mozey
Long Time Member
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- 3,118
I took a couple first-time deer hunters out with me this past week to an area in 16 where I've seen decent numbers of deer the past several years. I was talking up this hunt quite a bit last year when I had them both attach to my application. But when I started scouting the area this past summer I sensed that something was different this year--just not seeing the same numbers of deer and zero fawns. And it wasn't just me--an outfitter that I talked with confirmed this year seemed different to him as well.
Despite all that, luck smiled on us and we were able to get one of the first-timers his first buck on the opening day, a decent 4X4:
Still, I was concerned that I wasn't seeing hardly any other deer. When the bad weather started on Monday, the other hunters in my party who were already frustrated decided to call it a hunt and headed home. I decided to stick it out through the next day just so I could use the fresh fallen snow to locate some animals.
I hiked 16 miles round trip on Tuesday in a stiff north wind without seeing a single deer track in the snow. After the snow melted, I did actually see a small buck and two does, but I wasn't interested in that buck. On Wednesday, I decided to check one more canyon where I photographed a couple big bucks (posted the pic on here last year).
Short of it is, I didn't find deer, but through my spotting scope I watched three wolves eating what I think was an antelope--first I've ever seen in the area. I can't say with certainty, but I gotta believe that wolves moving into area played a major role in the deer no longer being there. I think I've been something like ten for ten on deer hunts since moving to NM about 15 years ago (stopped keeping track). I think this is the first deer hunt that I came up empty, and disappointed that it looks like I'll have to find a new area to hunt... :-(
Despite all that, luck smiled on us and we were able to get one of the first-timers his first buck on the opening day, a decent 4X4:
Still, I was concerned that I wasn't seeing hardly any other deer. When the bad weather started on Monday, the other hunters in my party who were already frustrated decided to call it a hunt and headed home. I decided to stick it out through the next day just so I could use the fresh fallen snow to locate some animals.
I hiked 16 miles round trip on Tuesday in a stiff north wind without seeing a single deer track in the snow. After the snow melted, I did actually see a small buck and two does, but I wasn't interested in that buck. On Wednesday, I decided to check one more canyon where I photographed a couple big bucks (posted the pic on here last year).
Short of it is, I didn't find deer, but through my spotting scope I watched three wolves eating what I think was an antelope--first I've ever seen in the area. I can't say with certainty, but I gotta believe that wolves moving into area played a major role in the deer no longer being there. I think I've been something like ten for ten on deer hunts since moving to NM about 15 years ago (stopped keeping track). I think this is the first deer hunt that I came up empty, and disappointed that it looks like I'll have to find a new area to hunt... :-(