2016 has been a very blessed year for me and the mule deer gods were smiling upon me. I finally convinced the folks I hunt with to try some spot & stalk hunting versus pushing ridges all the time. It only took 13 years and it paid off handsomely. The first day, 5 November, was a wash as it rained most of the day and we couldn't see further than 200 yards with the fog.
Day two turned out much different. The morning started off with little wind and clear skies. Right off the bat we started spotting deer in various different directions. I spotted a smaller, gimpy 4X4 and decided to pass, then a little further sweep with the spotting scope I was able to find the deer I harvested. At first glance I knew he had good back forks but no front forks. What I couldn't tell from over 1/2 mile away was the mass and width. We watched him for the better part of 1 hour until he bedded down. At this point I made a game plan to go after him and my buddy stayed behind with the spotting scope and radio. After 30 minutes of hiking, I found myself staring at him from about 500 yards laid up between 2 cedars. At this point it hit me how wide he was. I couldn't make a play straight at him as there was little cover so I backed out and circled further away and above him. After another 20 minutes my buddy called me on the radio and said I was close but he's now on his feet and feeding away from me. I clear my way past the last of the cedars and am left with few trees and some tall sage to peer through. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally spotted him about 350 yards in front of me and feeding right to left, down the ridge. I use some of the smaller remaining bushes to sneak closer and get within 200 yards of where I last saw him walk into a small clump of 3 cedars. At this point I can't find him and start to search frantically. I can find nothing so I call my buddy and he says he is still in the cedars and he hasn't seen him come out. At this point I start to get desperate and decide to creep higher up the ridge but away from the cover so I can gain some elevation. After sneaking about 15 yards into the open I spot him walking away from me but not aware of my presence so I close the distance to a more comfortable shot. I creep within of what I guessed to be 200 yards of him as he is feeding into a group of cedars. At this point I lift the rifle onto my homemade shooting sticks and they break. Full panic mode sets in now as he is about to disappear into a larger group of cedars. The time is now or never so I steady as best as I can on the broken sticks and let 175 grains of 7MM Magnum lead fly right into his chest. After the classic bucking bronco kick when he was hit, he starts to run. At this point I fire again at him running broadside but miss as I'm clearly rattled. After this shot he turns and starts running straight at me so I chambered a third shell and put the crosshairs on his chest and let the 3rd shot rip when he was about 50 yards from me. This time he goes down and there is no tracking needed.
He's not a monster by mule deer standards, but he is a trophy in my book. He measured 155 2/8" and is 28" wide. He still had velvet on his horns so best we can guess is he was a lazy buck and judging by his body size he didn't miss any meals. Overall, my hunting partner and I were extremely happy our plan came together and we scored on a nice central New Mexico muley. I only wish my buddy could have harvested a buck but it just didn't pan out. We saw 9 different bucks, numerous does, oryx and elk over the course of 3 days of hunting. We passed shot opportunities on 3 smaller bucks and a decent sized 5X5 gave us the slip on the last day. They'll only be bigger next year. I'm blessed to have been given the opportunity to harvest such a beautiful buck and I am forever grateful to the Land of Enchantment each year for the great memories.
Day two turned out much different. The morning started off with little wind and clear skies. Right off the bat we started spotting deer in various different directions. I spotted a smaller, gimpy 4X4 and decided to pass, then a little further sweep with the spotting scope I was able to find the deer I harvested. At first glance I knew he had good back forks but no front forks. What I couldn't tell from over 1/2 mile away was the mass and width. We watched him for the better part of 1 hour until he bedded down. At this point I made a game plan to go after him and my buddy stayed behind with the spotting scope and radio. After 30 minutes of hiking, I found myself staring at him from about 500 yards laid up between 2 cedars. At this point it hit me how wide he was. I couldn't make a play straight at him as there was little cover so I backed out and circled further away and above him. After another 20 minutes my buddy called me on the radio and said I was close but he's now on his feet and feeding away from me. I clear my way past the last of the cedars and am left with few trees and some tall sage to peer through. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally spotted him about 350 yards in front of me and feeding right to left, down the ridge. I use some of the smaller remaining bushes to sneak closer and get within 200 yards of where I last saw him walk into a small clump of 3 cedars. At this point I can't find him and start to search frantically. I can find nothing so I call my buddy and he says he is still in the cedars and he hasn't seen him come out. At this point I start to get desperate and decide to creep higher up the ridge but away from the cover so I can gain some elevation. After sneaking about 15 yards into the open I spot him walking away from me but not aware of my presence so I close the distance to a more comfortable shot. I creep within of what I guessed to be 200 yards of him as he is feeding into a group of cedars. At this point I lift the rifle onto my homemade shooting sticks and they break. Full panic mode sets in now as he is about to disappear into a larger group of cedars. The time is now or never so I steady as best as I can on the broken sticks and let 175 grains of 7MM Magnum lead fly right into his chest. After the classic bucking bronco kick when he was hit, he starts to run. At this point I fire again at him running broadside but miss as I'm clearly rattled. After this shot he turns and starts running straight at me so I chambered a third shell and put the crosshairs on his chest and let the 3rd shot rip when he was about 50 yards from me. This time he goes down and there is no tracking needed.
He's not a monster by mule deer standards, but he is a trophy in my book. He measured 155 2/8" and is 28" wide. He still had velvet on his horns so best we can guess is he was a lazy buck and judging by his body size he didn't miss any meals. Overall, my hunting partner and I were extremely happy our plan came together and we scored on a nice central New Mexico muley. I only wish my buddy could have harvested a buck but it just didn't pan out. We saw 9 different bucks, numerous does, oryx and elk over the course of 3 days of hunting. We passed shot opportunities on 3 smaller bucks and a decent sized 5X5 gave us the slip on the last day. They'll only be bigger next year. I'm blessed to have been given the opportunity to harvest such a beautiful buck and I am forever grateful to the Land of Enchantment each year for the great memories.
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