Any personal experience with hunting big mule deer in Mexico or Canada?

[dchum]

SWAYING OFF TOPIC A BIT BUT STILL SHOULD BE OF INTEREST, DESERT SAFARIS IN WEST TX HUNTS FREE RANGE AND THEY HAVE A SPECIALIZED MULE DEER FEED PROGRAM THAT PRODUCES SOME NICE BUCKS.

Yes go hunt with Stephen West

They also have MX connections for big mule deer

Good guys - it’s high rack hunting from truck.

Go during the rut. BIG mexico mule deer with real hunters who are passionate

 

[Green Chile]

I took a monster aoudad with Stephen West a few years ago. I’m going to post a hunt report and video of the shot on this forum.

 

[dchum]

I took a monster aoudad with Stephen West a few years ago. I’m going to post a hunt report and video of the shot on this forum.

Oh awesome! Than you already know!

Did you hunt in the Chinatis Mt’s for your aoudad?

I would reach out to Stephen about a ranch hunt in Mexico for big muley

 

[Ragman]

I’ve deer hunted Alberta 9 times between 2005 to 2018. 5 trips were for mule deer and 4 for whitetails. I can say that on a 6 day hunt I would see at least one mule deer buck over 180. Now I didn’t always get an opportunity on one that big, but they are there. But I did get a few nice ones. On my experience the Alberta deer aren’t quite as wide but have more mass. All 5 of my mule deer also had eye guards.

I have never been to Mexico so I can’t really speak to that but as far as hunting in Canada it’s relatively hassle free, minus 2021 post Covid craziness year. Getting your rifle in and out is not an issue. The people I’ve met up there are wonderful. As a son of the south, the weather can be a bit of a challenge for me but with proper gear you can hunt comfortably in really cold weather. View attachment 634487View attachment 634489View attachment 634490

I just love that top right buck with the narrow rack with the mass and character!
I’d rather shoot him than a wide Mexican mulie any day.
Being from Saskatchewan I admit that I’m biased but to me our (and Alberta’s) bucks look so much better with their tall, heavy racks and bodies that make them look like angus bulls! Plus it just feels right hunting them in the snow.
All that being said there’s something pretty cool about hunting the in desert and big cactus too.
I’ve been fortunate to have gotten some really nice bucks but don’t know what they would score. I think(?) some might be close to 180 but I don’t know if they’d quite make it.

 

[poco]

Mexico for sure! Sonora has some really good muley hunting
There is also a lot of overlooked muley areas between the Rio grande and Sonora in the eastern mountains of Mexico just a short drive from Texas
Canada isn’t on my radar because they are strict about their visa laws if you have a alcohol offense ( which I do because of a bad decision one night) and it’s a crapshoot
Booking a trip without hiring a lawyer

 

[Green Chile]

Oh awesome! Than you already know!

Did you hunt in the Chinatis Mt’s for your aoudad?

I would reach out to Stephen about a ranch hunt in Mexico for big muley

Sort of…we were on a ranch on the border that was 45 miles past the end of the road. You could see old Mexico. I’ve lost touch with Stephen. If you have his info, PM me?

 

[BryceM]

Ask me next year. I have a combo muile/whitetail hunt set up for November 2025 in Alberta.

Years ago, when I finally had the means to do more than just open resident hunts, I met with a hunt booking agent. He asked what I wanted to try. Immediately I said, "big mulies". He said yeah, you and everyone else. Now, realistically, what do you want to do?

.... and that's how I started hunting Africa.

 

[slam8031]

I took this W. TX mule deer a few years ago. You notice the old ear tag on it. The rancher had never seen this deer before. We called the number on the tag and it was TX Fish and Game. They had done a tagging survey a number of years before about 20 miles away and never knew what happened to this deer. I looked it up online and found a photo of them tagging a deer one number different from this tag from that same project. Pretty good deer for W. TX but nothing like the giants in Mexico or Canada.

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That would be a great first mule deer for me!!!

 

[Hombre]

Mexico mule deer is on my wish list but it coincides with the whitetail rut in northern Mexico along the border. 43 years hunting down there and I still can't get enough of it.
Anyone does an Alberta whitetail hunt this fall, please make a report.

 

[Green Chile]

While I haven’t hunted Alberta yet, I plan to in the next 2-3 years. I am hunting Carmen mountain whitetail in old Mexico in Jan. I will be writing a hunt report on the little Carmini that might be our least well known whitetail species…along with Colombian whitetail.

 

[WildWill]

I took this W. TX mule deer a few years ago. You notice the old ear tag on it. The rancher had never seen this deer before. We called the number on the tag and it was TX Fish and Game. They had done a tagging survey a number of years before about 20 miles away and never knew what happened to this deer. I looked it up online and found a photo of them tagging a deer one number different from this tag from that same project. Pretty good deer for W. TX but nothing like the giants in Mexico or Canada.

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Do you know if he was tagged at Elephant mountain wma? Came across a doe south of Alpine that had two ear tags and a radio collar on that came from there.

 

[MontanaPat]

Mexico mule deer is on my wish list but it coincides with the whitetail rut in northern Mexico along the border. 43 years hunting down there and I still can't get enough of it.
Anyone does an Alberta whitetail hunt this fall, please make a report.

I'm hunting for whitetail in Alberta this fall on Nov 8-14 and will do a hunt report following that hunt, wish me luck. My goal is to some day get a whitetail over 170", I have two that are just under 150" but they are my best. I'm also hunting Iowa in early January on a late season muzzleloader hunt so hopefully one of these two will pan out with a big boy.

While not Mexico or Alberta mulies, attached are my two best mulies both taken here in Montana in 2020 and 2021. The 2020 buck was green scored by my outfitter at 192" and the 2021 buck at 183", he has lots of stickers and mass to boost his score.

192" 2020 Buck - Eastern Montana during the rut

183" 2021 Buck - SW Montana

 

[Green Chile]

Do you know if he was tagged at Elephant mountain wma? Came across a doe south of Alpine that had two ear tags and a radio collar on that came from there.

We were way north of there up near OK.

 

[WAB]

I'm hunting for whitetail in Alberta this fall on Nov 8-14 and will do a hunt report following that hunt, wish me luck. My goal is to some day get a whitetail over 170", I have two that are just under 150" but they are my best. I'm also hunting Iowa in early January on a late season muzzleloader hunt so hopefully one of these two will pan out with a big boy.

While not Mexico or Alberta mulies, attached are my two best mulies both taken here in Montana in 2020 and 2021. The 2020 buck was green scored by my outfitter at 192" and the 2021 buck at 183", he has lots of stickers and mass to boost his score.

192" 2020 Buck - Eastern Montana during the rut

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183" 2021 Buck - SW Montana
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Awesome. Do you mind sharing which outfitter you used?

 

[MontanaPat]

Both of these mule deer were hunted with Montana Hunting Company out of Bozeman. Unfortunately both of the ranches I hunted are no longer part of the properties they hunt today. But they have a bunch of ranches with good mule deer

 

[dchum]

Sort of…we were on a ranch on the border that was 45 miles past the end of the road. You could see old Mexico. I’ve lost touch with Stephen. If you have his info, PM me?

Pm sent

 

[BRICKBURN]

..... One of his comments is that the width seems to be better in Mexico but Alberta has better mass on average.

Spot on.
There are some big Mule Deer up here. Getting above that 180 mark you will need to be good and lucky. We (my hunting cohort and I ) can knock down a 155-160 without too much effort. We are spoiled) It's harder now after Chronic wasting has beaten up the province.
I love Mule Deer Hunting and will be out this fall taking my nephew after his first Mule Deer Buck on a partner tag.
Select your Outfitter wisely. Look at their near term record closely.
Good luck. I look forward to seeing your monster in your hunt report.

 

[Green Chile]

Thanks for replying. I was hoping to hear your thoughts on it.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

I’m going Nov 16th… I’ll post a report.

 

[Scott CWO]

Well said! That middle one in particular is soooo clean and freaking tall! Yowza. 190 plus I would say. Where's @Scott CWO to give an educated guide's estimate?

I think you’re a little high. The middle buck has great back forks but the front forks are below average and the width is nice but not real wide. I would say 180s but pictures are tricky to judge.

My best Sonora typical buck below was 36” outside and scored 197” gross and 192” if you subtract the droptine.

As for Sonora versus Alberta, overall, I would suggest well-managed Sonora ranches have the edge. The quality in both areas has dropped off somewhat.

Until a few years ago, it was hard to beat the NE Plains of Colorado but the state has tripled tags due to ridiculous CWD “Management.” We used to take six 200”+ bucks each year and about twenty-four bucks each year scoring over 180. Now, we take about 1/3rd of that tally. What a shame!