# Planning New Mexico mule deer hunt unit 30



## Stretch (May 22, 2004)

I am trying to convince some of my hunting buddies to get on board with a DIY mule deer hunt in New Mexico unit 30. Any previous hunting experience from this unit will help me get them on board, or persuade me it is a futile adventure.
That is assuming we can draw some of the tags as a group. 

Any experience with draw results in this unit would be appreciated. I hunted NM once, but was a private land tag just out of Hondo.


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## Bob Keyes (Mar 16, 2011)

Good glass will be the key, I have a set of Vortex 15x75 that are light enough to hand hold. After good glass you need to be VERY aware of scent control. by this time of year mulies are paranoid of human scent. For camo you need to have 2 kinds one suited for open sage brush and one suited for pine forest, or just get Predator spring green and you are good to go,


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## Stretch (May 22, 2004)

Looking at the nmfg unit map the Carlsbad national forest is colored different than the Lincoln National Forest. Is there any different restrictions there?


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## elkhunter49 (Jun 7, 2004)

I haven't hunted that area in years but there used to be a few really good bucks in the sandhills around Loco Hills. I used to chain drag a wide circle around the few available water source's every evening then check them first thing in the morning for large tracks then if I found what I was looking for I'd start tracking. Very slow and methodical way to hunt but I wasn't looking for just any buck! Good Luck, Baker


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## James Howell (May 21, 2004)

No. The BLM land always produced better for us than the forest. Lincoln up in the Guadalupes can get pretty thick. Quite a few deer, but lots of hunters (mostly on the roads, go figure). 


Stretch said:


> Looking at the nmfg unit map the Carlsbad national forest is colored different than the Lincoln National Forest. Is there any different restrictions there?


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## Stretch (May 22, 2004)

I plan on back packing away from the roads, locating glassing spots and trying to catch deer going to or coming from their bed. Hoping the road hunters drive the deer to me???


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## James Howell (May 21, 2004)

Oh, they will. Btw, if you still live in Granbury, my ranch is about 20 minutes from you (gate is down the road from the Loco Coyote west of Glen Rose).



Stretch said:


> I plan on back packing away from the roads, locating glassing spots and trying to catch deer going to or coming from their bed. Hoping the road hunters drive the deer to me???


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## Stretch (May 22, 2004)

My wife and I make a trip to Loco Coyote every now and then. Really good food so far.

I haven't looked at the BLM land much? I have plenty of time to make a plan, that is assuming I draw a tag.


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## DWV015 (Sep 19, 2013)

I have hunted in unit 30 off and on for the past 14 years. Several of us have hunted from the flatlands to the foothills to the higher elevations of the forest. Like an earlier poster said the forest holds a lot of deer (and hunters), but they are difficult to spot in the thick cover. They conceal themselves well enough on the side of a sparsely covered hillside; give them a bunch of trees and they can absolutely vanish. We just got back from out there this past weekend (archery season): 4 hunters, multiple opportunities, one smokin' good buck on the ground, and great time had by all.


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## Stretch (May 22, 2004)

Nice deer. what part of unit 30 were you in?


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## djwag94 (Nov 19, 2009)

DWV015, Congrats on a great hunt, Nice deer!

Stretch;
Non resident DIY hunters are limited to 6% of the allocated number of licenses for any GMU.

GMU 30 for any legal sporting arm.

Oct. 31â€"Nov 4, 2015: 640 licenses x 6%= 38.4
Nov. 14-18, 2015: 960 Licenses x 6%= 57.6
I wouldn't want to be the .4 or .6 %. LOL

If you choose GMU 30 as your 1st hunt choice instead of 2nd or 3rd, your odds should be better. That area had two major rainfall events "Floods" in 2014 & it was as green as I've ever seen the foothills & desert.

Good luck.


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## Stretch (May 22, 2004)

djwag94 I know the odds are not good. I also know that my odds are 0 if I do not apply. 

I wonder if they will issue all the tags allocated to the residents this year? 

I do have the first and second rifle season as my first and second choose and first season unit 37 as my third. Unit 30 (queen area) is only 7.5 hours from the house so that's why I am thinking New Mexico.


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## djwag94 (Nov 19, 2009)

Stretch said:


> djwag94 I know the odds are not good. I also know that my odds are 0 if I do not apply.
> 
> I wonder if they will issue all the tags allocated to the residents this year?
> 
> I do have the first and second rifle season as my first and second choose and first season unit 37 as my third. Unit 30 (queen area) is only 7.5 hours from the house so that's why I am thinking New Mexico.


1. I like your attitude & believe me I wasn't trying to dissuade you from applying. If you get drawn for rifle season, I'll try to help you with information & planning, just send me a pm.

2. Some areas will have leftover tags after the draw. Keep in mind, the locals only pay $65.00 for a deer tag.
I have not paid much attention to rifle draws as we hunt black powder seasons in NM & have been way before there was a draw system. Area 30 had numerous leftover tags for black powder this past season.

3. Picking both rifle seasons in area 30 should help. From Granbury I'd jump on IH20 & run to Big Spring, 176 to Andrews, 18 to Hobbs, take S Bypass at Hobbs to 180 & 180 to Carlsbad. 176 through Eunice to 180 can be a biotch of a road with all the oil field traffic.

Wishing you the best & Good Luck!


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## Stretch (May 22, 2004)

Djwag40 thanks for the offer. If I draw I will send you a PM. I am not set only on the forest, it just looked more like the place to hunt from Google earth.

When I hunted Chavez Canyon Ranch out of Hondo. We hunted the ridges glassing the canyon below. Jumped my 152" deer traveling out of a creek bed and was the first to get a rifle up.


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## DWV015 (Sep 19, 2013)

Stayed out east of the forest most of the time. Also dove into the east side of the forest one afternoon and found a little activity.


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## James Howell (May 21, 2004)

We actually did more good to the west of the forest in the Broke-offs (BLM). But, over the years we killed something like 70% of our deer there, 30% around Queen. Haven't been since '12 though. We never hunted on the east side, but talked to a game warden who also liked to bowhunt, and he hunted the greasewood flats on the east side during the rut and killed some good deer.


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## Stretch (May 22, 2004)

I guess I may have to re-think my locations? I think I would prefer the areas around Broke-Off mountains instead of the lands west of Carlsbad. Assuming I draw one of the 90 or so non-resident tags available?


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