New Mexico Pronghorn

[Aerosith]

Hi all, I was lucky and drew a rifle pronghorn tag in units 50/52 New Mexico.
I am not asking any information regarding the unit/hunt, but I would love to see some Successful Pictures from past hunters there?
I will update this thread real time during my hunt.

 

[TheGreek]

Never had the tag but I’ve seen pronghorn on both sides of 285 north of Tres Piedras while driving previously.

 

[Cattleman]

Please do everybody a favor and remove the unit # from your post. Google New Mexico unit ** pronghorn and this thread shows up 5th!

 

[David658]

Turn in just south of San Antonio Mountain, as though you are going to Lagunitas. Both north around the flank of the mountain, and along the road until you cross the San Antonio River, you may well see Antelope. I have seen the most driving north along the San Antonio River, just on the west flank of San Antonio Mountain.

 

[perma]

Please do everybody a favor and remove the unit # from your post. Google New Mexico unit 50 pronghorn and this thread shows up 5th!

When you think it can’t get worse, someone else posted waypoints in a separate thread along with the unit number.

 

[mrcowboy]

The rifle hunt for this 50/52 hunt is new. Used to be muzzle only. They will crush them with rifles. Expect herd numbers to go down over next few years. This is a unique herd that lives at higher altitude and can be found amongst the aspen groves. This rule change was pushed by one game commissioner that has ranch ties in the area. He/ranch buddies will sell lots of private rifle ranch tags. Saw few nice bucks. Was thru there over the weekend.

 

[Aerosith]

The rifle hunt for this 50/52 hunt is new. Used to be muzzle only. They will crush them with rifles. Expect herd numbers to go down over next few years. This is a unique herd that lives at higher altitude and can be found amongst the aspen groves. This rule change was pushed by one game commissioner that has ranch ties in the area. He/ranch buddies will sell lots of private rifle ranch tags. Saw few nice bucks. Was thru there over the weekend.

Overall, they actually reduced the tags from previous years. The muzzleloader hunts with scopes historically have had a really high success rate. With the removal of scopes on muzzleloaders and reduction of tags I would expect the overall harvest to go down quite a bit. Although these hunts will probably kill off more of the top end animals over time. I feel Blessed to have the tag this year.

 

[mrcowboy]

Yes there was a tag reduction however private land/ranches can issue as many pronghorn license and tags as the ranch likes. Similar to issuing mule deer private land license/tags. I believe that they could do this last year in the muzz hunt also. This is a good hunt. I just dont like the fact that a commissioner that has ranch interests in the area pushed for the change to rifle and got his wish. Not sure this is sound management.

 

[mrcowboy]

My bad OTC is not available for this hunt.

 

[schmalts]

I hunted it with my son once during the muzz hunt. I have never seen lopes so skiddish before. Moo cow was useless. Don't know if it was from the handicap hunt previous or what but it was a tough hunt with a muzzle loader due to not being able to get close. The rifle hunt over in the NE part of the state was the opposite and you could walk up to 100 yards with moo cow no problem.... with a rifle. Go figure

 

[LopeHunter]

I hunted it with my son once during the muzz hunt. I have never seen lopes so skiddish before. Moo cow was useless. Don't know if it was from the handicap hunt previous or what but it was a tough hunt with a muzzle loader due to not being able to get close. The rifle hunt over in the NE part of the state was the opposite and you could walk up to 100 yards with moo cow no problem.... with a rifle. Go figure

My experience as well plus after the first day and a half most of the hunters left which allowed pronghorn to no longer ping pong between hunters so had to stalk the pronghorn rather than ambush one as it ran around frantically.

Advice for the OP is to find a gap in the fencing or a locate a spot where pronghorn are slipping under the three-strand then put up a pop up blind.

 

[Aerosith]

Here is my 2023 NM pronghorn:
I filled the tag on the last day, it was a fun but difficult hunt. These pronghorn were the most spooked I have ever seen. I saw about 100 pronghorn in 4 days, maybe 15 bucks and he was in the top 3 that I saw. 4 mile stalk and shot this buck at 10,000ft, had a two mile packout to the truck. Fortunately I’m strong enough I packed him out whole in one go.

 

[Valley1320]

Congrats on a beautiful buck!

 

[RKstillhunt'n]

Hi all, I was lucky and drew a rifle pronghorn tag in units 50/52 New Mexico.
I am not asking any information regarding the unit/hunt, but I would love to see some Successful Pictures from past hunters there?
I will update this thread real time during my hunt.

They're everywhere they're everywhere!

 

[BradA]

Congratulations way to stay after it and not give up with the set backs

 

[jrabq]

Congrats on the fine buck and kudos for sticking with it. It's screwy that they put the rifle hunt before the muzzleloader hunt, maybe that can be changed in the future. And now with no scopes on muzzleloaders it would be better if the just did away with the rifle hunt, which was new this year.

I hunted this unit before scopes were legal, back in the early 1990s and the animals were not very skittish, you could often get to 150-200 yards without much effort. That all changed when scopes were allowed, in the late 1990s I think.

 

[baker6019]

Congrats, antelope is the next hunt on our list after this year's raspberry Island Roosevelt. Maybe next year for us.