Other than one other attempt to hunt mule deer up in Alberta, I admit that I have zero experience or knowledge of the species. Growing up in the South meant we focused on whitetail, and it certainly wasn’t spot-and-stalk method. Each time I’ve been out West, the focus is elk, but after moving our life to Southern Utah less than a year ago and working at the oldest “hub” for Western hunting information, you could say I’ve been exposed to mule deer MUCH more. Whether I’m hiking a trail, glassing, or simply conversing in the office with the Huntin’ Fool hunt advisors, mule deer has been the new whitetail for me.

While it’s true that I travel a little bit of everywhere chasing first time experiences, I do find it odd that I’ve hunted all these years and never put much time into whitetail outside of Texas. Part of that is because the deer hunting in Texas is really good, and part of that is because I simply don’t need more whitetail meat. I have permission all over my home state to tag a handful of deer, so going out of state to chase them wasn’t a priority. I must admit though, after my Kentucky experience, I can no longer say this. I pray I have the opportunity to go back every year.