2023 NM muzzleloader mule deer Unit 13

[QELKhunter]

The time is fast approaching for my 2023 NM mule deer hunt. After 9 years of applying I finally drew a NM deer tag, not my first choice hunt, but I am extremely happy to have a tag in my pocket. The last time I hunted this unit was in 2008, crazy to think that was 15 years ago! As you can easily guess from the title this is in the heart of NM, unit 13, Socorro County. When I last hunted this unit I had the benefit of being a resident who covered a lot of ground year round on horse back. I had the deer migration patterns nailed down and all the active water sources mapped.

Well this year I am starting from scatch, I still have the benefit of historical knowledge of the area, but a lot can change and has changed in 15 years. This past weekend I put boots on the ground and started scouring all the areas I remember from my youth. Unfortunately I did not lay eyes on a single deer, male or female. The first rain collection station I checked had not been maintained and was no longer a viable water source. I was rather peeved to have found that to be the case as of course I checked my primary target location first, the only other water I was able to find in the area was a stock well 3 miles away and about 200 yards onto private. There was very old deer sign along the game/cattle trail headed to the stock well, but nothing new or fresh.

The second location I checked was also a rain collection sight, luckily this one is still active and had a lot of fresh sign, but only that of elk, coyote and maybe bobcat. I also saw a herd of 5 cow elk here and heard a faint bugle just after sunset.

The 3rd spot I went to had a youth muzzleloader elk hunter sitting it, so I backed out and let them be. I spent the remaining time searching new areas and studying OnEx for possible scouting trips this coming weekend. I am trying to be respectful of those currently hunting while still putting in my due diligence in scouting for my own hunt.

I am hopeful this thread will be filled with many pictures of prospective target bucks and one hell of a fun hunt recap, but only time will tell.

 

[David658]

Best of luck for you - we drew good tags, but health got in the way. Enjoy your times in the woods.

David
NM

 

[elkfanatic]

Wishing you luck!

 

[QELKhunter]

Just got back from my second weekend scouting unit 13. Pulled some trail camera cards but they only got pictures of elk, two bulls and several cows with calves. I was fortunate this time to find 3 does, but nothing with antlers.

There were plenty of ATV's buzzing around all weekend. Kinda find it disappointing with how many people just spend all day driving the 2 track roads and county roads on Atv's and side by side. Wether you are hunting or not I do not see the thrill of hauling ass and raising dust all day. Why don't people just slow down and enjoy the scenery, put some time and energy into truly experiencing the outdoors in its most natural form.

BLM and forest service put up signs and obstacles to prevent the destruction of the landscape and these yahoo's just creat a new route around the barrier and ignore the signs. It's no wonder the wildlife of New Mexico stay to private land. If it was truly a fair chase, boots on the ground hunting experience, these animals wouldn't be pressured so hard and be forced to find refuge on private.

The ignorance and destruction caused by by the self entitled hurts everyone. I am still enjoying my adventure, but can't help to think how things would be different if everyone played by the rules and the places that are supposed to be wild and foot traffic only were intact still that.

Well there it is, my rant for second weekend scouting. Till next week.

 

[QELKhunter]

Well that's a wrap for 2023! I am all out of tags for 2023 and will be moving on to predators, waterfowl and maybe pheasants.

I will do a writeup to close this threaded our tomorrow, but now it's time to get some rest and let my legs recover!

Check back tomorrow for a fun story and some awesome pictures!

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

Bueller?

 

[QELKhunter]

Bueller?

Sorry, life happened and as you can tell this write up did not. Lol

I will try and find the time to share this story with you all.

Thanks for checking in.

 

[QELKhunter]

The time was finally approaching for my 2023 New Mexico mule deer hunt. After nine years of applying, I drew a deer tag. It wasn’t my first-choice hunt, but I was more than happy to have a tag in my pocket.

The last time I hunted this country was in 2008—hard to believe that was fifteen years ago. As the title suggests, this hunt took place in the heart of New Mexico, Unit 13 in Socorro County. Back then, I was a resident and had the luxury of covering large portions of the unit year-round on horseback. I knew the migration patterns, the pressure points, and every reliable water source.

This year, I was starting almost from scratch.

I still carried historical knowledge of the area, but fifteen years is a long time in the desert Southwest. Water changes. Pressure changes. Access changes. Some things, unfortunately, don’t improve.

In the weeks leading up to the hunt, I put boots on the ground and revisited areas I remembered from my youth—old drainages, familiar ridges, and basins that once held deer consistently. I didn’t see a single deer on those first trips.

The first rain collection station I checked—a former cornerstone water source—had not been maintained and was no longer viable. That was frustrating, especially since it was my primary target area. The only other water nearby was a stock well roughly three miles away, sitting about 200 yards onto private land. There was old deer sign along the game and cattle trail leading toward it, but nothing fresh.

A second rain collection site was still active and holding water, but all the sign belonged to elk, coyotes, and possibly a bobcat. I glassed a small group of cow elk and heard a faint bugle just after sunset.

Another planned area already had a youth muzzleloader elk hunter set up, so I backed out and gave them space. I spent the rest of the time covering new ground and studying OnX, trying to balance scouting with respect for those actively hunting.

A second scouting weekend produced much of the same. Trail cameras were full of elk—two bulls and several cows with calves. I did finally glass three does, but still no bucks. ATV and side-by-side traffic was constant, even during scouting, and the disregard for closures and landscape protection was hard to ignore.

Still, I was enjoying the process. Being back in this country—even changed—felt right.

Opening morning found me in a much better position. I now had a horse under saddle—a significant advantage compared to pre-season scouting on foot. For short scouting trips, hauling horses six hours didn’t make sense. For the hunt itself, it was worth every mile.

The night before was restless, as most hunt eves are. Dreams of a world-record, non-typical cactus buck filled my head like a kid dreaming of Santa Claus.

At first light, I headed south and west of Sevilleta Wildlife Refuge, hunting a mix of BLM, State and private land I had permission to access through a ranching family I’d worked for in high school. I chose this area because it was familiar country and because I had once seen a true mule deer giant here more than fifteen years ago. Deer density is lower here than in other parts of the unit, but the checkerboard of BLM and private ground keeps pressure low.

By the time the sun cleared the ridge, we were deep in the drainage I wanted to hunt. Several does were already filtering into the creosote brush on north-facing slopes. Hunting on horseback offers an incredible advantage—your horse becomes a living movement detector. His ears caught movement long before my eyes did. After a few stops, he knew the routine: ears up, stop, glass.

Before long, we’d seen over a dozen deer and a couple of coyotes. Most deer were bedding on shaded, north-facing slopes. As I pressed higher, I was struck by the amount of fresh deer sign. In just the weeks between scouting and opening day, many more deer had moved in—likely from youth-hunt pressure elsewhere and early rut behavior in this drainage, patterns that had probably existed for centuries.

At the last known livestock waterer, I watered and rested my horse. Below the tank was green grass from overflow and shade from the only cottonwood on the mountain. I hobbled him, loosened the cinch, and continued on foot, knowing the next three miles involved barbed-wire crossings without gates.

Climbing toward the main peak, I glassed every shaded pocket, every shrub, every likely hideout. By just after 8 a.m., temperatures were already in the mid-80s.

Scanning a ridge to the southwest, I finally spotted a buck standing in the shade of a juniper where a game trail crossed. He was exceptionally wide, but distance and heat waves made it hard to judge his frame. I moved to the same elevation and closed the distance.

At roughly 500 yards, I glassed him again. His main beams looked almost melted just above the eye guards, dropping evenly to each side. His antlers were a creamy white and light in mass—two points per side plus eye guards. His body was built like a tank, but the white around his muzzle told the story of age and decline.

This wasn’t the buck I’d waited fifteen years for. On opening morning—or any morning—it was an easy pass.

I dropped elevation and skirted him within about 80 yards, moving on to the next glassing point. After thoroughly covering the area, I returned to my horse and chose the scenic route out. It took the rest of the day—even on horseback—but allowed me to explore additional drainages. Aside from a few does and a couple of spikes, there were no mature bucks to be found.

After Day 1, I packed up and moved west to hunt Cibola National Forest between Datil and Pie Town where I would spend the remained of the season. Deer numbers were higher here—but so was pressure. ATVs and side-by-sides were everywhere, even on closed roads.

The areas I’d scouted previously showed the same pattern: some does, far more elk. The next few days reflected that reality, and my tactics shifted. In this country, I never felt comfortable leaving my horse tied, hobbled, or separated from me. The disregard shown by many “hunters” for rules, safety, and the land made protecting my horse a priority.

Not every interaction was negative. I met a father and daughter hunting the same tag I had. We exchanged sightings, and since they were locals looking to fill a tag for meat, I shared the location of the wide buck from opening morning as well as others I had seen. I don’t know if they filled their tags, but I hope they did—for the memories alone.

In the Cibola, I encountered several legal bucks—mostly young deer with clear potential. Having already filled tags in Colorado and still holding cow elk tags, I chose to let every one of them walk. I hope to return to this hunt someday, and I’m satisfied knowing I left those bucks to grow.

Unit 13 has changed since I last hunted it fifteen years ago—but so have I. Despite pressure, frustrations, and changing landscapes, I’m grateful for the experience and the opportunity to return to country that shaped me as a hunter.

I’d do it again in a heartbeat.