tips for hunting mule deer in units 45, 6A, or 9

huntingfever · Jan 27, 2017

So I'm new to hunting in New Mexico and I was just looking for any tips relating to hunting mule deer in unite 45 mostly but also 6A and 9. Anything on public lands, camping/vehicle access, hiking terrain as i have learned spot and stalk is the way to do it out here, past results, etc would be really helpful.

salsola · Jan 27, 2017

Gotta draw the tag first, right?

Your questions are probably best answered by experience. Buy a Santa Fe Ntl Forest map, and spend a weekend driving around the roads. Park at a trailhead and walk a mile or two in. You'll learn more than on this forum.

But if it helps, in 45 I'd be checking on aspen stands and recent burns that are away from roads. That's a big unit with a ton of Wilderness. It can be steep. Or not.

You could do worse then searching old posts about those units. There's some great info archived here.

505Hunter · Jan 27, 2017

Never have hunted in 45 or 6A, but hunt elk in 9 almost all the time. I would stay away from 9 if at all possible. The numbers are very low, although it appears that they may be slowly coming back.

I think I have maybe seen 1 bruiser come out of 9 in my 8 years of hunting.

But like others have said, get a map, find a spot, drive it and hike it.

Good luck!

huntingfever · Jan 28, 2017

Salsola, yeah gotta draw a tag first but I guess I just wanted to get started learning as soon as possible. May be getting the carriage in front of the horse a bit but even if I dont draw this year hopefully I will in years to come. You did give me some helpful information. I had no idea as to what to do with my truck when I got to the unit. I'm from Georgia and have always hunted land that we leased with an old cabin on it so this is my first time facing public property. Thanks for the advice. Like you said probably gonna have to learn mostly from trial and error.

huntingfever · Jan 28, 2017

505, I had a feeling about 9 not having many deer just from looking at years past draw results but I applied for it anyways, 3rd choice. Do recommend one map over another?

mozey · Jan 28, 2017

For deer, 6a is not separate from 6c, so it's all considered unit 6 (except for 6b). If you actually are able to draw that tag (not a given), you should be looking in both areas.

BUGLEnmIN · Jan 28, 2017

Unit 9 is almost impossible to draw for a reason. I'll leave it at that. If you'd happen to draw 45 and would like to really improve you're odds to harvest a big deer look into drop camps on he wilderness. As previously stated obtaining the tag can be the most difficult task .

salsola · Jan 28, 2017

For unit 45, this map covers most of the area and is much easier to use than the standard Forest Service maps.

http://www.natgeomaps.com/trail-maps/trails-illustrated-maps/new-mexico/santa-fe-truchas-peak

You didn't mention your hunting weapon-- rifle hunts later in the season can be pretty snowy and the animals have probably moved out of the high country.

This publication is geared toward habitat management, but might give you some insights into mule deer habitat and food preferences.

http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/CR-662.pdf