Developing skill with your weapon and equipment
There is nothing like on-the-job training. When you cannot hunt mule deer, by all means hunt rabbits, squirrels, gophers, coyotes, etc. Especially coyotes.
Mule deer stot, which is to say they bounce like they are on pogo sticks while they run.
When you can hit a running mule deer, you are doing good – even if it is luck. It is better to shoot at a mule deer that is standing still, but if that is the only shot you can/will take, you limit your potential. One hunter, I know, practices with his target inside a tire, and rolls the tire down a hill while trying to shoot the bullseye. This may be extreme, but it has paid off for him. Be creative, but not dangerous.
Your choice of weapon, caliber, or model is less important than your skill with it. I have my preferences, which I will share, but so does everyone else. My favorite for mule deer is a M-77 Ruger .25-06 handloaded with 120 gr. rapid-expansion boat-tail bullets. My binoculars are Swarovski 10×42’s. I use a Leopold 3-9 rifle scope. If you are a serious mule deer fanatic, your equipment may get some rough treatment. Yours should be able to handle whatever you will dish out, without you feeling guilty about some scars and scrapes.
If you plan to do a lot of “noclarating”, get some “noclars” that don’t give you a headache after lengthy use. I find that the heavier binoculars are easier to hold steady when you are shaky. Both binoculars and rifle scopes have a tendency to fog up when you least desire it. Those that are resistive to fogging are valuable.
When buck fever sets in, strange things happen. You want the proper and correct use of your equipment to be able to go on autopilot when you get buck fever. This requires repetition. Practice, practice, practice.
If your first unaided view of a buck tells you he is a potential keeper, look at him with your rifle scope instead of your binoculars.
Finally, be able to make a quick shot, if necessary. Don’t, however let your quick shot rule over good judgement.
Happy hunting and may the Force be with you
am enjoying your site even though I have only hunted whitetails.
Good Luck!
Rex