Mexico Mule Deer Hunting

Wapitiwilly

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Hunted Sonora in January with Desert Trophy Outfitters. The outfitter made promises that were very unrealistic, his idea of hunting was to trespass on other ranches, in 1-week 4 hunters saw 1 average buck. He invited us back 2-weeks later at a discounted price but would not answer any e-mails or phone calls. We killed 1 Coues deer which he promised he would ship, never has arrived. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-03-08 AT 10:09PM (MST)[p]Interesting.....2 of my good buddies and i also went to Mexico this past January with Desert Trophies. Sounds like you had a very similar experience as to what we had. The three of us got a put on a very small ranch way out in Caborca. After hunting hard for 3 days and only seeing a few does and one 160 class buck we called the outfitter and asked to move ranches. We were told we would be relocated to a different ranch near Hermosillo so we loaded up and made the 3 1/2 hour drive back to town. We arrived at the outfitters office at midnight only to be told that he could not find a ranch for us and that our best bet was to catch a plane back to SLC in the morning and come back next year! imagine waiting for 9 months and anticipating a great 7 days of chasing muleys in Mexico only to be told after 3 days of hunting to go back home and try again next year! While he did not make us pay the remaining $4000 the trip still cost us $5,000 a piece after gun permits, air fair, and the 50% deposit required to book the hunt. I cant even begin to tell you how disappointed and upset we were. I don't know about you but that is a lot of money for three days of hunting and nothing to show for it but a sun burn and kick in the a$$ back to SLC.
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-04-08 AT 09:13AM (MST)[p]
is the outfitter a local or an american Cit.?
also noticed he advertise's here on MM.com
 
There are a number of outfits that have similar names, what was the actual name of the outfitter. That would probably clear up any confusion.

DL




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Roberto Ciscomani ([email protected])
Roberto Ciscomani ([email protected])
deserttrophy.com
This is the name and email address and the web site of the outfitter from above. STAY AWAY!!!
I also hunted turkey with this outfitter in April of 2007 I tock a good friend along with me. We ended up shouting 3 Gould Turkeys. To this day we have still not seen them!!! Money was paid up front bad bad bad idea on my behalf. I am glad that one person that wrote said he at least got to keep some of his money. I have taken Myself and Two others to this guy and I am out over $20,000.00 and I have nothing also to show for it. To add to it I booked him at the SCI show in Reno NV. I have sent a letter To SCI in hopes there may be some help there. If nothing else to get the word out to everyone else. Dont get me wrong I am not trying to put someone out of buiness, but at least make him accountable for his actions and help protect someone else from having the hunt of there dreams crushed.
 
From all reports, Sonora was a tough gig this year. Very few big deer killed. I booked with a reputable outfitter and while the food was excellent and the guides worked hard 1 out of 4 of us killed a buck (192 class). I saw one monster with no shot oppurtunity. We were invited back next year for a minimal fee. Will see what happens. I think poor management practices are starting to catch up with ranchers and outfitters in Sonora.

Mike
 
SORRY YOU FELLAS HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE, BUT I BET I'VE HEARD THIS SAME STORY 30 TIMES CONCERNING MEXICO. . I THOUGHT I WANTED TO TRY MEXICO FOR DEER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT REALLY DONT WANT TO RISK THAT KIND OF $$. I CAN ONLY THINK OUR HUNTING WORLD HAS WAY TOO MANY THIEFS, LOW LIFES, & CROOKS INVOLVED IN IT TO GET VERY COMFORTABLE WHEN BOOKING A HUNT NOW DAYS....SAD REALLY SAD.......YD.
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-04-08 AT 09:05PM (MST)[p]Great point Mike. Mexico was with a doubt tuff hunting this year across the board regardless of the outfitter. I do believe there are, however, a few things a guy can do to stack the odds in his favor so that despite a down year, he still has a better than average chance to shoot a good buck. After my experience last January i have thought a lot about deer hunting in MX being worth the $$ and it is definitely a tuff call. I have been there twice now and both times were with the same outfitter, Desert Trophies. In 2007 my 2 buddies and I wacked 3 good deer and had a good experience, hence our reason for going back in 2008. I need to be fair to our outfitter in that i do not believe he intentionally planned on putting us on a bad ranch. Certainly more due diligence on his part would have helped as i do not think he would have ever leased the ranch had he personally went out and scouted the property before hand. I do believe that our outfitter is a good guy but has made some mistakes that will cost him mine and my 2 other friends business in future years. Don't tell me to drive back to Hermosillo so we can go hunt another ranch and then send us packing once we get there! There are a few Desert Trophies Outfitters in MX and my intentions are not to speak ill of the one we went with only to educate the hard working hunting fool so he does not end up burning his hard earned money on a highly anticipated hunt that turns out to be a bust. #1. Do your DD. Call references from past years, the more the better of both hunters who killed and did not kill. #2 Make absolutely sure the outfitter has leased and hunted the ranch you will be hunting on before and that it is not new to him. Think about it, if ranch is a great ranch, the outfitter will resign with the rancher for another year and will absolutely not let it go. This is were we went wrong. I would call hunters who specifically hunted the ranch that you will be hunting on and ask them of their experience. #3 There is such a thing as over hunting a ranch though. While an outfitter may have had a particular ranch for several years it does not mean that its a great ranch. MX Government is notorious for issuing more tags for a ranch than what the deer population on that ranch can sustain. Find out how big the ranch is and how many hunters it has had on it in past years. This may sound contradictory to my second point but you need to make sure the ranch has been appropriately managed. #4 Make sure your ranch has not been hunted previous to your trip. As i mentioned, one ranch could very possibly receive 8 tags. As MX has 4/5 hunting weeks, it is possible your ranch could have already been hunted prior to your arrival. Where most ranches are not that big, this could be a bad deal.

There are more things a guy can and should do to ensure a quality experience. The bottom line is hunting in MX is no different than hunting here, its hunting and there are no guarantees. For me, had i followed my own advice, i think i could have avoided the bad experience we had and could have possibly come home with a wall hanger. Instead i trusted the outfitter would take care of me as i was a repeat client and put me on a good ranch. But when you are booking 100+ plus hunters a year you will inevitably have a mix of bad ranches, some good ones and a few exceptional ones. Don't trust in your outfitter to watch out for you, do your home work and put the odds in your favor because at the end of the day its your 9K that is being spent! If anyone would like more details you are welcome to PM me.

got the fever
 
I
>think poor management practices are
>starting to catch up with
>ranchers and outfitters in Sonora.
>
>
>Mike

Good summary !!!
 
Why Go South Of The Border When We Have Same Quality Of Deer Here.Less Money! No Hassles! Maybe I Dont Get It!,Nevada,Wyoming,Colorado,Utah To Name Of Few For Less $$$ Even Landowner Tags Are Cheaper In The Best Units.Good Luck Gordon RAM4G
 
Mexico is a huge crap-shoot.....Go to Alberta for a 190" buck!....A 180" in Alberta during rifle season is a "chip shot"....hell a 170" is very realistic during bow season. The best AB outfitters are booked through 09' however....
 
I've never hunted mule deer in Mexico, though I did have a very good coues deer hunt in Sonora once. I've got a casual friend who is very, very experienced in mule deer hunting in Sonora, having taken probably more than 15 bucks down there. They hunt a ranch where the owner strictly limits the take to 4 bucks per year, per ranch on the two ranches he owns. This friend and a few of his buddies have taken every single tag this landowner provides for quite a few years, with an agreement that they get first right of refusal each year. They take them all, at a cost of well over $10,000.00 per tag. They kill some super deer every year, including this past season though it was much worse than most years.

The most important thing I've learned about mule deer hunting in Sonora came from an observation of his. He told me that, year in and year out, the average long term success across Sonora runs about 19-20%. According to him, about 80% of the guys who go south to hunt mexican mule deer return home empty handed, year after year. He said the absolute key is to find a good ranch, and then work a deal to get it every year and take all the permits on a long term basis. This advice is coming from a guy who has taken probably in excess of a dozen bucks down there that score over 190, with his last three scoring over 210 gross. Some years, they don't even try to fill all the tags, they buy them to keep anyone else from getting in and depleting the quality bucks they enjoy hunting.
 
CAelknuts, quick math tells me, 4 dudes @ over 10 grand per year + gun permits & trip = approximately 50 grand smacked down per year over the last 15 years tells me as a group they have invested around

$ 750,000-

Seems to me they could have owned a fine ranch with that kind of outlay !
 
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MX is over priced for what you get in my opinion. But the chance at a wide framed sonorah muley as well as the sunsets and the cold Tecate will keep you going back.
 
BFE, that only covers 4 tags. They actually buy all eight. They can afford it. No, they don't own the ranch, don't know what they'd think about buying a ranch in Sonora. Can a gringo even do that?
 
People spend that kind of money every year for a very simple reason. In the past 10 years Sonora is the #1 chance for a typical B&C buck. Do a trophy search on the B&C website and you'll see for yourself Sonora has produced more book typical heads in the past 10 years than anywhere, period. I'm not saying it is necessarily worth it, but obviously some people do. I've been twice with mixed results.
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-08-08 AT 03:05PM (MST)[p]Is it worth the money...of course its not. So why then do people go to MX? I asked this very same questions to an american guide whom we met in the airport this past year in Sanora and his answer realy is fitting. "Of course its not worth the money but where else can you go hunt Mule Deer in January in 60 - 70 degree weather with pitia and cholla cactus all around and a chance at a true giant? There is only one such place and that is Mexico." It really is a fun place to hunt and can be an experience unlike any other IF you do what has been talked about and secure a good ranch and a good outfit. If you dont do this, there are a lot cheeper places to see cactus and get a sun tan in January than on a dusty old ranch house in MX. With out the proper DD, thats about all you will get!
 
I would suggest that MonsterMuleys stops flashing these guys adds all over the place. Desert Trophy Outfitters sounds like a flop to me...
 
I think about 2 years ago I posted something about if mexico keeps shooting the crap out of these big bucks each year what is going to be the result?
 

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