An upcoming Crossroads Project video series showcases the long-standing partnership between the Mule Deer Foundation and the USDA Forest Service.
Bowhunting mule deer in open country is one of the most rewarding — and frustrating — challenges a Western hunter can take on. There’s no treestand to sit in, no food plot to watch. It’s you, the sagebrush, the sun, and a buck that can pick you off at 400 yards if you blink wrong.
From supporting wildlife crossings to retrofitting fences and improving habitat, MDF is helping mule deer move safely across the lands they’ve relied on for centuries.
Federal Ammunition introduced its popular Fusion line of hunting ammo in 2005. The development of Fusion was driven by a desire to create a rifle cartridge that combined the best qualities of traditional hunting bullets with the advantages of modern projectile design. The result was a full line of ammunition featuring bonded bullets specifically engineered for deer hunting, offering excellent weight retention, expansion, and accuracy. The addition of a polymer tip brought a fresh evolution to these time-tested hunting loads.
Early season mule deer hunting is a long game. You might spend days glassing and never make a stalk — or you might get it done on the first morning. Either way, keep your head in the game and your ego in check. Velvet season rewards the patient and punishes the reckless.
Colorado’s conservation story relies on the cooperation of Mother Nature and state and agency partners.
The Mule Deer Foundation is proud to share an incredible opportunity for those who dream of hunting the legendary giants of Sonora, Mexico. Known for producing some of the biggest mule deer bucks in North America, Sonora offers the perfect combination of rugged desert landscapes, prime winter rut timing, and expert local guides who know exactly where to find world-class animals.
Ask a dozen mule deer hunters how they get it done, and you’ll hear two main camps: spot-and-stalk and ambush hunting. Both get the job done — but they take different mindsets, skills, and situations to pull off. Let’s break ‘em down.
That’s where the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) comes in. You might know the name. You might have gone to a banquet, read the magazine, or thrown a few bucks in the raffle. But what you might not know is just how much MDF does every single day to protect the deer, the ground they walk on, and the hunting lifestyle we live for.
I was gifted some wild turkey thighs and thought that I would try grinding them up, which I’d never done before. I found the resulting grind a little too dark and rich, so I sacrificed some of my ever-dwindling wild turkey breast to round it out, which worked great. I figured I’d try to make some wild turkey burgers with it.
The only problem was that, even when cooked perfectly, the burgers came out quite dry due to the lack of fat in the bird.
I considered adding fatty pork to the grind, but thought better of it, not wanting to sacrifice the flavor of the turkey meat.
Spend enough time around mule deer, and you realize they’re not just animals fading into the brush — they’re talking. Not with words, of course, but with posture, movement, and subtle signs that can tell you exactly what they’re thinking — if you know how to read them.
Whether you’re lining up a stalk on a high-country buck or just watching a herd from across a canyon, understanding mule deer body language can give you a major edge. It’s the difference between blowing your chance or slipping in close for a clean shot. It’s the difference between a deer that disappears and one that hangs around just a little too long.
Ask any seasoned hunter what makes for a great mule deer season, and you’ll likely hear the same answers: good weather, time to scout, a solid tag — and deer. Lots of deer.
What some hunters overlook, though, is that seeing more mule deer doesn’t just come down to luck or draw odds. It comes down to habitat — and behind that habitat, there’s often a crew of conservationists, biologists, and volunteers working to make the ground better for deer and the people who hunt them. That’s where the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) steps in.