Big mule deer are few and far between these days, so the author likes a rifle with the ability to reach out when necessary. This Wyoming buck fell to his .264 Winchester Magnum firing 140-grain Hornady bullets.

As I said, some serious mule deer hunters have turned to faster cartridges, but it's not necessarily because they intend to shoot at extreme range. Rather, they're looking for the flexibility to take the offered shot with as much confidence as possible.

Of the serious mule deer hunters I know, their choices run the gamut and are based on years of experience and trial and error. Tom Arthur became a Wyoming rancher in retirement because he loves mule deer and has hunted them from Mexico to Canada. He's tried a lot of different rifles and cartridges, but his favorite has boiled down to a .280 Ackley Improved.

Nevadan Jim Jurad is another mule deer fanatic. As a hunter and occasional guide he's taken some spectacular mule deer in northern Nevada, and his favorite has become the 7mm Remington Ultra Mag.

Then there's Hunter Ross, a west Texas outfitter friend. For a Texan he's unusual in that mule deer are his thing. He, too, has hunted them from Canada to Mexico. He's taken some dandies and guided hunters to many more. His own favorite mule deer rifle is a Weatherby Mark V in .257 Weatherby Magnum.

I have written many times that the ultimate choice for versatility is a fast .30. So I find it interesting that all of my favorite mule deer fanatics choose smaller calibers.

As I mentioned, I have been using a .264 a fair bit, but I've also done a lot of mule deer hunting with both the .270 Winchester and the .270 WSM.

Yes, you can use a fast .30, and you won't be wrong. But with today's marvelous bullets you don't really need that much gun to reach out for deer--and perhaps the lesson I'm slowly learning is that, given adequate performance, we shoot better with the lighter calibers because they're easier to shoot.

Even if the potential ranges are the same, there are slight fundamental differences between the perfect whitetail rifle and the perfect mule deer rifle that have nothing to do with cartridge, caliber, accuracy, or terminal performance.

While the mule deer rifle must be flat shooting and accurate, it still must be light enough to carry all day in tough country. That factor sets it apart from heavy whitetail rifles meant for shooting out of blinds. One issue I have with long-barreled, heavy rifles designed for reach is that they can be unhandy in a blind--and can even be a game-spooking nightmare if you rap the barrel against roof or sides of the blind trying to get it into position--but this restriction doesn't apply to mule deer hunting. In open country I'll take a long barrel because it holds steady and offers a bit more velocity.

Scopes are another issue. Big whitetail bucks often don't step out until last light, so a large, light-gathering objective lens might make sense. But on mule deer rifles…well, you may need as bright a scope, but whatever you put on the rifle must be carried. So I generally compromise, and I definitely avoid the biggest scopes.