.
Gotta love NM etiquette!
Congratulations. Sounds like a great trip. And yes there are pockets of whitetail in several parts of unit 34. Mostly on private but, they seem to be thriving.Thanks for all the messages. We had a great hunt. We drove the 130 early Friday morning and saw 100+ elk. We did not see many bulls until the loop took us back towards Cloudcraft. The turkeys were sounding off and we saw 200+. A few mule deer - I think I saw a whitetail deer - is that possible? The mule deer literally let us pet them around the house.
We then went to the shooting range in La Luz. Great facility and people. Spent some time at the White Sands National Park, then lunch a Ceezy F Tacos. In line for orientation by 2:30 p.m. I hate losing that half day but zero you can do about it. Just finished processing the Oryx meat - this is our sixth one, so I have come to appreciate the meat maybe as much as the horns/hunt.
We were on Oryx from the get-go but found many of them out in those huge flats with little cover. We were on a group of seven bulls. They were a one mile off the road. We got into position with the sun at our back and the wind in our face. I was letting them feed in our direction slowly when some hunters on the road spotted them, parked 100 yards from our truck and headed in on the same group? On to the next group.
We spotted several others but wanted to pick a stalk that was manageable for a youth hunter. We finally found a group of 12 that were bedded in a low area with a ravine that would lead us within 300 yards. Took us about 45 minutes to get into position. We had all the time in the world. Let them feed into an opening and picked out the best one of the group. Had the Death Grip set up with the .300 WSM and two nice shots dropped him quickly - one a bit back in the rib cage and the second a bit forward in the neck/shoulder area. This was at about 3:30 p.m. Took photos, deboned him in the field, hiked out, and at the gate by 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. I likely made it harder than it need to be - 8.2 miles on Saturday - I am not sure I walked that far on all my other hunts combined
One last note - the east bound interstate between Santa Rosa and Tucumcari is the worst and most dangerous stretch of Interstate I have ever traveled - it has potholes that will make someone lose control of their vehicle. If you are driving this at night seriously be careful. It is so bad they have put up signs that tell you it is dangerous - WTF.
The bull was just a little over 30". Not a giant but a clean kill on a quality animal.
View attachment 138097
View attachment 138098
Thanks for all the messages. We had a great hunt. We drove the 130 early Friday morning and saw 100+ elk. We did not see many bulls until the loop took us back towards Cloudcraft. The turkeys were sounding off and we saw 200+. A few mule deer - I think I saw a whitetail deer - is that possible? The mule deer literally let us pet them around the house.
We then went to the shooting range in La Luz. Great facility and people. Spent some time at the White Sands National Park, then lunch a Ceezy F Tacos. In line for orientation by 2:30 p.m. I hate losing that half day but zero you can do about it. Just finished processing the Oryx meat - this is our sixth one, so I have come to appreciate the meat maybe as much as the horns/hunt.
We were on Oryx from the get-go but found many of them out in those huge flats with little cover. We were on a group of seven bulls. They were a one mile off the road. We got into position with the sun at our back and the wind in our face. I was letting them feed in our direction slowly when some hunters on the road spotted them, parked 100 yards from our truck and headed in on the same group? On to the next group.
We spotted several others but wanted to pick a stalk that was manageable for a youth hunter. We finally found a group of 12 that were bedded in a low area with a ravine that would lead us within 300 yards. Took us about 45 minutes to get into position. We had all the time in the world. Let them feed into an opening and picked out the best one of the group. Had the Death Grip set up with the .300 WSM and two nice shots dropped him quickly - one a bit back in the rib cage and the second a bit forward in the neck/shoulder area. This was at about 3:30 p.m. Took photos, deboned him in the field, hiked out, and at the gate by 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. I likely made it harder than it need to be - 8.2 miles on Saturday - I am not sure I walked that far on all my other hunts combined
One last note - the east bound interstate between Santa Rosa and Tucumcari is the worst and most dangerous stretch of Interstate I have ever traveled - it has potholes that will make someone lose control of their vehicle. If you are driving this at night seriously be careful. It is so bad they have put up signs that tell you it is dangerous - WTF.
The bull was just a little over 30". Not a giant but a clean kill on a quality animal.
View attachment 138097
View attachment 138098
H & A Outfitters
Private and public land hunts since 1992 for elk, mule deer, sheep, pronghorn, black Bear & lion hunts.
505 Outfitters
Public and private land big game hunts. Rifle, muzzleloader and archery hunts available. Free Draw Application Service!
Sierra Blanca Outfitters
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Urge 2 Hunt
Hunts in New Mexico on private ranches and remote public land in the top units. Elk vouchers available.
Mangas Outfitters
Landowner tags available! Hunt big bulls and bucks. Any season and multiple hunt units to choose from.
