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CaliCreole

Member
Oct 26, 2011
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Riverside, CA
Hello I just stumbled onto this site so thought i would introduce myself.
My name is Ray and live in Riverside, I have just gotten into hunting recently in the past 2 years. I used to go out quite a bit as a kid with my dad but once California starting getting strict with its laws and reducing the amount of places we could hunt Most of his favorite places are now housing tracks) he became frustrated and hung it up. Now that i have kids of my own i don't want them to miss out on what i can remember as some of the best times i ever had. Just feels like I'm starting from scratch trying to learn as much as i can and be ready for when they are old enough to go, so that i have some knowledge to pass on to them. I Just returned from my first white tail hunt in central Arkansas. The deer were not moving all that great and only say 2 bucks the entire 3 days i was in the woods, one was a forkie the other a little spike. I did see 2 does however and was able to get a shot on one of them but missed. I cant explain how disappointed in myself i was. I have been practicing constantly for over 6 months (i practice year round but specifically from a stand past 6 months) preparing for this shot and i blew it. BUT I did receive an education from a few pretty darn good whitetail hunters both gun hunters and bow hunters and that alone was worth the trip. Here is a list of a few of the things i learned.

1. Shooting at live deer is NOTHING like shooting at a 3D target, its like comparing taking batting practice to coming to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with the game winning run on third and 2 outs, there is just nothing you can do to prepare yourself for that adrenaline rush when it happens for the first time.
2. Deer are smart very smart, I watch a doe sit in the brush line for over an hour waiting for the sun to go down and it be too dark for me to shoot before stepping out in the open.
3. Hunt the wind hunt the wind hunt the WIND!!! I was set up in a great spot next to a creek with plenty of berries and acorns around we captured at least a dozen different deer traveling to this very spot for an evening snack. I was about 18ft up in a climber but the wind switched direction on me just before 5. I sat very still but off in the distance i could here that sound of a distress doe knowing something aint right.
4. Shoot your bow as soon as you get off the plane check you sights check your arrows check everything. I went straight from the airport to my stand changed clothes in the truck and went right to it. That's when i blew my shot. the next day at my buddies house i figured i'd better shoot a couple, and sure enough I was hitting high left on every shot. I check my markings (i mark my pins with a grease pencil) and they were off by about an 1/8" the way those baggage handlers toss bags around even being in an aluminum case i imagine anything can get shakin lose. It didn't dawn on me to check this I was so caught up in the excitement of going hunting i just climbed into my stand and got ready.

all in all i had a fun trip didnt get any deer didnt even see a hog, but learned a lot. spent some time in the woods, felt the adrenaline of drawing back on a deer and have an all new respect for those of you that get it done. to try and ease my pain my buddy did say "I aint never seen anyone smoke a deer their first time drawing on one" not sure if that is true or just trying to make me feel better but one thing is for sure I will be practicing like a mad man year around until next season. Most of my post will either be dumb questions from a newbie or talking about what i learned in my outings, hopefully other newbies can learn from my mistakes.
 
thanks guys, Yeah i had a great time, would have been better if i would have gotten my first deer but i understand i have to put in my dues and work for it.

What are the main differences in hunting Mulies compared to Whitetails? When i was hunting the WT's it was a heavily wooded area, binoculars were of no use as visibility wasnt more than 60 yards in any direction, i hunted out of a stand the entire time. and there was a lot pre work that went into place finding their travel routes and just sitting and being patient. I did read teachanother's post about hunting in the SD area and it was very informative. Are mulies completely different animals and should be approached that way or is there anything i can take away form my WT trip that will help me pursue a mulie? i havent had much time to hunt lately but did do quite a bit of scouting locally, in D11 and D19 and saw several Does but nothing bigger than a spike. I have an AO tag so Im planning on going down to D16 to take a look around do some scouting and bring my bow just in case, I know im late in the year, and rifle has already started so need to be careful out there, but mainly just want to look around and maybe start planning for next year, what do you guys think?
 
Just a few differences but a lot of similarities too.

1. Both use there big three senses (smell, site and hearing) about the same. White tails have a more sensitive nose, muleys have more sensitive site and hearing.
2. Both are very sensitive to motion but whitetails more so.
3. When you're busted by a whitetail, they're gone. A muleys sometimes will run 50-100 yards, stop and look back at you.
4. Muleys like it steep and deep. Whitetails like it thick & flat.
5. Both are active when its cold, but muleys are more likely to make a trip to water during the middle of the day.


There's the big differences I've noticed.
 
teachanother said:
Just a few differences but a lot of similarities too.

1. Both use there big three senses (smell, site and hearing) about the same. White tails have a more sensitive nose, muleys have more sensitive site and hearing.
2. Both are very sensitive to motion but whitetails more so.
3. When you're busted by a whitetail, they're gone. A muleys sometimes will run 50-100 yards, stop and look back at you.
4. Muleys like it steep and deep. Whitetails like it thick & flat.
5. Both are active when its cold, but muleys are more likely to make a trip to water during the middle of the day.


There's the big differences I've noticed.
Thanks teachanother!
Couple of follow up questions to 4 and 5
When you say steep and deep, that means i should really concentrate my search in the deep canyons? Should i stay along the ridge line until i spot then move in?
So lets say its a 40 degree morning warming to the 60 mid day should i stay on ridge tops early and late then towards the middle of day look for ponds and streams?
 
Ridge lines: Yes, stay up high and glass down with a spotting scope...if you have one. Do not drop into the canyon until you spot a buck. You need to take avantage of the view and let your optics do the hiking initially. During the day look for bedded bucks in the shade. Please see the thread "What's going on?" from last August in the general discussion section.

BTW- This time of year all bets are off. The bucks are after the does and they will be where the does are. My advise is to follow the does and you'll find your buck.
 
Calicreole welcome to the forum, you came to the right place where there are no dumb questions, all comments and questions are welcome, we are here to share and learn from each other.

Teachanother great information thanks for sharing that with all of us.
 
Thanks again everyone i really appreciate your input, its very difficult to find information about hunting in California. Most sites are geared towards whitetail and the midwest.
 
Welcome to the site CaliCreole glad to have you on here and Thanks to all of you for helping Cali get pointed in the right direction. This is why I knew this site would be allot of fun and a great asset for each of us to learn and see what all of us have to offer and I am so stoked to see what it is turning into. I look forward to meeting all of you soon; we will have a barbeque soon and put some faces behind your real names. Good hunting to all of you and keep up the post.
 

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