# MULE DEER HUNTING BENCHES - THE TERRAIN FEATURE THAT PUTS YOU ON MATURE BUCKS | 🎙️ EP. 193

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/backbone-unlimited-podcast-7365967/mule-deer-hunting-benches-the-terrain-feature-that-puts-you-on-mature-bucks-ep-193
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/backbone-unlimited-podcast-7365967/mule-deer-hunting-benches-the-terrain-feature-that-puts-you-on-mature-bucks-ep-193.md
Podcast: [Backbone Unlimited Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/backbone-unlimited-podcast-7365967)
Published: 2026-06-12T18:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://backboneunlimited.podbean.com/e/mule-deer-hunting-benches-the-terrain-feature-that-puts-you-on-mature-bucks-%f0%9f%8e%99%ef%b8%8f-ep-193/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/6c7cmczq3w6gpzu4/Mule_Deer_Hunting_Benches_-_The_Terrain_Feature_That_Puts_You_on_Mature_Bucks77ch6.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1117

## Resource

Mule Deer Hunting e-Books 👉 https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/mule-deer-hunting-e-book-series In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down why mule deer bucks love benches and how serious Western deer hunters can use this misunderstood terrain feature to find more mature bucks. A bench is not valuable just because it is flat ground on a mountain. It matters when it gives a buck security, wind advantage, visibility, shade, escape routes, energy conservation, efficient travel, and access to feed. After 34 years of Western big game hunting and guiding, Matt explains how mature mule deer use benches as bedding zones, travel routes, staging areas, and survival systems that help them detect danger before danger detects them. You’ll learn what separates a productive buck bench from a dead one, how wind and thermals affect bench bedding, why broken cover and shade matter, how benches change by season, and how to glass these subtle terrain features without blowing deer out. If you hunt public land mule deer and want to read terrain better, locate mature bucks more consistently, and stop wasting time on benches that only look good on a map, this episode will help you understand why old bucks choose the terrain they do.

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