Help chooing a unit for muleys in NM

dano0705 · Jan 14, 2019

Hey all,

My friend and I are putting in for mule deer this year but we have no idea where to go. We are planning to do a backpack/camping style hunt where we can set up a camp and hunt a lot of area. We are looking for units that have pretty good draw odds and a good amount of animals. We are not necessarily looking for monster trophy's just the opportunity to see some deer and possibly some decent bucks. I have heard unit 45 is a good one. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Bowdeadly · Jan 14, 2019

It's too early to be asking crazy questions. Come back in a couple months. LOL.

dano0705 · Jan 14, 2019

Well that answer doesn't help..haha. You can only apply for tags for a couple more months so by then it will be closed. Just asking if anyone had any past knowledge and could help out. We would like to start planning. We may come out to look at the terrain before we apply. But it's an 8 hour drive so we would like to narrow our search.

Muleman · Jan 14, 2019

Unfortunately what your asking for doesn't exist in NM. Anything with good drawing odds aren't good hunts, bad drawings odds are good hunts.

You can hunt 45 for a week and not see a deer. Not much help but be real with what your asking. Southern units are easier draws with lots of hunters and not much for quality, finding a mature buck can be hard. Northern units have better quality deer but are tuff to draw and hard to find deer in some of them

TineMaster · Jan 14, 2019

? an easy draw and lots of mule deer?

Lol isn't that the million dollar question

TineMaster · Jan 14, 2019

45 could be a decent choice but it's not the easiest of draw. If you want an easier draw definitely go early archery. Plus it gives you more time to hunt... for what it sounds like you're going for an adventure rather than outcome. Just my 2 cents on your senerio

dano0705 · Jan 14, 2019

I appreciate all of the comments so far. I know my original post is what everyone wants. I understand that there really isn't an easy draw with tons of deer. I guess what I meant is...I know 2B and 2C are the pinnacle in NM but also a once in a lifetime draw and an area where you can definitely shoot a trophy. There has to be other units that have decent animals that aren't impossible to draw.

Example...I am from Wisconsin and if someone asked about where to hunt I could lay out what parts of the state have the biggest racks, which are also the hardest to find a place to hunt (that's the same for every state). But there are areas of Wisconsin where you can see lots of deer and potentially a "nice" shooter buck with significantly better odds of finding a spot to hunt.

Neither of us have ever hunted NM before and no very little to nothing about the units. Just trying to do as much research as possible so we can make a somewhat educated decision.

Bowdeadly · Jan 15, 2019

You can make it from Wisconsin to NM in 8 hours? Are you sure you are not in Colorado smoking that bat chit?
Lol

billc · Jan 15, 2019

Look at unit 17 and maybe a few just below unit 17 forget the unit numbers but just below. Have hunted both and there is more the a few deer if you get off the roads. Some good areas you can glass to find the deer.

DoeNob · Jan 15, 2019

Just go to Colorado instead. More and better deer and better drawing odds.

uphill · Jan 15, 2019

dano- I promise I am not trying to steer you away from my secret hunting spots in NM. Truth is I have hunted in NM five times, twice in what some would consider lucky to draw units and I have yet to fire a shot or even see a buck I wanted to harvest. That said, I will go back again because I just love this $h!t.

I apply for tags annually in eight or ten western states so naturally NM makes the list. But if I were applying for mule deer tags in...lets say four or five states, then NM would not see an application from me. Don't focus on NM just because you can be there in 8 hours (from TX perhaps?), broaden your horizons. You are going to be on the hunt twenty-four hours a day for a week or more so you might as well drive the extra ten or twenty hours to be somewhere good for that week rather than somewhere bleak.

Adjust your expectations now so that you aren't too disappointed when you reach your mule deer hunting area. For instance, easy to draw areas in the west DO NOT have mule deer densities anywhere near what you might be used to in Wisconsin's average whitetail areas. The "pinnacle" areas like 2b and 2c ARE NOT "areas where you can definitely shoot a trophy". I know a lot of good hunters that have hunted those areas and the disappointed far outnumber the satisfied.

With the following criteria- Decent chance at a decent mule deer buck on public land in an area where the tag might be drawn in one to three years- I would want to hunt these states and in this order;

1) Nevada (Though it could take a while to draw the tag)
2) Wyoming
3) Colorado
4) Utah
5) Montana (As good for decent bucks as CO and UT but good public land is less abundant)

Best of luck on your hunt!!

aaronjo2324 · Jan 15, 2019

goHUNT.com will answer all of your questions. Draw odds, trophy quality, public land %, etc.

rockn9858 · Jan 15, 2019

where r u coming from

Alwayshunting · Jan 15, 2019

Rubies in NV or wasatch east in Utah fit what you are looking for perfectly.

4corners_sportsman · Jan 15, 2019

He's asking for mule deer hunts in NM guys, put in for 2c, you won't be disappointed if you draw.

maxxbob1 · Jan 15, 2019

I hunt several states. I'm a NM resident so I hunt deer here nearly every year. I don't know that I would hunt here as a non-res. Since you now have to buy a Game-hunting License ($65 Non-res) to apply, and as a non-res you are limited to 6% of the licenses, I think you are probably wasting your money. Look at the lion (Cougar) quota for Unit 45 and you might get an idea of why it's hard to find deer there. I suggest that you study the drawing odds and find a unit where you might draw a tag. Then I would look at units where there is good public access. Then I would look at the Harvest Reports. If you hunt hard in almost any NM unit that has a 30% or better harvest, you have a very good chance of getting a shot at a legal buck. But it all depends on drawing a tag, so use your three choices wisely to increase draw odds. If a chance at a legal buck isn't good enough, you should try Colorado. Good luck!

swampokie · Jan 15, 2019

Everyone keeps saying Colorado but id be careful putting in for a zero point second rifle season there. There are over 1000 tags for some of these hunts not to mention otc elk hunters. Plenty opportunity in nm if u do ur homework. If u wanna save a few points in Colorado then apply then that's a different story.

Trad Bow 1979 · Jan 20, 2019

PM sent

roadrunner · Jan 20, 2019

There are some good bucks in 2C, however, it is declining somewhat. If you don't mind shooting a really big 3x4, 2C isn't a bad unit.

Ever since hunting journals and outdoor magazines posted articles about Rio Arriba County, NM it has become the "pinnacle" of NM mule deer...