NM Whitetail (Not Coues)

5yearcoueshunter

Active Member
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712
LAST EDITED ON Oct-12-16 AT 03:36PM (MST)[p]It's been a dream of mine to get all big game species of NM. And preferably, I would like those all to be DIY and on public land. For deer, I've taken a rocky mountain muley, desert muleys and Coues deer. All I had left was an Eastern(Texas) whitetail, which looked to be the most difficult due to lower numbers then the other species and even lower numbers on public land.

After doing some research for several years, I finally felt comfortable putting in for some units that have whitey's and was fortunate enough to draw a muzzleloader tag. I did several scouting trips this spring and summer and found some good prospects. Most of the whitetail I saw were on private, but I did find a few on public. Not many, but enough to figure I had a shot at it. I wasn't going to be picky, any legal buck would do.

Fortunately I was able to fulfill my goal and got my first NM eastern whitetail and completed my NM deer slam! Not a big buck, but I was super happy to get him. I know the scouting I did paid off big time, but also know I got pretty lucky to have this buck show up. We had 3 other tags on this hunt and nobody else was able to find a whitetail buck. The terrain we hunted was fairly thick cover which made hunting challenging. There really wasn't enough deer on public land to take a stand anywhere with much of a chance for a buck to come by, and still hunting (walking) usually resulted in more white flags running away then seeing actual deer. haha But, persistence paid off for me and I was able to spot a patch of brown fur coming down the canyon I was still hunting in. As the animal came closer to me, I could tell it was a deer and got a glance of a small basket rack. He fed right to me and I was able to get a small window to shoot through at only 35 yards. The shot was true and I had my buck. So stoked! Thanks to the guys on this site that helped me out, I really appreciate it.

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Rare instance of a whitetail staying still! haha
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One of the coolest things about this hunt was that the elk rut was on strong. Tons of bugling. While watching a small clearing for deer, this bull came in and gave me a show. Video quality stinks but still was cool to get it on film.



Thanks guys,
Travis
 
LAST EDITED ON Nov-01-16 AT 09:42AM (MST)[p]>Did not draw anything this year!
> My son drew immature
>ibex so will help him!
>

That should be a blast. Good luck, I hope Josh gets one! I've put in for that hunt for a long time and haven't been able to draw.

Thanks again, Travis
 

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