NM Late Season Muley Hunt

[Valley1320]

Next time I got to hunt was a Saturday. It was snowing when I left the house but cleared up where I was going to hunt and then it really started to snow bout the time it got light. Visibility was terrible for awhile couldn't glass anything hardly. Went and walked a draw, no deer bedded that we found just jumped a couple bobcats.

 

[Valley1320]

Finally cleared off and get some sunshine and starting finding some deer. Kept finding does but no decent bucks. The whole day was like that found pry 6 different groups of does and biggest buck was a one antlered 3 point. Finally towards the last 45mins of light we ran over to another spot to glass. Found a wide like 30" wide big 2x2 old deer with a doe and smaller buck. But they were a couple hundred yards off state.

 

[WNC2500]

Wow, 30" wide, I like it!! Good luck seeing him again.

 

[Valley1320]

Got time to go sit a evening a couple days later. Went to the field where that guy had busted the deer out of last time I was there. Slowly some deer started coming out a couple does and a fork horn. Starting to get close to dark finally I start seeing more deer. O here's the big boy, he feeds into the field angling my way. I'm hiding behind a tree just waiting for him to come in range. All sudden I hear a pickup driving up the road that goes around the field behind. What the $%$#$! Drives by me never even saw me. Drives around the end of the field the deer run towards me. Now the buck is in range but there's a lil salt cedar tree in the way. So I'm waiting for the buck to move enough to give me a shot. I look back towards the pickup, the guy is stopped on the other end of the field and out of it trying be sneaking walking down the edge of the field toward the deer. I'm like help us all some pple that call themselves hunters these days. Deer bust out for cover at that point. Come to find out the landowner had gave this guy permission but hadn't told me he had. So o well. The guy never saw me. But I txt him and he told me to txt him when we hunted and he'd stay out.

 

[WNC2500]

That does get a little bit frustrating! Keep at it Valley!! You are gonna get one.

 

[fmnjr]

You're seeing deer! Get 'em!

 

[brownbear932008]

I hope you smoke a great deer. My rifle hunt down there was worst than a beach vacation. Came back peeling and burnt

 

[Valley1320]

Made it out the next Monday evening for a evening hunt. Went to one other place I had permission close by and where I knew no-one else did. Had some does come out on the property I was on but the buck was on a wheat field across the fence on the neighbors. Nice 3x4 pry 28" wide. Nothing came close the rest of the evening saw one other nice buck already a nice 5x5 but he's a young deer pry only 3 1/2 yearold. Hoping to see him next year and see what he turns into.

 

[WNC2500]

I hope you see him. That is a nice deer right there in the field!!

 

[Valley1320]

Made it back out Wednesday evening went to the same place. Saw the deer and a couple more bucks but they came out extremely late and got dark before they got into range.

 

[Valley1320]

Didn't get to hunt Thursday went back out Friday morning and we had a lil snow on the ground. Had my brother with me who just had a private land tag. Found a buck out cruising at first spot we stopped to glass. And he's heading towards us. I tell my brother you better go get ready he's gonna go up that lil ridge of mesquite. So my brother gets in postion buck is heading straight for him. There's some does on past us that the buck is heading towards. My brother draws buck is still heading his way right before he gets to a opening my brother grunts at him. Deer never slows keeps on cruising. Grunts again deer looks back but just keeps going. Wouldn't stop he had walked thru the mesquite at 25 yards. So we watched where he went with those does and decided might try on the again later if we didn't find anything else. Drive on down to another nob and and find a group of deer with a some forkies and a decent 3x3. They are heading for a creek bottom so we let them go and watch where they go.we head down the creek the wind is perfect. We starting sneaking down it. Finally find some of the does and the forkies. Where's the 3x3? Finally the deer move off so we can keep looking. Finally we find him. Bedded right against the creek with a doe. Easy to sneak in close but no way to get a shot no openings and way to to much brush. So we get down in the creek and sneak past them. It's a little better postion but not much. They are still there but the buck is up moving around now. I can just see his head. He looking out towards where the other deer had went. At this point we're at like 20 yards but no way to get a shot off. He disappears from my sight so we find a spot where we can climb out of the creek slowly and hopefully see him again. Bummer him and the doe went back to the other deer and are on the neighbors now.

 

[WNC2500]

That was a fun stalk I bet. Good luck on finishing it up. Hope you and your brother are able to finish it up.

 

[Valley1320]

Went back out Friday evening on a hay field. Deer came out but in a different field and no way to get in range with a bow.

 

[Valley1320]

Saturday was my last full day I knew I had to hunt. Left the house early and heading down to some state and private that I can hunt 30mins or so from the house. Got to my first spot to glass and had to wait for sun to come up. Once it was light enough glassed up some does right away. Watched them awhile hoping a buck would show but nothing. Moved to the other side of the pasture and found more does and still no buck! This is ridiculous. Never had a January hunt with so many does without bucks before. Left that place and headed down to another spot to glass from the top of a big sand hill. Glassed there for 10-15mins. Nothing anywhere in sight. Well I'll move on down to where the state borders some private I hunt. Got down there park on the cattleguard where the road is a lil higher get my spotting scope out and start glassing the state where it comes up to the private. Instantly see deer. Does grazing. Al sudden, o there's a buck. O a nice buck! Keep looking o there's 5 bucks!!

 

[WNC2500]

Ok, now that is what I am talking about! Looks like there is a shooter in there. Don't be picky. Last day!

 

[Valley1320]

So I keep watching them, they are moving around to much and all to stalk them at this point. Forsure don't want to let them out of my sight

 

[Valley1320]

So I watch them continue to feed up into the oak and sands humps. They are right on the skyline at the peak of the humps feeding. Then the other good sized buck beds down. And they kinda stop feeding off and are perty much staying put in one spot. So I drive around so I can come in from behind them and have the wind right, and with the only chance of being hid.

 

[WNC2500]

Lord have mercy that is a wide one

 

[brownbear932008]

Yeah that one is sweet!

 

[Valley1320]

So I got around and starting sneaking back in towards them. I had to let them out if sight for 10-15 when I did that. Finally got to where I could find them again and they had moved a couple 100 yards but they were bedded now which was good. But where they had bedded... wow this was gonna be hard.