Magdalena Mts

[HighCountryCommando]

Drew the January archery deer tag for this region of NM. If your familar with the unit, is there enough snow high in the mountains to push deer to lower elevations at this time of year? I'm trying to get a sense of how effective summer or early fall scouting will be.

 

[BrianID]

Deer could still be up high in January. Even at 9000 ft, there likely won't be enough snow to push the deer lower. Southern NM high mountains don't get as much snow as Northern NM or even close to what Colorado mountains do at similar elevations. I really doubt there will be any significant snow except for the very top of the mountain. The lower elevations may get snow but it never stays more than a few days. You may already know this but I would expect to see some rutting activity in January. I don't think scouting for a particular buck would be useful in the summer or early fall. However, a scouting trip would help you learn the country and give you an idea about the size of bucks you may see. You may even have a day or two of your hunt that is t shirt weather in the afternoon. Good luck.

 

[HighCountryCommando]

Thank you for that bit of info! I will head out there this summer and get a lay of the land. Then I'll wait till Dec to go back and look for deer specifically.

 

[cookie_dodger]

BrianID summed it up well. I had a December cow hunt in the area last year and there was only a couple patches of snow lingering in shady spots and on the northerly aspects. Not enough to push deer to the lower elevations.

 

[Crimeny]

I almost got ran over by a buck while napping at 10,000 ft in that unit, in January, with at least a foot of snow on the ground. (My dog kicked it up.) Two miles away and 1500 ft down it was relatively warm and snow free. But there were tracks all over the top of the mountain.
I spend a lot more time at a family place in northern NM where I find deer and elk beds at 9-10k ft in 1-2 ft of snow all winter long. A 12 mile "migration" and they'd be at 5-6k ft with almost no snow. I don't get it. They don't care.