 44 deer are in the book form Nevada,. At one time the world record buck came form Elko County. Though low in deer numbers, Nevada is still the hunters best odds in finding a buck with a spread over 30 inches. The areas adjoining the Kaibab have been producing best in recent years.
County:
Elko.......................20 B&C Entries
Lincoln...................8 B&C Entries

That’s the long and the short of it. Finding trophy mule deer is a long and difficult task at best. Be sure to allow yourself plenty of time for both scouting and hunting. Don’t overlook your own backyard, outstanding mule deer can be found throughout their entire range.
Good Luck and good hunting,
Jim

Where have all the big deer gone?

They say that the big ones are all gone. This tremendous buck was photographed in 2009 near the Idaho/Nevada border. To the best of my knowledge this buck is still alive. 80% of mule deer bucks that reach the age of 5-1/2years will never be harvested. This buck would be way up in the record books.

Here is a bomb shell for you:
Mule deer populations have plummeted though out the west in the last 15 years. There are several probable reasons for the decline. The reason most often cited is the loss of suitable habitat. Mule deer density and distribution depend greatly on the quality of vegetation and the amount of cover.
In Arizona, they are blaming the decline on not enough wild fires. In Nevada, they think they have too many fires or too much livestock grazing or not enough livestock grazing. It has become the blame game and I can’t keep up. I do know that the amount of habitat in western Montana, northern Idaho and eastern Washington has been greatly reduced due to the lack of logging activity on federal lands.
Biologist are always quick to blame mans encroachment upon the vital winter range as a cause. I believe that this one has some merit. However, I have yet to see a game warden, wildlife manager, or biologist who didn’t build their home on critical winter range. (Physician heal thy self).
Another reason cited quite often is the expansion elk into traditional mule deer range. Biologists have observed where both species occur, mule deer seem to suffer. Let’s look at it this way, with the demand for elk tags, elk are worth at least twice as much as deer to a wildlife budget, I don’t foresee game departments managing deer over elk any time soon. Once again, the fish and game departments have shown more interest in the money than in population dynamics. One needs to look no further than the Middle Fork of Salmon River area in central Idaho to see elk expansions effect on mule deer herds. The outfitters and hunters wanted more opportunities for elk. Within a couple of decades of managing for elk numbers, the mule deer herds declined to roughly 20% of there all time records.
Unfortunately, this elk encroachment into traditional mule deer habitat will not go away. At least not in our lifetimes. I personally believe that we are in the middle of a 30 year mule deer population cycle. Even though the mule deer population is down from the peak numbers of the 1960's through 1980's, there are still better numbers of deer than existed 100 years ago.
When we combine both success ratios from general hunts and draw hunts taken throughout the west , we see that roughly 5% of the bucks harvested are trophy quality. This percentage coincides exactly with known mortality rates of buck deer (even in areas with hunting seasons), only 1 in 20 bucks will live to the age of 5-1/2 years. A fish and game biologist told years ago that over 80% of bucks that reach 5-1/2 years of age will never be harvested. I totally agree. Trying to find a trophy quality buck near a road is like trying to find a lawyer in heaven. Odds are it aint going to happen. A hunter has to be willing to hunt longer, harder and smarter than everyone else.
Mule deer hunting is not glamorous. It involves getting up 3 hours before daybreak. Hiking to a vantage point in the dark and scouring the rim rock all day in hopes of catching a glimpse of a true monster.
Whitetail hunting is like watching a ballet, while mule deer hunting is akin to playing professional football. It’s an athletic event and it’s going to get rough. Get into shape.
Good hunting,
Jim

Welcoming Statement

Hunting trophy mule deer is one of the most rewarding experiences to found in the realm of outdoor adventures. Although considered by many to be a poor relation to the whitetail, most people who have spent a lifetime hunting both agree that the mule deer is actually a greater challenge.

The bad news about mule deer is that they are found in some of the most rugged and remote lands left in North America. The trophy animals are far and few between. Research, scouting and luck play major roles in successful hunting.

The good news is that 90% of all mule deer are found on public lands. That's right, They are found on your land! You don't need permission to hunt them. Mule deer habitat is some of the most beautiful country in the world.

Through this Blog we will explore mule deer hunting from Arizona to the Canadian border. From permit applications and over the counter tags to rifles and optics.

I hope you will check in often as plan to bring you the most current and up to date information concerning mule deer and opportunities to hunt them.