Eastern Most Mule Deer in Texas

[Bulldawg87]

A couple months ago, I was just south of Midland for work and ran into a herd of Pronghorns just off the highway, I had no idea that area had a herd.

I also recently gain the ability to start hunting just north of Junction, a little closer to London, which got me thinking...

What is furthest East along the I-10 corridor someone can find muleys or has ever seen one?? Seems like I saw / or heard of some around Ozona or Sonora?

And why does the herd stop at where ever that stopping point is?

*Midland Speed Goats!

[txtrophy85]

I asked myself the same question many years ago and started doing some research, here is what I found:

To start off, there is not a mule deer anywhere near Junction/London, so don't have any wishful thinking there. There are some in Western Crockett County West of Ozona, and further south but along the same parallel there are some around Pumpville.

I sold a ranch a few years back to a guy in Eastern Val Verde. The previous owner brought some mule deer in as Val Verde has a season and they did not survive.

Mule Deer apparently don't do well in areas of high humidity and have different dietary requirements than whitetail do. Good news is the Mule Deer area is actually expanding in some areas.

[TP3]

We hunt 12 miles down FM 1024 (48 miles south of I-10/ Ozona). We have mule deer some years, others we don't see any. We have only seen bucks though, never a doe.

[Mexico]

Someone shot one around Del Rio last year. There was a thread on here.

[TP3]

I feel like we are right on the fringe of their range.

[boy wonder]

Many years ago the Texas Sportsman had an article about a muley buck killed in East Texas. General consensus was it was an escapee, but they didn't know for sure.

[BULL21]

A couple months ago, I was just south of Midland for work and ran into a herd of Pronghorns just off the highway, I had no idea that area had a herd.

I also recently gain the ability to start hunting just north of Junction, a little closer to London, which got me thinking...

What is furthest East along the I-10 corridor someone can find muleys or has ever seen one?? Seems like I saw / or heard of some around Ozona or Sonora?

And why does the herd stop at where ever that stopping point is?

*Midland Speed Goats!

We had some speed goats on our lease south of garden city about 25 years ago. Saw them a couple of times.

[Tx.Fisher]

We hunted 12 miles northwest of Ozona for 15 years or so, and saw one muledeer spike in all those years. Although we had friends that hunted about 5 miles further west of us and would see mule deer every year. We were literally right in the edge of mule deer.

[mjhaverkamp]

I have seen a few mules in eastern Foard County right on the Wilbarger Co line.

[Bulldawg87]

Oh, I have no plans of ever seeing one much outside of Ozona. It's just interesting they stop where they seem to, as the terrain and food are so similar quite a bit further east.

Also, I figure some folks have had a lone ranger make it a good ways outside of his zone in rut as well.

[txoutdoorsman24]

I have TC pictures of one from a lease I had in Segovia (east of Jucntion 10 miles) only got those pictures one time and that was it. It was def lost being that Far East. You will def find them in the Ozona to BigLake area. Iraan and Rankin areas have them pretty good. And some dang ones too

[Palehorse]

Many years ago, when Aransas NWR was a private ranch, the owner stocked some Rocky Mountain mule deer there on the Blackjack Peninsula. They didn't last long.

[Bulldawg87]

I have TC pictures of one from a lease I had in Segovia (east of Jucntion 10 miles) only got those pictures one time and that was it. It was def lost being that Far East. You will def find them in the Ozona to BigLake area. Iraan and Rankin areas have them pretty good. And some dang ones too

How long ago was that?

[NF HUNTER]

Many years ago the Texas Sportsman had an article about a muley buck killed in East Texas. General consensus was it was an escapee, but they didn't know for sure.

I saw some mule deer in a high fenced ranch on the north side of Gus Engeling WMA a couple of years ago. I thought that was a little strange.

[S-3 Ranch]

Farthest east I have seen them is the MCCamy mountain area down to Iran
Pronghorn in the big springs area down to south of sterling city/ big lake areas