Aside from its big ears, the second thing most new mule deer hunters notice is the deer’s fleeing gate, known as “stotting.”  Stotting has been described as bounding, hopping, even “pogoing.”
At first it’s a funny sight, until you realize that this goofy looking jump puts a mountain of steep, obstacle-filled terrain between hunter and hunted in a hurry.  Luckily for you, after reaching relative safety, the mule deer will often stop and take a...

On this hunt, Joe Rogan joins Steve for a late summer archery mule deer hunt in the mountains of Nevada. Here, mule deer bucks are gathered together in bachelor groups on vast expanses of public BLM lands. While there’s no shortage of bucks around, daytime deer movement this time of year is limited to the first and last hour of daylight. This makes hunting these bucks tough, especially with archery equipment. It’s very difficult to stalk into...

On this hunt, Steve heads to Colorado’s Rocky Mountains with his friend Brody Henderson to track down their favorite big game animal, mule deer.  To reach the best hunting, they use a raft to gain access to some public land hidey holes. The November mule deer rut is beginning but unseasonably warm, dry conditions make for a challenging hunt. Steve and Brody are both hoping for a mature, big-racked shooter buck, but there’s only so much...

“The key to mule deer hunting is covering ground. Out west we have a saying, “let your eyes do the walking.” This does not mean you won’t have to put in some foot work, but the most successful mule deer hunters are ones that know how to glass. When looking for mule deer, I get steady and do an initial scan for the ones that stand out. I am generally looking for white butts. This is the easiest thing for the eye to pick up. After that I...