Youth Deer Unit 17

[SWB]

My daughter has the youth deer hunt in Unit 17. The hunt starts the day before Thanksgiving. I want to scout around there this week. The only experience I have in the unit is I had a muzzle load deer hunt there in 2001. I didn't get anything on that hunt. Hunted the San Mateo?s, I feel there is a lot more country to cover in the unit than I did.

I would appreciate if anyone has any suggestions of where I should look around in that unit. My daughter got a nice Bull Elk this year in unit 34; this will be her first deer hunt.

Thanks,
SWB

 

[wallhanger]

Hi SWB- Glad to hear you get to get out and spend some time with your daughter over Thanksgiving. My oldest son had that hunt about 5 years ago, and here's what I learned:

The deer seemed to be in the middle elevations- the cedar country and even lower canyons. We only saw young bucks, but maybe the big mature guys were up in the steep stuff. We were camped just below Springtime Campground. As a guide, there's a windmill about 2/3 the way to the campground that seemed to be the right elevation for the deer.

Don't overlook the really open country. The deer around there seem to have kind of a desert mentality (at least that's what we found). We went home empty handed that year, but my son elected to pass on a couple young bucks.

Another word of advice: make sure you have tough tires and a good spare. We popped two tires that trip and only had one spare: It cost us over $500 to get our truck and trailer towed to the tire shop in Truth Or Consequences.

I think there are deer all over the unit, you'll just have to see where they're hanging once you get there. I hope this info is helpful, and wish your daughter good luck.

WH

 

[efnm]

I would recommend the west or east slopes of either range and find an area on the map with public land that lets you glass the rolling grass-covered hills in the good light. I got lucky in a canyon that I set up in before dark, since I was in the right place as they fed up a slope. But that was pure luck - I hadn't known if any bucks were there, and wouldn't try it again.

A friend had good luck on the western side of the Magdalenas, east of Squaw peak. That area has good access.