Whats tougher to kill, 170" whitetail or 190" mule deer?

[alecvg]

I have seen one muley that I think would be pushing 190" and that was this season in CO.  Unluckely, we were hunting a unit with a couple big ranches way up high, and he was 100 yds over the fence.  Kind of frustrating when your off the road, away from other hunters, and you still can't shoot the buck.  Although he ended up spooking unto public, we never saw him again.  I do think muley would be the hardest.

[huntnnw]

I would say muley maybe...there is just more whitetails around and that many more that can get to that size.The other side of things is there really isn't any "permits" that give anyone a unit or a specific season where u have any sort of advantage, weather, rut or low permit numbers for whiteys like you do with mule deer. There are some tags given out in some Western states that give u one hell of a shot at taking a 190" deer that doesn't exist with whiteys, due to the fact they live in heavy cover and don't become as vulnerable as muley bucks do in the rut as they prefer the open spaces.

 Saying u had unlimited amount of money to purchase a governors tag for whitetails or Muleys I would say a person has a better chance to harvest a booner muley with the said tag over a whitey cause I dont see much advantage with a whitetail tag.

[B.G.hunter]

Both are easy to kill, but to find one of that caliber, thats the hard part.......just thought I'd state the obvious.

Maybe in the mule deer hay day (60's/70's) but even then. Or colorado.

[sakoshooter]

Much tougher to find and kill a big mule deer than a big whitetail.

[huntnnw]

OTC yes..not so sure on "money" tags

[Miles]

I've hunted both whitetail and mule deer in Washington, and I grew up hunting whitetails (east coast).   While I haven't taken a 170" whitetail, or a 190" muley, I have taken some pretty good bucks and will say this:  In my experience mule deer are generally dumb.  Locating one is the hardest part, and once you find them is relatively easy to stalk/kill them.   Whitetails on the other hand, you can find them relatively easily, then they almost immediately take off running throught the thickest crap possible (never to be seen again). Sometimes you get a shot, sometimes you don't.  I guess it also goes back to your style of hunting to though.  Every whitetail I see is while I'm on the ground still hunting/tracking, not from a tree stand.

Mule deer hunting in my experience is more physically demanding, but then again...that depends on the hunter and type of hunting.  The guys that drive to a wheat field and wait for first light to start spotting and selecting what deer to shoot have it pretty damn easy.

For my style of hunting, I would have to say that the 170" whitetail would be harder.   I'm more of a "run and gun" type of hunter that prefers to keep moving for the better part of the day.  I'll sit for a while and spot/glass, then I'm off to another vantage point or still hunting through the timber. 

[huntnnw]

I would have to agree wit that.... Muley bucks are nothing like a whitey buck....locating one and the physical effort involved in it makes it harder in that way, but like you said once u find one u can usually keep tabs on them

[Miles]

Mule deer would be tougher.  A whitetail that size will be killed in the rut from a treestand.  A muley that size will be killed 4 miles from the road.

For me it's a lot easier to hike 4 miles from the road, than it is to sit in a treestand for hours on end.  You point at a mountain and say see you there at sundown.... I'll be there (and happy).   You pull over and tell me to climb up into a treestand and you'll pick me up at sundown....I'll be ready for the looney bin.

[boneaddict]

Note how hard it is even for a team of hunters, all alone during the late rut/ winter range utilizing all of their assets, to come up with a 190 buck.   There just aren't that many out there.   

I probably see 4x as many whitetails each year in that category, but as Miles said, they don't tend to stand around for a handshake.   

[Skyvalhunter]

I myself wouldn't want to shake their hand just let a little air out of them.

[pianoman9701]

There are a lot of 2 and 3 year old whities that are easy to pattern, but the big bruisers are wily and way back in the woods. I'd say that except for food plot deer, the really bruiser whitetails in No. NH and ME are damned hard to find and kill.

[bearpaw]

Both are damned tough to kill. But I think there are fewer 190 mule deer than 170 whitetails, therefore I say it's a little tougher to get the 190 mule deer.

If there were as many 190 mule deer as 170 whitetails, it would be a tossup. 

[boneaddict]

I have seen more 200 inch whitetails than I have 200 inch muleys.    Probably 10x more    

[Miles]

I have seen more 200 inch whitetails than I have 200 inch muleys.    Probably 10x more    

When they're running away they all look 200", I swear those whities collect tines as they're jumping through the brush.

You guys have a point.  It's definitely a question that depends on a BUNCH of variables.


Here's a question: What's easier, a 170 inch whitey or a 170 inch muley?  IN WASHINGTON.

[boneaddict]

170 muley.   My goal every year in recent years