(c) Jack Ballard

THAT AIN’T NO BULL – When hunting in the timber the hunter often sees only parts of an elk before viewing its entire body. In the open it’s often advantageous to spot a bull quickly as time to shoot may be limited if animals are moving from a feeding area toward cover. The presence of antlers is obviously the most reliable way to distinguish male elk from females during the fall. But other cues can be helpful.

Once they’ve acquired their winter hair coat, bulls and cows are usually colored quite differently. The bodies of cows appear in shades of light brown, something along the lines of mocha, hot chocolate mixed with coffee. Bulls on the other hand, sport pelage on the body that is lighter. Descriptors for their coloration include: tawny, blonde and yellowish-tan.

On multiple occasions I’ve been able to identify a bull in a herd of elk in the timber long before seeing its antlers. Observing a blonde body in a herd of brown has allowed me to focus on a specific animal instead of glassing a dozen. In most cases, older bulls exhibit even lighter shades of tan than youngsters. You may get fooled occasionally, but unless it’s wearing a tawny hair coat, you can usually conclude in a hurry “that ain’t no bull.”

(c) Jack Ballard

USE YOUR NOSE – The smelling ability of dogs and deer is thought to be a thousand times better than that of humans. But that doesn’t mean the appendage propping your eyeglasses or dripping snot is worthless.

Elk stink. The overall olfactory impression is similar to smelling a barnyard ripe with livestock manure. On many occasions I have caught the scent of elk, especially when hunting in the timber, before I have seen them. Sometimes the odor emanates from recently-abandoned beds. But often it comes directly from the animals.

If you catch a whiff of elk perfume, stop moving immediately. Engage your eyes and ears. The chances are high the elk are quite close. Listen intently for the sounds of moving hoofs or breaking twigs. An absence of such noise is good, and means the herd hasn’t spooked if it’s real elk you’re smelling. Spend enough time looking in the direction of the scent to scrutinize the cover. Your first movement should be to slowly drop from a standing position to a crouch which often allows a different and extended sight window into the woods.

From there, hunt at a snail’s pace in the direction of the scent. I’ve killed a couple of elk I stalked after smelling them. The nose knows.

What determines the color of an animal’s antlers? Elk, deer, moose, caribou and other antlered mammals exhibit various colors on their headgear. Some are quite light, while others are dark brown. Is the color a genetic trait or does it stem from some other factor, such as the animal’s diet?

No matter the species, antlers are white, just like other bones. When the velvet (the tissue that supplies blood to growing antlers) dries and peels away in late summer, an animal’s antlers are pure white and uncolored. Just last week, my family and I spotted a large bull elk in Yellowstone National Park. The velvet hung in tatters from the bone-white rack on his head.

So where does the color of antlers come from? Males of antlered mammal species aggressively rub their antlers on trees and shrubs. As they do so, their antlers are stained by the bark. The color of an animal’s antlers is determined by what he’s been rubbing them on and for how long. For example, many elk rub their antlers on lodgepole pines. Their antlers not only pick up color from the bark, but also become covered with pitch. When the elk then gores the dirt or rubs on other trees, the antlers pick up even more color, giving them an overall brownish appearance.

THE BRIGHT MIGHT HOLD TIGHT –  When threatened, mule deer typically bound away with their peculiar bouncing gait, then pause to assess the danger from a distance. However, some of them, especially wise old bucks, learn to hold tight, just like a wily old whitetail. I once shot a very nice buck after he was flushed from cover 20 feet below my perch on a rock outcropping with a thrown stone. Had not the missile nearly whacked his brownish-gray ribs, I’m sure the buck would have waited until my partner and I moved on before sneaking away.

MOUNTAIN MULEYS AREN’T ALWAYS ABOVE TIMBERLINE – Actually, some of the biggest mountain mule deer bucks behave much like elk. They may feed in clearings and open hillsides at dawn and dusk, but retreat to heavy timber during the day. If you’re not finding deer in the open at high elevation, forsake the parks and peaks and try stillhunting the pines or work with a partner to flush bucks from cover.

(c) Jack Ballard

WIDE BUCKS DON’T ALWAYS SCORE HIGH – If you’re concerned with how well your buck measures against a skinny steel tape and the “official” scoring standards (Boone & Crockett, SCI, etc.), appraise the rack for more than width. High scoring mule deer bucks generally have deep forks, mass and a couple of inches of browtine as well as considerable spread. I’ve shot several bucks whose antler-width reached or exceeded 26 inches with mediocre scores.

But if you spot a wide-racked buck or one lacking the coveted four-point configuration on top that’s appealing, don’t be dissuaded by its potential score. “Official” scoring systems originate in arbitrary value-theories of individuals and clubs who by no means have the final word on “trophy” deer. If you like the buck in the crosshairs, trip your trigger.

IF HE DOESN’T LOOK BIG, HE ISN’T – A four-point (western count) buck with a 24 inch spread is an often quoted standard for a trophy mule deer. However, even seasoned hunters often drop a “trophy” only to find that when blood ceases to circulate in an odocoileus hemonius brain, the antlers sometimes shrink by 50%. Big mule deer look big…immediately. But be careful. Lots of bucks that initially look big aren’t. Those running straight away with their ears back fit this category. Viewed head on, a buck whose rack spans two feet exhibits a couple of inches of antler on the outside of his namesake ears.

However, there is one exception to this rule. The rack on a lone mule deer buck with a gargantuan body may actually appear smaller than it is. My older brother, Leroy, nearly passed on a monster muley this past hunting season with a 31-inch spread. The reason? The buck’s body was so massive its rack seemed undersized. If there are other deer around, a brutish buck’s body and antlers will appear disproportionately large in relation to its fellows.

THE MOUNTAINS DON’T ALWAYS HAVE THE BEST HUNTING – In truth, the foothills generally hold better mule deer habitat than the high country.  One year my older brother and I hunted Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. We started high, but saw few bucks. We then dropped to a block of public land in the foothills where I spied over a dozen in a single day. None met my standards for that particular hunt, but several were fine animals with classic racks sporting four points per side. Find a lightly pressured parcel of good habitat in the foothills and you’ve written yourself a lifetime ticket to the gravy train.

MULE DEER ARE NOT DUMB – Why they’ve earned a reputation as dimwits I’m not sure, but a notch-eared buck with a gray face and hanging belly is every bit as crafty as a similarly adorned whitetail.  Young bucks and does in lightly hunted regions are assuredly easy to kill. However, if your heart is set on an impressive specimen, hunt with the same craft and dedication you’d apply to a burly whitetail in the big woods of Michigan or you’ll likely travel home empty-handed.

A creature of the plains, foothills and high peaks, perhaps no mammal is more biologically suited to thrive in the diverse habitats of the West than the mule deer. But that doesn’t make them easy to hunt. These days, a mature mule deer buck taken on public land probably speaks more loudly of a hunter’s skill (or luck) than the average six-point bull elk or a full-curl bighorn ram.