NM GMU 16 Muleys

[mcelweed]

Drew a tag for GMU 16 in NM for this year's deer hunt. Any advice/inputs on where to start scouting in prep for this fall? If you happen to have a 170"-180 buck tied up somewhere in 16, I'll take that too. Thanks.

 

[putm2sleep]

Rifle or bow. Early or late? There is a man by the name of John Cushman who can give you some advice, and tell you where to go.
PM him

 

[mcelweed]

Drew for rifle the first week of Nov. Had GMU 17 last year with no luck.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Are you a NM resident? The Gila is a stellar elk unit, but just ok for deer. Also they are desert mule deer, not rocky mountain in that unit. I would take the first legal buck you see. Do you have any private land access?

 

[nmelktrout]

If you hunted 17 for deer last year, you can pretty much expect the same in terms of low deer numbers and country in the 16s. The Gila's deer herds are in absolutely poor condition and mature deer are extremenly hard to come by in the 16s. I would focus my efforts on the South and East facing slopes in 16E and 16C, wherever you can find them. Spend a good bit of time scouting, because you will need to work hard to find a decent buck and stay on him. I love deer hunting in th Gila, but man is it tough. Nothing like the elk hunts, that's for certain.

 

[HighDesertSage]

If you hunted 17 for deer last year, you can pretty much expect the same in terms of low deer numbers and country in the 16s. The Gila's deer herds are in absolutely poor condition and mature deer are extremenly hard to come by in the 16s. I would focus my efforts on the South and East facing slopes in 16E and 16C, wherever you can find them. Spend a good bit of time scouting, because you will need to work hard to find a decent buck and stay on him. I love deer hunting in th Gila, but man is it tough. Nothing like the elk hunts, that's for certain.

That's why I was hoping he was a resident. That unit takes some serious pre scouting to be successful. Alot of the bucks stick to where the water is, ie private land.....

 

[sbhooper]

If it is like 17, I would never put in for deer there. I hunted elk in 17 for several years and over that whole time, I only saw a handful of deer. One or two real shooters.

Great squirrel hunting, though!

 

[mcelweed]

ishootdasmallones,
Yes, I live in Albuquerque. I had a buddy hunt that area last year. I plan on doing some Google Earth scouting over the next month or so. This summer I plan on doing several weekend camping/scouting trips down there to see what I can find. I'm interested to see if the herds will concentrate around the White Water Baldy fire area to take advantage of the new growth. I'm not looking for a trophy, although I wouldn't turn one down, I just want meat in the freezer.

 

[sbhooper]

Why did you put in for 16 instead of a southeast unit if you were mainly just looking for meat? The Sacramento Mountains has lots of deer and some good bucks, too..