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I've been applying as a non-resident to New Mexico since 2005. The state doesn't offer bonus points and the draw is a lottery every year. With odds in the single digits, I never actually expect to pull a tag. I've basically provided interest-free loans for the state to hold and return a few months later. Never mind the ranting, I actually drew a great tag this year.
When I initially researched NM coues tags, I assumed the ?late? tag was similar to my home state of Arizona?offering a two week window at the end of December that could produce rutting activity. I was surprised to learn my hunt was the first week of December.
After online research, Google Earth explorations and some pointers from online forums I felt fairly confident in getting started. My brother-in-law Mike and I headed out early Thursday morning and after a five hour commute, were setting up camp in an area we'd been told about. We drove the main areas I had planned on and got a feel for the terrain.
Opening morning was a sight. 12? of fresh snow and single digit temps. Neither of us expected this but is was a welcome surprise. We hiked for an hour or so in the dark and got to a predetermined knob to start glassing. I scoured every cut, canyon and saddle with my 15s and didn't turn up so much as a track by 10:00am With the cold weather and snow I figured the deer would be active by now.
We hauled back to camp and decided on another plan. We drove about 10 miles and began a slippery ascent into a popular area that the biologist said held the most deer. In an ironic turn of events, my big mud tires proved worthless in the snow and the truck spun out aimlessly about three miles from where we wanted to be. As I was helping orient a 15-point U-turn on the hillside, I glanced into the valley and noticed a small, rugged range that looked like the AZ coues country I was used to hunting. Cedars, yellow grass, and brushy draws caught my attention.
We turned the truck around and headed to the range. Navigating with my forest map we got to about ? mile away and I jumped out to start looking it over. I had two does feeding within a minute or two and decided we were going to pound this range.
COUES COUNTRY!
We strapped on the packs and hit a tall knob that provided a 360 stadium view of a big basin. I set up my tripod and started gridding out the mountain. I found a great deer cresting a saddle about 800 yards away. He had great length on everything and 6? G1s. As he fed out of site I threw on my pack and went up an adjacent cut to try to intercept him feeding or have a 200yd shot if he bedded near the top. It took me 30 minutes or so to break the ridge and view the back face of the mountain.
Survey marker on the ridge if you're wondering where I was
Moss on the rocks.
I never relocated that buck. I did however see two good bucks below me weaving through the cedars. I never could get a shot as they were restlessly moving through but I could put great beams and overall frames on them.
The next morning we creeped to a vantage point to start glassing that basin. After 30 minutes and on my second time passing over, I picked up a buck! He was feeding uphill, unaware of our presence. I ranged him at 715 yards. By the time I got the camera set-up and the gun dialed in he hadn't moved. With Mike locked in with the 15s I held right on him and touched off a round. The bullet drifted slightly left and hit about 12? or so high. Mike informed me of the shot and I made some adjustments. Because of the steep uphill angle I cut another 100 yds off the turret and as the buck stopped to feed again the bullet drilled him, center body. He hunched up and hobbled downhill. Five yards, or so he laid down and disappeared in the chest-high brush.
http://www.youtube.com/user/GRIZZITH?feature=mhee
It took me an hour or so to get up to him, and unfortunately I had to finish him off. He?s a great looking deer that doesn't have the best genetics but has a big frame. Really long G2s and palmated beams that almost touch, I love the look of this deer. He also had the biggest body of any of my coues deer.
After some shaky self-timed pics and video, we quartered him and had him back to the truck by noon. Thanks to all the coueswhitetail.com guys for your advice and help. I've said it before but these deer are a blast to hunt and a real challenge. I recommend to any mule deer fanatic to start planning and make time to hunt these beautiful animals.
"You skin grizz?"
When I initially researched NM coues tags, I assumed the ?late? tag was similar to my home state of Arizona?offering a two week window at the end of December that could produce rutting activity. I was surprised to learn my hunt was the first week of December.
After online research, Google Earth explorations and some pointers from online forums I felt fairly confident in getting started. My brother-in-law Mike and I headed out early Thursday morning and after a five hour commute, were setting up camp in an area we'd been told about. We drove the main areas I had planned on and got a feel for the terrain.
Opening morning was a sight. 12? of fresh snow and single digit temps. Neither of us expected this but is was a welcome surprise. We hiked for an hour or so in the dark and got to a predetermined knob to start glassing. I scoured every cut, canyon and saddle with my 15s and didn't turn up so much as a track by 10:00am With the cold weather and snow I figured the deer would be active by now.
We hauled back to camp and decided on another plan. We drove about 10 miles and began a slippery ascent into a popular area that the biologist said held the most deer. In an ironic turn of events, my big mud tires proved worthless in the snow and the truck spun out aimlessly about three miles from where we wanted to be. As I was helping orient a 15-point U-turn on the hillside, I glanced into the valley and noticed a small, rugged range that looked like the AZ coues country I was used to hunting. Cedars, yellow grass, and brushy draws caught my attention.
We turned the truck around and headed to the range. Navigating with my forest map we got to about ? mile away and I jumped out to start looking it over. I had two does feeding within a minute or two and decided we were going to pound this range.
COUES COUNTRY!
We strapped on the packs and hit a tall knob that provided a 360 stadium view of a big basin. I set up my tripod and started gridding out the mountain. I found a great deer cresting a saddle about 800 yards away. He had great length on everything and 6? G1s. As he fed out of site I threw on my pack and went up an adjacent cut to try to intercept him feeding or have a 200yd shot if he bedded near the top. It took me 30 minutes or so to break the ridge and view the back face of the mountain.
Survey marker on the ridge if you're wondering where I was
Moss on the rocks.
I never relocated that buck. I did however see two good bucks below me weaving through the cedars. I never could get a shot as they were restlessly moving through but I could put great beams and overall frames on them.
The next morning we creeped to a vantage point to start glassing that basin. After 30 minutes and on my second time passing over, I picked up a buck! He was feeding uphill, unaware of our presence. I ranged him at 715 yards. By the time I got the camera set-up and the gun dialed in he hadn't moved. With Mike locked in with the 15s I held right on him and touched off a round. The bullet drifted slightly left and hit about 12? or so high. Mike informed me of the shot and I made some adjustments. Because of the steep uphill angle I cut another 100 yds off the turret and as the buck stopped to feed again the bullet drilled him, center body. He hunched up and hobbled downhill. Five yards, or so he laid down and disappeared in the chest-high brush.
http://www.youtube.com/user/GRIZZITH?feature=mhee
It took me an hour or so to get up to him, and unfortunately I had to finish him off. He?s a great looking deer that doesn't have the best genetics but has a big frame. Really long G2s and palmated beams that almost touch, I love the look of this deer. He also had the biggest body of any of my coues deer.
After some shaky self-timed pics and video, we quartered him and had him back to the truck by noon. Thanks to all the coueswhitetail.com guys for your advice and help. I've said it before but these deer are a blast to hunt and a real challenge. I recommend to any mule deer fanatic to start planning and make time to hunt these beautiful animals.
"You skin grizz?"
