i\'m thinking of putting Mulie first this season.

[elky McElkerson]

man..cant believe it.

i annually absent mindedly buy a deer point every year in california. cost me a few dollars, no biggie..(i just started doing the same thing for cali elk). i dont even enter the draw..i just buy an (almost) OTC deer tag good for most of the state and my bow equipment and i buy the point. a few choice units are not valid with my AO tag (archery only).

i looked. i have 5 points!! i am pretty much 100% on what i consider the second best unit in california. the seasons over lap with neighboring OTC elk hunts. gah!

i am so torn.

i know this is an elk forum..but i need some subjective advice. go for six deer points and chase elk..or cash it in?

 

[OldMan]

I can\'t tell you what to do, but I can give you my feelings. I feel hunting for a mature muley more of a challenge than elk. Mature being the key word. This also applies to the Colorado Rockies.

That\'s all i\'ve got for you.

 

[Baby Huey]

My brother, friend and I had the same dilemma this year for the Colorado draw. We decided to cash in on our deer preference points for a high country rifle mule deer hunt. I typically like to archery hunt, but like you, I always focus on elk hunting and purchase a deer tag, just in case I see a mulie while hunting elk. I do want to hunt mulies with my bow more seriously and focus a week or so on them in the future, but I realize this rifle hunt is a different type of hunt vs elk hunting. Since we had more than enough pref points for the unit we want, we decided to go for the rifle hunt and then start archery hunting mulies in areas that required minimum pref points. I look at this hunt as one that will help me understand how to hunt mulies with a rifle and refine my experience to then apply that to archery deer hunts in the future.

It sounds like you can get that deer tag easily, so I would recommend that you decide if this is the year that you want to focus primarily on the deer hunt, or if it may suit you better next year. If you can get OTC elk tags in neighboring states fairly easily, you may want to look at obtaining the deer tag, since it seems like you can hunt elk regularly after this deer season. You could also wait until next year, as you will have even more points and getting the tag will be a slam dunk. You will need to determine if this is the year you \"go for broke\" on the deer and put elk on the backburner, or perhaps use this year to scout a little bit and get prepared for ?all in? next year. I have been looking on Google earth, Trails Illustrated maps and looking at new gear for this deer hunt.

It is always good to have this kind of a problem!

 

[bnsafe]

cant help ya with your decision as i dont know if youve ever taken a mulie, an what kind of trophy potential the best unit in cali has. but, i will be focusing on mulies this year until my friends get out here, an maybe then to if i get my first choice even though its unlikely. but, i have never taken a mulie an desperately want to.

 

[OldMan]

Taking a muley isn\'t hard. Taking a mature muley is where the challenge is. They\'re very smart, and don\'t do dumb stuff like elk do.

 

[elky McElkerson]

My office decoration

Sent via Jedi mind trick.

 

[bnsafe]

good luck

 

[elky McElkerson]

well, i put in for the deer hunt.

draw is in june (?). californa hunt A-16. archery only deer hunt in unit X9A. i\'ll be hiking the eastern slopes of the sierras with a guy i think is actually getting fatter, not skinnier. whatever. i trot past his wheezing butt to get the first arrow off..hahah. (if we draw!)

should be \"easier\" then elk.
closer to home.
and waaaay, cheaper.

 

[Baby Huey]

Sweet, good luck on the draw!

I have that same calculator sitting on my desk!

 

[elky McElkerson]

Sweet, good luck on the draw!

I have that same calculator sitting on my desk!

awesome!!

i panicked..and stockpiled a few. i found one in the desert..and bought one used for $50. i would be lost without it. i got one fixed for the time being, and the repair guy said parts are getting rare.

now i have three of them!!