A Week of Scouting

[xtreme]

I was able to make a scouting trip to northern New Mexico recently. The forest was dry and the waterholes all had game track around them. I found plenty of elk and a few bear but mule deer were scarce. I didnot find a shooter deer. Hopefully that will change later as the deer appeared to be higher than where I scouted. I found some really good 5x5 bulls, big bodies and large racks, just didnot find a 6x6. I will not be hunting elk I just enjoy being around them. I didnot see a bear but did find 5 different bear, three of which I have seen in the past. One is a large black boar that is causing some trouble but I found him away from people, only missed seeing him by an hour acording to another scouter. A sow with a last year cub was around and the leggey cub is into everything, another was a color phased bear that I don't know anything else about, I know that bear is not large. The other two were just tracks around water, just average size. I will be back to NM the 16th of next month with license and weapon.
One morning the low was 39 degrees F.

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

Sounds like a good trip. With those mulies, I think you are right about heading up in elevation. You know what they say, if you want to see a big mulie, just go sheep hunting!

 

[xtreme]

Good advice, thanks.

 

[Mwalczak]

I"ll be in unit 52 the 2nd week of september elk hunting. If you want, i'll give you a deer report when i get back.

 

[xtreme]

I would like that, also not bear sign, and good luck elk hunting

 

[dhershberger]

Here's some advice. I've hunted 52 before and if you're deer hunting with a bow, then yes go high. But if you're hunting with a rifle in October, it snows alot and the deer will all be low in this unit. I learned my lesson on this because it snowed a ton in October, I almost got stuck and I saw no deer up high because the deer had been pushed lower. When we moved to the lower elevation with pines and sagebrush we started seeing deer and eventually took a small buck. We did see one big buck but didn't get a shot. There are some huge bucks in this unit but you need to hunt it smart!

 

[twllin]

I went scouting this weekend becuase i have a hunt this week for deer muzzle loader. Saw a decent size bull, some cows, and 3 does in one area. In another area i saw a doe with its baby (i found it odd this one was brown and all the others were grey) and in one other area i saw one doe. No bucks . My dad has a bear tag too but we didnt see any. Did your hunt pass already?

 

[Mwalczak]

I last week in 52. I saw 4 bears. A sow with a cub, and two small boars. All were up high in the timber. There were a few mornings with snow/ice and the roads were getting very slick due to the daily rain. Don't forget your rain gear!!!

 

[twllin]

What area did you see the bears at?

 

[xtreme]

I did get a bear on my Jicarilla license, then I get back to unit 52 and no bear sign, only atv sign. I will only get to hunt sat morning and then I have to go back to Arkansas.
Mwalczak, can you pm me?