Hunting Open Country Mule Deer: A Guide for Taking Western Bucks With Rifle and Bow

by Dwight R. Schuh

This is an exhaustive look at techniques of successful hunting for open-country bucks throughout the West by one of the most respected outdoor writers in the country. Often praised as the best book ever written about hunting mule deer, and in particular getting in close to them, its 14 chapters and four appendices cover such topics as Planning a Hunt, Spotting and Stalking, Optics for Spotting, Closing in on the Animal, The Stalk, Making the Shot, Tackle and Gear, Meat Care and Physical Conditioning, and other subjects. The book is the best source of information available on how to get in close to big mule deer bucks whether hunting with the rifle or the bow. Schuh's approach is from that of a bowhunter, but the advice he gives applies equally well to the rifle hunter. 70 photographs illustrate the techniques of successful mule deer hunting. 6x9, 184 pages.

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 22, 1986

Reviews

[Conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good. Almost exclusively about bowhunting, although there is obviously overlap.

General point is that spotting / stalking is the best strategy because you can't hunt deer you can't see. He thinks the risk of spooking a buck that you stalk is lower than the risk of just not seeing anything in an ambush spot (or at least, a good ambush type approach requires a lot of local expertise on where the deer are).

New information:
~Early season lets you see a lot of deer. Deer hang out in the open in velvet because their antlers are tender and they want to stay out of brush. They also are eating a lot to prepare for the rut/winter.
~During early season, concentrate spotting on north and east slopes wehere feed is most succulent and shade gives cool bedding sites.
~on mountain sides, the best concentrations of deer are usually where lush greenery contrats with surrounding dry brown
~morning hunts are the best way to locate bedded bucks (watch them bed down after they feed in the morning)
~another good way to find bedded deer: look at shade under trees
~Bringing a predator call can be useful - the buck will sometimes stand up if you blow on it, which you can use to find a bedded buck or get a better shot.
~stalk in your socks

Further reading:
bucks, bows and campfires by cal coziah

[Travis Bow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good short book on mule deer hunting techniques for open desert country (the Great Basin, Arizona, East Oregon, etc). The author focuses on a bow-hunting technique that he thinks is the most productive - glassing from a good vantage point for 1-4 hours at a time, finding bucks bedding down, and then stalking close for a good shot. He spends some time on hunt planning, choosing optics, how to spot deer, how to plan and execute a stalk, tips for making shots, and some practical tips on caring for meat, choosing clothes, and packing gear.

The tone is super humble (at least half of the hunting stories end with the author missing the shot) but also practical. I came away feeling like I might be able to pull off a stalk with some practice, and I'm excited to give some of Schuh's techniques a try.

[Lively Yerself · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great info. Written for the bow hunter, but plenty there for the rifle hunter as well.