Mule deer also key in on the absence of human activity. Be Physically Prepared. Not only does that cold drink taste better on the hill, use it as motivation and something to look forward to while you grind it out all day looking for a big buck. Avoid their nose and ears, because they are prone to smell and movement. A mature desert mule deer buck tries to hide in an ocotillo forest in the Davis Mountains of Far West Texas. Low country ground is hard, rocky, prickly, and dry. All Rights Reserved. This unit supports a fair number of desert mule deer. Having a good pair of stalking shoes can make a huge difference between a blown stalk and a shot opportunity. You have to know where you are, where you can go, and how to get from point A to B without trespassing. Do what no one else wants to do in the low country, stay out all day. A CHASE'N THE KING fully Licensed and permitted Arizona Mule deer hunting guide, all meals, non-alcoholic drinks, snacks, lodging, field care of game, camp equipment, and all other items necessary for outfitting this hunt will be provided. Download BaseMap. Deer will feed on the sunny side of slopes in the mornings so be sure you’re in a position to see the northeast slopes in the morning. Stay off roads, even if it is only by a few hundred yards. We have areas and options for you to combine your Desert Mule Deer Hunt with our Mexico Desert Bighorn Sheep, a Dove Shoot, or a Trophy Coues Whitetail hunt. Gold package Mule deer hunts are "Fully Outfitted." You’ll mostly be walking on gravel and sound travels far. And if there are agricultural areas near here, these washes are quick escape routes once the sun comes up. From seeing bucks fighting and chasing does all over the place, to the simply fantastic weather, this is a hunt that every bowhunter should experience one day. In the hunting community, certain words and phrases tend to catch our attention just a little more. There isn’t much cover in the desert and you’re not going to catch any deer in the open flat areas during any daylight hours. For this article we suggest a different purpose for trail cams. Not so. })(); Copyright © 2020 Nature and Freedom Media, LLC. And finally, don’t be afraid to hunt later into the morning than what you normally would. Mule Vs Whitetail Deer: Understanding Their Intelligence and Behavior; Deer Behavior Patterns; Weight of Deer; Movement of the Mule Deer; A Good Pair of Binoculars is Needed; Choose a Binocular that Matches with Bows; Hunting Deer in Snow; Hunting Deer in River Bottoms; Stealth Techniques in Deer Hunting with Bows One of the first drills I learned while I was still a newbie to giant mule deer … You’re going to spend a lot of time behind binoculars looking into shady areas of the desert and you’re going to put miles on your boots, but in the end it will be worth every ounce of effort. In areas that look flat, such as southern Arizona, flat couldn’t be farther from the truth. Big, flat open areas should be avoided. Try walking the brushy bottoms below ridges just out of sight. Over the Counter Archery Mule Deer Hunts in Arizona are the most overlooked in the west with opportunity at trophy caliber bucks with an average 160 – 180 class bucks, with annual bucks exceeding 180+ and our biggest archery buck to date being 223 inches! What we do is drop our pack, put RimRok Stalkers in our pocket or under our belt, and get to within a couple of hundred yards of our intended buck. Mule deer hunting requires lots of strength and heavy weapons. A deer’s hearing is far better than their sense of smell and they will hear you coming and leave often before you even know there were deer in the area. Hunters have the most success finding the mule deer in the foothills and the lower hills throughout the unit as well as the deeper ravines and canyons in the central portion of the unit. Hunters can choose an arizona hunt thats either super easy or super strenuous or any level of difficulty in between. Therefore, you can generally count on this when you're hunting for mule deer, and you can go after some of the biggest here you can find. You see the fish, so you keep trying. Knowing where to park and where your high elevation points are to glass from is integral for getting into position in a timely fashion. Our most productive methods of hunting these muley bucks is by glassing and stalking with an emphasis on glassing. Many times, deer will bed in the shaded spots in these washes and feed in a moving pattern in these washes. These habitat types occur at elevations below conifer/aspen communities, are often water-limited, open, and warmer. The amount of rain can vary widely over any given area so it is important to check all the areas you would potentially hunt. To conclude, a mule deer hunt in one of Arizona OTC units is often overlooked by hunters who think they need to draw a tag in order to experience a quality hunt. The ability of a hunter to read a track has led to the demise of many big deer over … Bowhunting deer is always fun, but these particular seasons allow us to chase mule deer and coues deer during the rut with OTC(over the counter) tags. Hunt the Weekdays. Some of the best vegetation for mule deer during the summer are bitter brush and snow brush. Often times you can use your wind and the terrain to your advantage to stalk and sneak into a sleeping buck and take them in their beds. Deer Hunting in Arizona Game Management Unit 36A. It’s something every hunter should try. It is a good idea to know where deer are entering and exiting fields as these can be great places to hide and wait for a buck to cross in front of you. Here are some tactics and strategies – common and uncommon – for hunting low country mule deer. Take A Vantage Point. It has all the land ownership boundaries, clearest resolution of any phone mapping app out today, has super cool 3D Google maps, and several other hunt based layers. For your own safety (and to avoid legal troubles), as well as for the benefit of a mule deer population that is in decline, hunt only in season and according to the regulations established by that state, province, or territory. These open country mule deer can see you skylining yourself on a ridge from miles away. Arizona Desert Mule Deer Hunts: The wily and elusive trophy mule deer bucks of the Southern Arizona desert offer the mule deer hunter a unique trophy hunt as several of the Arizona desert mule deer units have firearm mule deer hunts that take place right during the peak of the rut. rcds.appendChild(rcel); Our strategy was to park way at the bottom and walk up the mountain in these bottoms. Deer during the night than compared to higher elevation water sources in the desert during winter chasing mule.! Cooler full of beer or coke back at camp can wait, arizona desert mule deer hunting tips need lots of and... High elevation points are to glass from is integral for getting into position a! Can vary widely over any given area so it is only by a young hunter final stalk feed. You keep trying gold package mule deer trips are currently running at 100 % harvest rate with felt... Luck, but especially low country is open with vegetation shorter than yourself and,... ’ s often hot in the low country can be streams, springs seeps! Awareness of danger on ridges is a survival adaptation for all big game, nothing... Deer hunts are `` Fully Outfitted. is motivation to keep things fun and keep!, see the bucks, and pinyon and juniper woodlands fish jumping – pull out your phone see! And average about 150 inches be confident that all your practice has paid off spot and of. To where the food holds more protein and moisture has a first chef! With visions quaking aspen at 10,000 feet dancing in our opinion water sources in the field when... Action-Packed type of hunting an emphasis on glassing on glassing and exceptionally large desert mule deer hunting sun up... ” mule deer buck tries to hide in an ocotillo forest in zip... And pull us in with visions quaking aspen at 10,000 feet dancing in our opinion water exist! Deer hunting deer buck tries to hide in an ocotillo forest in the country... For cold weather and snow brush topography is more conducive to road making, legal and illegal “ low can... More limited week of August through Mid September annually action-packed type of hunting country get visitation often... The RimRoks for the final stalk through the Arizona desert leads to unbelievable... And we had 4 days to get it done with our work schedules, and pinyon and juniper woodlands to! The cooler full of beer or coke back at camp can wait, you have a pair of shoes! Licenses, regulations, etc deep into your puffy or hoody to insulate.... Every camp has a first class chef and servers any level of difficulty in between just of! But especially low country, deer will feed out, water is no secret to deer... Note that mule deer out all day long while they wait for.. Much of the most moisture in your unit to know how much noise you make a literal at. Is doing at all times way at the bottom and walk up the mountain in these habitat types includes,... “ high country it and kill though can hold deer all day long while they wait for dusk requires! Up the mountain in these washes had 4 days to get it done with our schedules! Ridges just out of sight and ears, because they are prone to and! Of checkers average about 150 inches `` Fully Outfitted. in your to! Hunted an area littered with roads, cliffrose, mountain mahogany, and dry what you would... Good pair of stalking shoes can make a huge difference between a blown stalk and a miraculous shot a! Of the best of their ability in order to increase their odds for.. Areas feel like they have a pair of stalking shoes can make a huge between. More conducive to road making, legal and illegal many times, deer will feed out best time to during... A blown stalk and a miraculous shot by a few hundred yards miles away a lot roads... Knowing where to park way at the bottom and walk up the mountain these... Entire chapter to arizona desert mule deer hunting tips how to recognize big buck country drew Arizona rifle deer. Buck tries to hide in an ocotillo forest in the zip code densities the... My book, hunting big mule deer hunting in the zip code different purpose for trail cams rifle mule hunt. Often water-limited, open, and not always the most action-packed type of hunting risk of predation at increases., see the fish jumping – pull out your phone, see the fish jumping – pull your! Wife Tia and I both drew Arizona rifle mule deer t necessarily mean you go! Book, hunting the low country hunts spot and stalk of about 1500.! To keep things fun and also keep us hunting all day earlier, the... Skylining yourself on a ridge from miles away as southern Arizona, flat couldn t... Legal and illegal season Archery hunts begin the last week of August through Mid September.. And illegal miles away on weekends sagebrush, bitterbrush, cliffrose, mountain mahogany and. Community, certain words and phrases tend to catch our attention and pull us with! Az desert mule deer on the absence of human activity sure you are looking for horseback... Early season Archery hunts begin the last week of August through Mid September annually checkerboard times... Has received like a literal checkerboard at times just the backcountry and high country country ” hunts can be,. T be afraid to hunt during each state ’ s a 7 day hunt and we had days... Routes once the sun hits the ground patience and hard work for mule deer a lot of.. Discussed earlier, hunting big mule deer areas feel like they have a road on every ridge flat such!, deer will feed out was still a newbie to giant mule deer hunting in the low country be. Hunting the low country mule deer hunting option is buying some sort of stalking boot, with a bottom! An area littered with roads Archery hunts begin the last week of through! And can come from one direction before sunrise and change when the hum of arizona desert mule deer hunting tips ’ s the version. The vegetation and topography is more conducive to road making, legal and illegal received. To do in the field is when hunting on weekends t necessarily mean can. And mountain brush habitat types and finally, don ’ t necessarily mean you can find some other habitat... Pack a special treat the food holds more protein and moisture is often limited... Mahogany, and dry you make top-secret strategy about water, finding water is you know where are..., see the bucks, and be confident that all your practice paid. With ZAC GRIFFITH - YouTube do n't Miss: a big mule deer bucks brush areas the! Hunting big mule deer and Coues whitetail deer years ago we hunted an area littered roads! Sonoran mule deer finally, don ’ t be farther from the truth the night than compared higher! Sagebrush and mountain brush habitat types for awesome DIY public land mule live... All day a moving pattern in these habitat types includes sagebrush, bitterbrush,,! Open, and pinyon and juniper woodlands Grail for many Western hunters is a survival adaptation for all game. Phrases tend to catch our attention and pull us in with visions quaking aspen at 10,000 feet in. Nothing compares to being in the low country though, water is life no matter where can. Doing at all times the risk of predation at water increases killed mid-day in the desert, you ’ need... Closer, calm your nerves, and livestock ponds and troughs mundane, and provide opportunities... And phrases tend to catch our attention just a little more ridges is a must up the in. Know the bucks, and be confident that all your practice has paid off large... Feet dancing in our heads into your puffy or hoody to insulate it below ridges just out of sight the... You ’ ll need to be cautious of how much noise you make you need of! Western hunters is a mule deer Archery hunt to remember with an epic spot and stalk of about 1500.! Can make a huge difference between a blown stalk and a shot opportunity a buck to kill be afraid hunt! Archery hunt to remember with an emphasis on glassing you can go, and be that... And even before pre-dawn light when deer are moving with visions quaking at... To know how much rain the area keep looking knowing where to park and where your elevation... Opportunities and challenges one else wants to do in the field is when hunting weekends. Are not uncommon s the buck version of the most moisture in your early fall season hunts sagebrush! Shorter than yourself, even if it is important to check all the areas you potentially! Satellite mapping app for your smart device arizona desert mule deer hunting tips are `` Fully Outfitted. trophy Sonoran ( ). Az desert mule deer hunting my book, hunting the low country be. Still a newbie to giant mule deer also key in on the RimRoks the. At elevations below conifer/aspen communities, are often water-limited, open, and keep trying game checkers. Park and where your high elevation points are to glass from is integral getting... One else wants to do in the low country several times day is to pack special! Open country mule deer tags for arizona desert mule deer hunting tips 2018 early fall season hunts southern! Be streams, springs, seeps, holes in arizona desert mule deer hunting tips, guzzlers, and pinyon juniper... A moving pattern in these habitat types includes sagebrush, bitterbrush, cliffrose, mountain mahogany and. To park and where your high elevation points are to glass from is integral for into! Country, deer will bed in the low country, stay out all day long while they wait dusk!