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maximus

Question about mule deer

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11 minutes ago, trphyhntr said:

But should a guy expect to get many pics from December to March? I would think those would be the least likely to get one on cam. 

No. There were few does in the area he lived in. He left every year but returned after the rut. The catchment he hit had a couple of other desert muleys that were huge. They disappeared too during the rut.

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We Watched a 211” this year from September to January. He didn’t hit the cam always but we saw him and he was never far from  the tank and he was killed not far from it. 2018 had a 217” on cam From June to October was found dead not far from the tank. 2017 had a big 5x5 on cam in September, glassed him up in October,  couldn’t find him with the rifle tag November but missed him in December with my bow all within a short distance of the original cam spot. They may bounce out for a minute but it would be hard to convince me now that their range is as large as I’ve always read. I could be dead wrong, but it’s my personal experience 

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I've had bucks, big bucks, consistently hitting cams on water. For years, spring through pre-rut. One summer their water dries up and I get the same deer on other cams many miles away never to return to the area they called home for years even with new water. They rehomed if you will. 

Big old desert bucks are fascinating and will teach you a lot about deer that runs counter to common thoughts IME...

 

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My number 1 buck this past year, an old buck in the 190's broke his main beam off right above the brow sometime the week before opening day. Heartbreaking. 

My number 2 buck in the same area which I ended up targeting and killing, had fresh antler puncture wounds and lots of cape damage on his neck when I killed him likely from fighting with my Number 1 during the first November season.

It was a weird year last year. 

Good stuff boys. Love talking big desert bucks. 

 

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On 8/2/2020 at 11:20 PM, maximus said:

second question is if you archery hunt at 8500 feet what will be the difference an arrow travel or will be big difference with arrow drop?

Lots of variables apply to your question.  Generally, close range should not be an issue but it would be appropriate to check your drop @ 40 yards and beyond when you get to altitude.  An issue I've encountered at high altitude was related to marginal fletching.  Tested arrows in the valley that flew great but did not have enough offset, size, etc. to stabilize at high altitude.   Increasing the fletching cured the problem.   

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On 8/4/2020 at 7:25 AM, Yuma Outdoorsman said:

The deer I hunt stay within 1.5-2 miles of the closest water hole from May/June-September. Around October-April, it is not uncommon to find them 5-6 miles in any direction from the closest drinker. When the rut hits, they go chasing and can end up wherever their nose takes them. 

For your August hunt, I don’t think those deer will move very much. They will probably be within a mile or 2 of their current spot at most, in my opinion. Good luck and post up your results. 

 

This has been a very interesting post so far. Being green to desert muleys its definitely been informative.  

My question would be you guys state you've found deer way far away from trail cam / water holes.  The spots you have seen them far away are they still within 1 to 2 miles from a known water source? I would assume if they are chasing does the does are still close to water.  

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20 hours ago, maximus said:

Thank you for all the input, is appreciated.

Oh this ain't about you anymore. Lol

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5 minutes ago, wildwoody said:

Oh this ain't about you anymore. Lol

Sorry don’t understand what you mean

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when the boys start going back and forth about the big ones thev'e chased, its peacock time.. mines bigger then yours. you'll get lots of info.

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Just now, wildwoody said:

when the boys start going back and forth about the big ones thev'e chased, its peacock time.. mines bigger then yours. you'll get lots of info.

Would you rather like to know the habits of dink bucks? 

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39 minutes ago, trphyhntr said:

Got more data, August 19 have a buck hit water August 24th hits water again 2.5 miles away. Fascinating. 

The buck looking straight into the camera did the same thing. There were a couple of other bucks using the same two catchments that followed the same pattern. I was told by a G&F guy that the optimum spacing between desert waters was 3 miles.  These drinkers were almost exactly 3 miles apart.

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