By the Colorado Division of Wildlife
Hunting mule deer in Colorado is always challenging. Hunters can
improve their success by understanding the habits of these critters.
During 2009, for all manners of take, about 78,000 hunters harvested
34,000 mule deer for a 43 percent success rate.
 In the mountains and foothills, mule deer don’t spend much time in
heavy timber. They are primarily browsers and prefer aspen and
forest edges where there are plenty of low shrubs, small trees, oak
brush and varied vegetation types.
Mule deer are most active at night and can often be found in meadow
areas during low-light hours. During the day, they'll bed down in
protective cover.
In warm weather, look for deer along ridgelines where wind is
consistent and helps to keep them cool.
During the low-light hours of evening and morning, hunt in meadows
at the edge of thick cover. If you see where they are feeding during
times of low-light, it’s likely they’ll move into nearby timbered
areas to rest for part of the day. Deer tend to move during the
middle of the day toward the areas where they feed in the evening.
A slow stalk is recommended. Spend a lot of time scanning slowly
with binoculars - a deer can appear at any time.
Pay attention to the wind direction. If the wind is blowing in the
direction you are moving, a deer will likely pick up your scent.
Deer avoid going to creeks in daylight so there is no advantage to
hunting near moving water sources during the day.
One advantage mule deer give to hunters is their curiosity. When
mule deer are spooked, they’ll often run a short distance then turn
to determine if they are being pursued. That may give you one good
chance for a shot.
A small amount of snow will get deer moving quickly out of
high-altitude areas. Usually by late October migrating herds will
move to winter range areas, even if there is no snow.
Hunters should aim at the vital organ area which presents a small
target – about the size of a dinner plate just behind the front
quarter. Hunters, no matter how good they are at the range, should
never try to make a head shot. Many animals are injured and die
slowly because of attempted head shots.
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