wmidbrook
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2001
- Messages
- 4,405
- Reaction score
- 3
As I was setting up camp in NM, two of the party had seen a herd of 150 head of elk the day before and I was ready to get out for the afternoon hunt. Around sunset, I did some location calls and had 3 bulls respond. The cows had started pairing up with lessor bulls.
The next morning I followed a bull for a couple of hours getting within a few hundred yards several times. He'd scream & grunt but wouldn't defend a spot. He kept moving away. He was a little worked up but not hot enough to take on a challenge...he was probably a raghorn that didn't want to risk loosing his cows to a bigger bull.
Had a raghorn 3x3 come within about 80 yds of where I was set up on a water hole one evening but he didn't come in close enough for a shot.
Called a spike in about half way thru the trip but didn't have a shot thru the brush.
The day before season ended, I got within a hot bull's turf and had him pissed off for about 2 and half hours. Three of us followed the bull but weren't able to get a clear shot getting within 40 yds of the bull several times--he was definately over 300. All in all, had lots of excitement, a couple of missed shots in our party, but no one in our party bagged anything this year.
Unit 5b (about 7800 ft in elevation where we hunted) in NM is a decent hunt especially for spot & stalkers or folks who like to sit on water holes. I think that the archery season rarely coincides with the peak of the rutting activities in that unit according to a guide from Lobo Outfitters I bumped into out in that unit on one of his days off. The rut kicks off in the higher country a couple weeks sooner. 5b would probably make a great rifle hunt especially if they've had heavy snows in the mountains to the east of Cebolla.
My mule deer hunt was like hunting deer in an elk preserve. The bulls were in the peak of their rut in the San Juan unit (1 in 150 draw odds for rifle--only public non-res tag available). It's quite astounding how much easier it is to get a bull pissed off and hot during the full rut than when it's a pre-rut mode.
Got to watch a 370 or 380 class bull kick some butt thru my spotting scope @ about 800 yds. You could see the dust cloud with your naked eye--the two bulls were seriously tearing it up. It was quite an amazing sight to see.
Called in several bulls within bow distance out in Utah for practice while scouting deer before the season opened....fun stuff!
The next morning I followed a bull for a couple of hours getting within a few hundred yards several times. He'd scream & grunt but wouldn't defend a spot. He kept moving away. He was a little worked up but not hot enough to take on a challenge...he was probably a raghorn that didn't want to risk loosing his cows to a bigger bull.
Had a raghorn 3x3 come within about 80 yds of where I was set up on a water hole one evening but he didn't come in close enough for a shot.
Called a spike in about half way thru the trip but didn't have a shot thru the brush.
The day before season ended, I got within a hot bull's turf and had him pissed off for about 2 and half hours. Three of us followed the bull but weren't able to get a clear shot getting within 40 yds of the bull several times--he was definately over 300. All in all, had lots of excitement, a couple of missed shots in our party, but no one in our party bagged anything this year.
Unit 5b (about 7800 ft in elevation where we hunted) in NM is a decent hunt especially for spot & stalkers or folks who like to sit on water holes. I think that the archery season rarely coincides with the peak of the rutting activities in that unit according to a guide from Lobo Outfitters I bumped into out in that unit on one of his days off. The rut kicks off in the higher country a couple weeks sooner. 5b would probably make a great rifle hunt especially if they've had heavy snows in the mountains to the east of Cebolla.
My mule deer hunt was like hunting deer in an elk preserve. The bulls were in the peak of their rut in the San Juan unit (1 in 150 draw odds for rifle--only public non-res tag available). It's quite astounding how much easier it is to get a bull pissed off and hot during the full rut than when it's a pre-rut mode.
Got to watch a 370 or 380 class bull kick some butt thru my spotting scope @ about 800 yds. You could see the dust cloud with your naked eye--the two bulls were seriously tearing it up. It was quite an amazing sight to see.
Called in several bulls within bow distance out in Utah for practice while scouting deer before the season opened....fun stuff!
