Late Season Mule Deer Hunting
Hunting deer during the end of October and into November, should be something everyone that is passionate about big deer needs to do. Every state has hunts that run late into October and more than you think have hunts in November. Peak rut hunts are hard to come by, but they do exist. In this article we talk through some techniques that have helped me to be successful when one of these prized, late season tags is in my pocket.
Pre Rut-Migration Routes
Hunting at the end of Oct and into the first few weeks of November can usually lead to the start of some rut activity. Deer typically aren’t rutting hard during these weeks, but activity usually increases more each day. This is especially true if weather gets cold and deer begin to concentrate. If deer are migrating, I really try and focus on migration routes and funnels. I’m looking for deer that are on the move. Big bucks will often begin cruising these areas trailing doe groups. They may not be right with the does but they often will be using these same routes. Many times, you’ll see them with their noses to the ground like a hound dog on the trail of a doe that has their interest. Finding vantage points that allow you to watch these corridors is a great option to learn deer patterns. In a lot of areas if deer are migrating, they will move all day. Be patient and stay glued to your optics.
If deer aren’t moving and the weather is warm, look for thick cover and pick it apart. Many times, old bucks will have a very small living space as they preserve energy for the rut. If there is a lot of hunting pressure, this really holds true. These bucks will move very little in daylight hours. If a particular patch of trees is really appealing, I’ll scrutinize these spots with a spotting scope looking for any twitch. When possible, change vantage angles into the timber to scan more nooks and pockets. If you have multiple people with you, pushing these timber patches can be productive. The old timers didn’t kill giant deer with fancy guns and high-end glass. Often, they conducted deer drives with shooters covering the escape routes.
Hunting Pressure
When lots of hunters are in the woods, giant deer change. Mature bucks feel this pressure and change their habits. Even when the rut is heating up, I’ve seen numerous big deer go solitary and nocturnal. I watched a buck once during Colorado’s third season actively rutting does. Two hunters came over the ridge and started shooting. From our vantage point, we watched the unscathed buck run flat out for more than a mile into some sage brush lowlands and disappear. We marked the draw the buck ran into and looped around to get a vantage into where we felt he was. An hour before dark, because we were in position, we caught the buck stand and reposition in his bed. He was on his feet for less than a minute. We closed the gap to roughly 200yds but couldn’t pick him up in the tall sage. With legal shooting light quickly fading and it becoming apparent that they buck wasn’t going to stand before time expired, I let out my best coyote howl. The 185” 4x5 stood and my cousin was able to make the shot. This experience taught me a lot. So much so, I’ve used this same approach to kill two other big deer in this exact same location that have done the exact same thing. Bucks in this spot leave their core area regardless of all of them rutting does and head to sagebrush draws, by themselves, to hide.
Lots of people in your area can be frustrating. Be cordial but be willing to out work them. I typically find that most guys aren’t willing to sit behind the glass all day long. Most are impatient and few have high quality equipment. Look for opportunities to use hunters to your advantage. One year in Colorado, I watched a guy attempting to drag a deer out through the snow on a sled. He was making an excessive amount of noise as he struggled to pull the sled through the oak and sage brush. Sure, enough as he approached a small draw with thick oak, a giant buck burst from the cover. After some less than stellar shooting, I did bring the 29” 5x6 home. Watch where people frequent and then look for where the deer may move to because of the pressure. In many units elk hunts overlap these late season deer hunts. Talk to people, elk hunters are often very free with their information.
Cover Country
Covering country means a lot of things. Ideally, I try and cover as much country as possible with optics. Does this mean I hike to sit on points all day long? Not necessarily. Depending on the situation, I often cover a ton of country in a vehicle trying to glass as many prime spots as possible. Early in hunts, and especially if I haven’t done a lot of scouting, I move a lot. Honestly, this is what makes hunting exhilarating to me. You must hedge your bets on what is going to produce and what might not. Being able to read situations and then make choices that increase your odds is what typically leads to more luck.
As the calendar moves into November and especially if it gets cold, deer will be a bit more active. Daylight hours are shorter this time of year. I typically stay in the field all day on these November hunts. If bucks are cruising and temperatures are cold things can happen fast.
If the rut is active, keep track of where you see does. Watch the does behavior. If they are moving erratically, it may give you clue a buck is nearby. Many times, bucks will slip in to
check if does are in heat and slip back to cover if they aren’t ready to be bred. I’ve seen this happen at all hours of the day but typically right before dark is most common. I often spend a lot of time glassing cover near does and many times I find bedded bucks in relative proximity to their girlfriends. This held true in Idaho one year the last few days of Oct. The temperature was equal to the coldest ice fishing days, and deer were active. We had located a band of does with a few small bucks lingering nearby on the first day in the area. One day two we moved to a different vantage to look at different country. I could see the pocket these deer were in the previous day from about a mile away. Even in the binoculars I could tell a bigger buck was on the edge of the group. As soon as the spotting scopes focused, we knew he was a shooter. We made the several hour stock back around the drainage to get in position. It didn’t take long for the buck to materialize, and I was able to kill him with one shot at 380 yards. All we could do was laugh when we pulled his head up and couldn’t count the number of points around his bases. With 33 total scorable points he broke the 190” mark.
Peak Rut
A few hunts in the west have dates that may see some full-blown rut activity. These hunts are special! However, many of the same tactics still apply. Finding deer is the key. Many does are bred earlier than people think. A does gestation period is consistently around 205 days. Fawns are born typically in the first few weeks of June depending on the region. This means many deer are breeding during active hunting dates. I believe what many of us think of as the peak of the rut is when bucks are visibly looking for the last does to be bred. They are wound up and intensely searching for the remaining does in heat. This is typically when fights occur and bucks actively protect their harems. This doesn’t mean this is when the bulk of the breeding has occurred. For this reason, the more active the rut the more critical it is to keep tabs on groups of does regularly. Put optics to use and don’t be afraid to glass long distances. Many, many times, I’ve seen bucks at a distance of several miles and have gotten enough of a look to know if it is a deer worth investigating.
Conclusion
Late season mule deer hunting can be an amazing opportunity to harvest a giant. Dark timer bucks emerge from their hiding spots to find love. In love or not, they are still wise. Staying as productive as possible during prime late dates will increase your chances at locating a dream deer. Glassing diligently, learning migration routes, finding does, and using pressure to your advantage are all keys to prioritize during these hunts. Grind out each day and shoot straight!
