JakeL

Holy smokes. Thats more antler than many guys will harvest in a lifetime.

What a great buck! North or south of the ditch?

Nice buck. He may not be huge, but he really is purty.

Yep. No need to complicate things. Keep it simple.

So unfortunate. My condolences.

Welcome. It looks like you're getting some grade A advice here.

I've heard 800 ft lbs for deer, and more like 1200 for elk. But 1000 for deer and 1400 for elk would offer more leeway. One more limiting factor to killing potential besides bullet energy is bullet expansion at low velocity. Look at these links to some nosler bullets. Halfway down there is a diagram showing bullet expansion at various velocities. The partition bullet expands reliably way down to 2000 fps. On the other hand, the E-Tip lead free bullet shows much less expansion at 2000 fps. http://www.nosler.com/Bullets/Partition.aspx http://www.nosler.com/Bullets/E-Tip-Lead-Free.aspx This isn't to say that those E-Tip bullets wont expand, and wont kill game. But they would simply be less effective at delivering their killing energy, and there are probably better choices for ranges over 400 yards. Now I don't mean to be talking about specific bullets and whats better, but just to show that some bullets are better than others in terminal ballistics at long range. Just make sure if you are going to shoot at long range, your bullet choice is appropriate. And before I finish I just want to preach a little, just a little. At ranges that long (300 yards +), it is very easy to miss or wound game. Be responsible, and if you shoot, follow up just like you would in archery. Look for blood, follow the animal, etc. When a huge canyon separates you from any blood trail, it can be really tempting just to assume it was a miss. Who wants to bother hiking for hours just to confirm there is no blood? Not many people. If you're not absolutely sure of yourself, and ready to take full responsibility for shooting at those ranges, please don't. Ok, sorry everybody. I will get off my soapbox now. Go ahead and hunt however you want as long as its legal.

I'm busy scouting out area for my first real desert muley hunt this december. I'll be hunting one of the OTC desert units and I am trying to get a good lay of the land, as well as try to find where the deer hang out. My question is what time of year do the does begin to herd up? And when do the bachelor herds generally break up? I am correct to assume that these desert bucks wont be in with the does until the rut kicks in right? Will they remain in the bachelor herds up till then? I guess another related question I could ask that may be even more helpful would be if you guys know of any good literature on the subject of desert mule deer, hunting them and their biology/behavior. Most of the stuff I've found deals mostly with deer at higher latitudes, and simply makes mention of some desert muleys existing. Thanks for all the info guys.

Wow. Surprising to me to see that kind of country in SD. I guess folks there are probably about as surprised when they see pictures of alpine basins here in AZ.

15-20 bones a day?!! Take me next time. Congrats. Keep living for us, and posting it up so we can live through you.

Looks like an awesome hunt. Congrats.

Beautiful bulls. And by the way, it still bugs me that people name their bucks and bulls.

Great seeing one taken with an arrow. I'm just a little to broke and stingy to shoot my arrows at small game...

Makes me want to get out there... 48 huh? Jacket weather is right around the corner

Thanks for sharing. What a week!

Alright! Good way to have a great time, and improve our deer and sheep herds.

Great deer. Congrats.

It can be really tough to get any locations from people on here, and we all have our reasons. The only advice I can give you probably already know. Check the G&F webpage on unit 22. The areas they recommend really are some of the best general starting points for most units. And thats a nice fish there in your profile.

The above replies have been great. The .243 has taken just about as many mule deer as any cartridge.

Great little buck. Nice dark antlers.

Holy smokes. That was a surprise.

Keep an eye on things. Good luck.

Wow. Great pictures. Good to have guys like you on here.

I've heard good things about Palmetto State Armory. They may not be a premium brand, but they're another good option for a low-budget.

Thats messed up. Please give us some updates as things unfold.