Species choice. What would you do?

Tristate · Dec 4, 2022

Well I got to go on my annual texas mule deer hunt. I had my eye on a couple of muley bucks already but nothing truly great. 4 days into the muley season I went into an area that holds alot of mule deer doe looking for one of my target bucks.

I didn't find a big muley buck but right when I went to leave my brother saw a whitetail buck. A whopper of a whitetail buck. On this ranch I am allowed 1 buck. Whitetail or muley but not both.

So if you are presented with the same choice, do you kill the whitetail and end your muley hunt or keep holding out for a muley?

Soj51hopeful · Dec 4, 2022

I’d take a big whitey. I’ve only killed 1 so far.

Elkslayer · Dec 4, 2022

It'd take a big muley buck to out do what you've got already.

Snoopdogg · Dec 4, 2022

You said whopper. I'd say whopper in the hand...

S-3 Ranch · Dec 4, 2022

A 150+ class white tail? What area?

Bux n Dux · Dec 4, 2022

Tristate said:
Well I got to go on my annual texas mule deer hunt. I had my eye on a couple of muley bucks already but nothing truly great. 4 days into the muley season I went into an area that holds alot of mule deer doe looking for one of my target bucks.

I didn't find a big muley buck but right when I went to leave my brother saw a whitetail buck. A whopper of a whitetail buck. On this ranch I am allowed 1 buck. Whitetail or muley but not both.

So if you are presented with the same choice, do you kill the whitetail and end your muley hunt or keep holding out for a muley?

I’d shoot a mule deer, but I’m capable of killing animals without the use of corn piles. You better stick to your skill level and shoot the whitetail when the feeder goes off.

SS! · Dec 4, 2022

Never pass up the chance to shoot something white!

ELKOHOLIC · Dec 4, 2022

I’ve shot a few 130” wt. If he was 140+ I would shoot the wt.

S-3 Ranch · Dec 4, 2022

ELKOHOLIC said:
I’ve shot a few 130” wt. If he was 140+ I would shoot the wt.

Yeah it would take a hoss whitetail to fill my tag over a mule deer in the trans pecoes area of Texas

Tristate · Dec 4, 2022

S-3 Ranch said:
A 150+ class white tail? What area?

Well over 150. Texas panhandle.

SanPitch · Dec 4, 2022

Tristate said:
Well I got to go on my annual texas mule deer hunt. I had my eye on a couple of muley bucks already but nothing truly great. 4 days into the muley season I went into an area that holds alot of mule deer doe looking for one of my target bucks.

I didn't find a big muley buck but right when I went to leave my brother saw a whitetail buck. A whopper of a whitetail buck. On this ranch I am allowed 1 buck. Whitetail or muley but not both.

So if you are presented with the same choice, do you kill the whitetail and end your muley hunt or keep holding out for a muley?

Depends on how big of muleys we talkin?

EVILNR · Dec 4, 2022

Boom.

Tristate · Dec 4, 2022

SanPitch said:
Depends on how big of muleys we talkin?

Well you never know. It's hunting. But we do kill some nice ones.

SanPitch · Dec 4, 2022

Tristate said:
Well you never know. It's hunting. But we do kill some nice ones.

Right, I just figured you knew since you said you had target bucks, but personally where I live I will have opportunities at nice muleys my whole life and have killed some nice ones already. But I’ve never killed a whitey and will be lucky if I kill a couple in my lifetime. So I’d take the whitetail

hossblur · Dec 4, 2022

Need more info.

Does the outfitter take Amex to pay the per point charge?

6ft fence or 8?

Is the blind heated and AC?

Are there rules on how close to the corn feeder deer can be shot?

How many steps is the ladder on the platform Truck?

What's the wine selection like in the lodge?

Neverdrawn · Dec 5, 2022

I've never hunted whitetail so I'd shoot it to give the meat a try. Especially if it is a big one. Then I'd do a euro mount and put it up between a couple of mulies.

easy_money · Dec 5, 2022

I would call the janitor at Fish and Game and ask if I can kill both.

elks96 · Dec 5, 2022

White tail goes down. Unless I knew and was hunting an absolute monster mule deer.

But if I find even a fork horn whitetail, I would rather take it over a 160-170 muley.

sjhgraysage · Dec 5, 2022

Easy choice for me, that whitetail would be dead if I had any chance to shoot him.
??

SS! · Dec 5, 2022

Plot twist: you shoot the random elk that runs around Texas.

Didn’t see that coming!

Tristate · Dec 5, 2022

SS! said:
Plot twist: you shoot the random elk that runs around Texas.

Didn’t see that coming!

Plot twist. We are covered up on elk now. I saw probably 20 different bulls while muley hunting this year.

SS! · Dec 5, 2022

Tristate said:
Plot twist. We are covered up on elk now. I saw probably 20 different bulls while muley hunting this year.

Damn! Is that season closed? Big whitetails, big muleys. A lot to offer in that little state.

littlebighorn · Dec 5, 2022

I'm guessing most responders on this forum, myself included, don't have many whitetails to our credit. So a chance at a "whopper" of something that is not common in our part of the woods, would be very hard to pass up.
And a 400" bull would go down as well!

Tristate · Dec 5, 2022

SS! said:
Damn! Is that season closed? Big whitetails, big muleys. A lot to offer in that little state.

No limit or season on Elk. Kill as many as you want any time of year.

schoolhousegrizz · Dec 5, 2022

I would probably hold out for the muley

Soj51hopeful · Dec 5, 2022

I wanna change my answer to the elk now!

huntindad4 · Dec 5, 2022

What's a whitetail...

Tristate · Dec 5, 2022

Of course there is no correct answer to the original answer. But I will tell yall what my answer was.

HE'S DEAD!

It wasn’t my finest shooting but after a great tracking job by my son, and about $40 in ammo, we recovered him.

I am very happy with this split second decision.

Uttaxi1 · Dec 5, 2022

Congrats, I would have done the same.

Snoopdogg · Dec 5, 2022

Oh, I'd pop that b*tch in a heartbeat. Nice whitey, whitey! Kidding!!!

BrowningRage · Dec 6, 2022

A trophy specimen is impressive whether it was your original quarry or not... Id have done the same. Congrats.! Try and smile sometime brother.!

Soj51hopeful · Dec 6, 2022

Damn nice deer tri. Now if only you can find a taxidermist in your area, hmmmmm……

littlebighorn · Dec 6, 2022

Outstanding!

JB48 · Dec 6, 2022

Congrat, great buck.

mevertsen · Dec 6, 2022

Damn. Nice buck. I likely would have made the same decision.

twdjr · Dec 6, 2022

Congrats!

WHT_MTNMAN · Dec 6, 2022

Great buck! If I had the opportunity I'm sure I would have done the same thing. Sure is a pretty whitetail buck.

S-3 Ranch · Dec 6, 2022

Nice buck
if I was mule deer hunting in the panhandle I would hold off unless it’s a OIL buck

EVILNR · Dec 6, 2022

Well played sir.

woodruffhunter · Dec 6, 2022

Very nice, you made a great choice. The few times I have been, I have really enjoyed hunting Texas.

sjhgraysage · Dec 6, 2022

Very nice!
And you can go back next year and hunt mule deer and whitetail bucks again. Can't go wrong! ?

30Hart · Dec 6, 2022

Tristate said:
Well over 150. Texas panhandle.

No Brainer buddy 150 whitetail equal to a 180 mule deer and I don't think your getting a 180 there...congrats!!