I have successfully hunted And Killed MANY of 3 different Species of Deer. Blacktail Deer (I grew up hunting them) Mule Deer, And Whitetails the last 11 Years that I have lived here in North Idaho. In my opinion Whitetail are FAR Superior eating Deer. I have had some pretty Rank Blacktail & Mule Deer over the years that were killed in the Rutt, On the other Hand i have killed Several decent Whitetail Bucks that were in the Rutt here, They Don’t Smell ANYTHING Close to a Rutted up Mule Deer or Blacktail, And the Whitetail Tastes no Different to me than when Killed earlier. Thats been my Experience anyway
Mule Deer are NO DOUBT Cool looking Critters, They can get BIG. I Killed a Record Book P&Y (Pope & Young) Wa State Mule Deer with my Bow several years ago, He is in the Wa State Book
I have killed Several Mule Deer over the Years, i am no Stranger to them
This is a GIANT Mule Deer a Friend of mine Killed in Southern Idaho 20 something years ago, He had it Mounted, He is deceased now, I am not sure where this Head is anymore? This Buck belongs in The “Idaho’s Greatest Mule Deer” Book.
And this is a Nice Blacktail Buck from the Wa Coast. Antler wise, They look IDENTICAL to Mule Deer, But don’t get near as Big. Like i said earlier, i grew up hunting these, Cut my Teeth on Blacktail
I have Killed several of these over the Years as well
This is my best Whitetail so far, These guy’s are my ABSOLUTE favorite of 3 Species to Hunt. Whitetail are INCREDIBLY Smart Deer, it’s not even fair to Compare them against the others, Mule Deer and Blacktail are NOWHERE Near as Smart as these Guy’s