South Dakota
If you’ve never seen a line of mule deer moving across the skyline at dawn, nose to tail, mile after mile, you’re missing one of the last great natural wonders in North America. These migrations aren’t just impressive; they’re ancient. Some herds travel over 150 miles between their summer and winter ranges, crossing rugged mountains, ranch fences, and six-lane highways like they’ve been doing it for a thousand years, because they have.
It’s been twenty years since that hunt, but I can still feel the burn in my legs, the thin air in my lungs, and the pounding of my heart as if it happened yesterday. I was twelve years old, hunting with my mom in the high country, and I was about to take my first mule deer buck.
Success in the high country doesn’t happen by luck. Rifle season comes fast, and by the time the opener rolls around, hunters who have done the homework, the scouting, the glassing, and patterning mule deer bucks, are the ones most likely to punch their tag. The key is simple: treat pre-season scouting as seriously as the hunt itself.
On the dry ridges outside Tucson, AZ hunters know that a year of poor rainfall can turn a once familiar hunting ground into an unfamiliar puzzle. Traditional glassing spots may come up empty, and the basins that normally hold deer can feel barren. But those who adjust their strategy now hyper focusing on scarce water sources, higher elevation forage, and subtle changes in deer movement can still find success even in tough years.
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.
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.
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.