2b new mexico jan mule deer archery
- Thread starter jasonh89
- Start date
BOHNTR
Very Active Member
NMfisherman
New Member
- Oct 15, 2013
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Topgun 30-06
Banned
Almost all the roads going west off of Rosa Road to the lake are closed with locked gates during all the hunting seasons. I was just in 2b in early November for the second time in the last several years helping a buddy who drew tags there. One thing I can't stress enough is to take all the supplies in with you that you'll need for your entire hunt along with some extra in case the weather keeps you in past your planned departure. Make sure and take plenty of extra gas, water, food, and chains for all four tires for your 4 wheel drive PU that will be needed to hunt the unit, especially that time of year because once you get into the unit you'll be hours away from any services. Cell service is spotty, but we did get up high and were able to get Verizon and AT&T service from some spots. Concentrate on area roads you can walk into off Rosa Road on to the west toward the lake as we saw a lot of deer there in the nw part off the end of the road where the gate was closed. The further you can get in towards the lake the better you'll find it. Be prepared for jillions of gas well pads, compressor stations, etc. as you are never out of sight of one! The animals don't seem to be deterred by them though, as we saw a lot of them out in those openings. Get high and glass, glass, glass, and glass some more.
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Congrats on the tag. My wife drew the late archery hunt in 2C a few years ago and the 2B hunt last year (crazy lucky, huh?)
Topgun is giving you the right info. You will see tons of deer (like 500/day), but it is hard to find a really big one. We hunted 7 days and saw exactly one B&C buck per day. When hunting 2C a few years ago we learned how cold it was out in the unit. We saw -32F to -36 every morning on the truck thermometer. Even when the weather in Farmington and Bloomfield is much warmer, it is just brutally cold where you will be hunting.
We stayed in town and drove to and from the unit each day. I don't regret it one bit. The days are so short this time of year that you can easily put up with the drive each way. A hot shower and a good meal go a long way when hunting in temps that cold day-after-day.
The deer aren't too worried about the people at first, but after a week they get skittish (too many tags, including all the youth hunters). We didn't get a monster, but were within 150 yards of 200"+ bucks three different times. One was a 235" bruiser, another had double drop-tines (I still cry a little when I think about not getting one of them).
The big deer got noticeably harder to find as the week went along. The sheer numbers of deer and crunchy snow make it tough to hunt. Seeing deer and shooting one are totally different things. My advice is to take your first good shot. Big deer are out there, but they are very tough to kill. Oh yeah, and dress warm.
PS. The deer will often stand right on the well platforms, just because there are rigs in the area doesn't mean the deer aren't. Don't overlook an area... and check back often as the bucks roam from doe to doe.
Topgun is giving you the right info. You will see tons of deer (like 500/day), but it is hard to find a really big one. We hunted 7 days and saw exactly one B&C buck per day. When hunting 2C a few years ago we learned how cold it was out in the unit. We saw -32F to -36 every morning on the truck thermometer. Even when the weather in Farmington and Bloomfield is much warmer, it is just brutally cold where you will be hunting.
We stayed in town and drove to and from the unit each day. I don't regret it one bit. The days are so short this time of year that you can easily put up with the drive each way. A hot shower and a good meal go a long way when hunting in temps that cold day-after-day.
The deer aren't too worried about the people at first, but after a week they get skittish (too many tags, including all the youth hunters). We didn't get a monster, but were within 150 yards of 200"+ bucks three different times. One was a 235" bruiser, another had double drop-tines (I still cry a little when I think about not getting one of them).
The big deer got noticeably harder to find as the week went along. The sheer numbers of deer and crunchy snow make it tough to hunt. Seeing deer and shooting one are totally different things. My advice is to take your first good shot. Big deer are out there, but they are very tough to kill. Oh yeah, and dress warm.
PS. The deer will often stand right on the well platforms, just because there are rigs in the area doesn't mean the deer aren't. Don't overlook an area... and check back often as the bucks roam from doe to doe.
tdcour
Veteran member
Some of my family live in the area and I have heard that there is no better time to hunt out there then when it is terribly cold and deep snow. I know my uncle has gotten a few giants out there that time of year, but where I don't know. We go out there to call coyotes and shoot prairie dogs every couple of years and I still can't find my way around out there. Take a look on Google Earth and you will see all of the roads and wells, but like everyone has said, the deer are used to oil field traffic and the noisy wells. They get spooky when trucks slow down to look though. Other than that, I can't help you, but good luck and show us some pictures after the hunt!
tdcour
Veteran member
I think Bloomfield will be your closest place with hotels and restaurants. Might check for a place around Navajo lake to stay. There may be a cabin or something you could stay in. That would put you closest to your hunting area. Not sure how the weather is, but bring as much camo as you can bring. There are lots of elevation changes so there could be snow in places and none in others. Make sure to get some tire chains for your vehicle. Weather can get brutal there in a hurry.
is there much snow down there now?was told there was more deer this year on the south side of hiway this year?is bloomfield a bigger town I don't remember seeing it on map?farmington is a decent commute to do twice a day.spot and stalk or funnel ground blind?what direction does the wind generally blow in that area?
Topgun 30-06
Banned
Bloomfied is a small town with a population of 8,000. I have no idea on snow level in the unit, but here is the weather forecast for the next ten days: 22nd-28th highs of 37 to 47 with lows 16-18 and sunny every day
28th-31st highs 39-47 with lows 28-37 and between a 10% and 50% chance of rain each day
We did not have much wind on either of our trips into the unit this past Nov or two years ago. It is all up and down big hilly country that goes every which way, so when it does pick up it can go any direction depending where you are. Make sure and have chains for all four wheels and you will lose a lot of good hunting time if you don't camp out in the unit because it is very slow going on the roads. If you go way up into the northern part of the unit where I would go it will take 2+ hours just from highway 64, so you're talking an awful lot of hours of driving and getting stuck if you go into town every day. We took a 7x12 cargo trailer for our gear and to sleep in. Trying to take any other kind of trailer off the highway up into there this time of the year would not be a good idea. If the weather and temperatures stay like the 10 day forecast on into the january season you shouldn't have it too bad, but it can change in one day out there and be -25, so plan for the worst and hope for the best. The unit is a hunt where you get up high and do a lot of glassing to then go on a stalk if you spot what you want and can get at him. A blind would be a waste of time.
28th-31st highs 39-47 with lows 28-37 and between a 10% and 50% chance of rain each day
We did not have much wind on either of our trips into the unit this past Nov or two years ago. It is all up and down big hilly country that goes every which way, so when it does pick up it can go any direction depending where you are. Make sure and have chains for all four wheels and you will lose a lot of good hunting time if you don't camp out in the unit because it is very slow going on the roads. If you go way up into the northern part of the unit where I would go it will take 2+ hours just from highway 64, so you're talking an awful lot of hours of driving and getting stuck if you go into town every day. We took a 7x12 cargo trailer for our gear and to sleep in. Trying to take any other kind of trailer off the highway up into there this time of the year would not be a good idea. If the weather and temperatures stay like the 10 day forecast on into the january season you shouldn't have it too bad, but it can change in one day out there and be -25, so plan for the worst and hope for the best. The unit is a hunt where you get up high and do a lot of glassing to then go on a stalk if you spot what you want and can get at him. A blind would be a waste of time.
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Let me add one thing to what TOPGUN said, we found that if you watch the deer go into the trees to bed for the day, you can build a sage brush blind and wait for them to come out in the evening (they often go back to the same feeding areas). Plan on brutal cold in the morning and frozen roads, but if it warms up they can turn to snot real fast. Be prepared at all times.
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
Right in the middle of Bloomfield Hwy 550 takes of to Albq. There are several motels there and resturants. My gunsmith lives there, I'll call him and see if he has time to talk to you.
Goes without saying....he's a hunter.
Goes without saying....he's a hunter.
tdcour
Veteran member
Hey cc who is your gunsmith? I have some family in Bloomfield, Farmington and Aztec. You wouldn't happen to have horses and do sleigh rides do you? My uncle had a guy out to their hunting camp around Christmas last year and from your picture yall look pretty similar. I know he was from somewhere in CO as well.
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
Ken Griner...Griner Gunworks. Been trying to get him, but he might be out of town for the holidays. Yes he has horses. He is also a cowboy action shooter.
www.grinergunworks.com
www.grinergunworks.com