Gametracker
40 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2004
- Messages
- 143
- Reaction score
- 1
Hello fellow hunters! It's been 3 weeks since I returned from my solo New Mexico ML mulie hunt. I've just now had the opportunity to give a summary for you. It went as follows:
After a serpentine drive that included the Palo Duro Canyon, Kit Carson's home, Taos Pueblo, and the spectacular Rio Grande Gorge, I arrived at my hunt unit 4 days early to scout the area, and to interrogate the remaining archery elk hunters for deer sightings.I was fortunate to run into 3 Navajo gentlemen right off the bat who were familiar with the area. they pointed me to a good concentration of deer immediately, probably saving me alot of time and effort. After 2 days of hard scouting, I took a day off to avoid exhaustion and visited El Morro and El Malpais National Monuments. I used the last day before the season started (on saturday, Sept. 23) to do some target shooting. The season was a traditional ML-only season, and I would be carrying my Lyman Great Plains percussion rifle in .54 caliber, shooting 100 grns Goex behind a .535 patched roundball.
Up til now, I had only seen one legal buck that would have met the unit restriction of at least 3 points on one antler.The first four days of the hunt, my strategy was to sit near open ares in the mornings and evenings, and to move during the afternoons when I thought they would be bedded. I saw deer but only a couple per day, mostly by startling them before I knew I was upon them, and they were gone in an instant.
With 3 days remaining, I knew I needed a change of strategy if I was going to avoid another fruitless western big game hunt. I needed a little modern help for my traditional hunt. I recalled that when the elk hunters said they saw good bucks, it was almost always inadvertantly while driving the forest roads. Up until now, the only legal shooting bucks I had seen were from my truck while driving. I then realized that the densely forested country was too big, and the deer population too sparse, for my eastern whitetail hunting techniques. I wasn't hunting a 30 acre tract where 20 whitetails may be hiding. I was among miles of rugged mountainous wilderness, where a couple mulies may be the closest deer for a good mile. And with practically no parks to glass, I needed to cover more territory.
On day 5, I would drive the forest roads back and forth until I seen deer. Huge difference. I saw 12 deer that day, including 5 bucks! When I would see a buck far enough off the road, I would drive down the forest road beyond the buck about 1/4 to 1/2 mile, then double back on foot for a stalk, carrying my homemade shooting sticks made with two 3/4" dowell rods and cotton twine.I made 2 unsuccessful stalks that day, but my confidence was snowballing.
Thursday morning, it wasn't long before I saw my first deer, a dandy buck. I repeated my new routine and worked to within 70 yards of him. From where I sat, his head and rump were hidden behind a pair of pine trees, with his body exposed. I took the lung shot, and he bounded off rather casually leaving me with the impression that I had missed. Baffled, I reloading and made my way over to were he stood when I shot him, hoping for a second chance at him. Then I discovered a heavy blood trail that went about 50 yards, and ended where a dream became reality. I found a ten-pointer in full velvet, my first mule deer! :grin:
I inspected the damage done while field dressing. The roundball entered the left side behind the ribcage, passed throught the lungs, and broke the ribs on the far side without pushing through the skin.
With my goal accomplished, I headed home... somewhat indirectly. I swung south and took in White Sands Monument and Caprock Canyons State Park, Texas.
Now the head is at the taxidermy. The meat is delicious. I'm working the rest of the hide. I feel like I owe a debt of gratitude to the three elk hunters who pinpointed the deer for me. They even welcomed me into their camp and fed me once. I've spoken to them over the phone since returning home. It's nice to have new hunter friends from that area to consult with from now on.
Well, I've taken up enough space. I could go on about this trip all day. I've hunted out west before with centerfire rifle and compound bow, but ,finally, I get my first successful western hunt, and I did it with the ol' smokepole :hatsoff:
After a serpentine drive that included the Palo Duro Canyon, Kit Carson's home, Taos Pueblo, and the spectacular Rio Grande Gorge, I arrived at my hunt unit 4 days early to scout the area, and to interrogate the remaining archery elk hunters for deer sightings.I was fortunate to run into 3 Navajo gentlemen right off the bat who were familiar with the area. they pointed me to a good concentration of deer immediately, probably saving me alot of time and effort. After 2 days of hard scouting, I took a day off to avoid exhaustion and visited El Morro and El Malpais National Monuments. I used the last day before the season started (on saturday, Sept. 23) to do some target shooting. The season was a traditional ML-only season, and I would be carrying my Lyman Great Plains percussion rifle in .54 caliber, shooting 100 grns Goex behind a .535 patched roundball.
Up til now, I had only seen one legal buck that would have met the unit restriction of at least 3 points on one antler.The first four days of the hunt, my strategy was to sit near open ares in the mornings and evenings, and to move during the afternoons when I thought they would be bedded. I saw deer but only a couple per day, mostly by startling them before I knew I was upon them, and they were gone in an instant.
With 3 days remaining, I knew I needed a change of strategy if I was going to avoid another fruitless western big game hunt. I needed a little modern help for my traditional hunt. I recalled that when the elk hunters said they saw good bucks, it was almost always inadvertantly while driving the forest roads. Up until now, the only legal shooting bucks I had seen were from my truck while driving. I then realized that the densely forested country was too big, and the deer population too sparse, for my eastern whitetail hunting techniques. I wasn't hunting a 30 acre tract where 20 whitetails may be hiding. I was among miles of rugged mountainous wilderness, where a couple mulies may be the closest deer for a good mile. And with practically no parks to glass, I needed to cover more territory.
On day 5, I would drive the forest roads back and forth until I seen deer. Huge difference. I saw 12 deer that day, including 5 bucks! When I would see a buck far enough off the road, I would drive down the forest road beyond the buck about 1/4 to 1/2 mile, then double back on foot for a stalk, carrying my homemade shooting sticks made with two 3/4" dowell rods and cotton twine.I made 2 unsuccessful stalks that day, but my confidence was snowballing.
Thursday morning, it wasn't long before I saw my first deer, a dandy buck. I repeated my new routine and worked to within 70 yards of him. From where I sat, his head and rump were hidden behind a pair of pine trees, with his body exposed. I took the lung shot, and he bounded off rather casually leaving me with the impression that I had missed. Baffled, I reloading and made my way over to were he stood when I shot him, hoping for a second chance at him. Then I discovered a heavy blood trail that went about 50 yards, and ended where a dream became reality. I found a ten-pointer in full velvet, my first mule deer! :grin:
I inspected the damage done while field dressing. The roundball entered the left side behind the ribcage, passed throught the lungs, and broke the ribs on the far side without pushing through the skin.
With my goal accomplished, I headed home... somewhat indirectly. I swung south and took in White Sands Monument and Caprock Canyons State Park, Texas.
Now the head is at the taxidermy. The meat is delicious. I'm working the rest of the hide. I feel like I owe a debt of gratitude to the three elk hunters who pinpointed the deer for me. They even welcomed me into their camp and fed me once. I've spoken to them over the phone since returning home. It's nice to have new hunter friends from that area to consult with from now on.
Well, I've taken up enough space. I could go on about this trip all day. I've hunted out west before with centerfire rifle and compound bow, but ,finally, I get my first successful western hunt, and I did it with the ol' smokepole :hatsoff:
