Going to western new mexico, unit 23. I was wondering if anyone has any tips? obviously spot and stalk, but also "trolling" for deer by driving the forest service roads. I have always hunted white tail deer and I know this is quite different. all info is helpful. thanks'

raider J unit 32 is eastern New Mexico just west of Roswell. Wide open county with little cover so be ready to take a long shot. You will spend a lot of time behind the glass to spot them. Hunt the high points were you can look down, really hard to approach a muley from below. Don't expect to see many large bucks all though you can, but hunting pressure in that unit keeps the average age of bucks pretty young. A good muley in the unit will be a 4x4 with 20 inch spread. Another thing is to get off the road, lots of guys road hunt and they do kill deer, but if you want to see more and bigger deer get off the road. Also the further west you go in that unit the more hills and cover you will get into, thus more deer. Be sure and get a land status map so as not to wander onto private property, land owners there can get downright hostile. You should see some Barbary sheep "aoudad in Texas" also. Good luck....and BTW expect plenty of company the NMDGF issues a lot of permits for that unit, another reason to get of the road.

Im sorry, I had to correct my post. unit 23 is where we will be. That all is great information. THanks for the response

NMGW- sounds like you have plenty of SE NM knowledge. Any input on Unit 31? I'll be antelope hunting near Hobbs this weekend and mule deer hunting that Unit in early Nov.

Mule deer advice in particular for unit 31 would be welcome. I'll be with a local the first few days but I'm the kind to want to learn all I can ahead of time.

Thank you!

That changes things a little, a lot more cover in 23 than 32. I would find a good vantage point preferably at the head of a canyon, or a point where you can cover 2 canyons. Then just set until at least noon the first day. I have seen this time and time again, lots of guys pushing deer around so let them do the work for you and push the deer past you. Be sure to wear orange, it's not a law, but if it's a rifle hunt that first day will be a lot of shooting. After the first day hunt the cover, those bucks will go to there hidey hole or go nocturnal and wait it out. You will find the buck's bedded near the crest of a hill where they can see anything approaching. Don't hunt to fast I have set for an hour only to have a buck bust out just 30 yards below me. Good Luck. BTW better deer in that unit than 32.

Sorry I have never hunted that unit, I have spent a lot of time in 32 chasing Aoudad and Muleys.

I hunted this area for almost 20 years, mainly in the Burro Mountain area, mainly during the muzzleloader season. We hunted the foothills and breaks because there were usually not many other hunters there; most folks thought the terrain was too open but we killed many nice bucks there, including a pretty 5x5 buck that scored over 175. We walked across the breaks, stopping at the top of each ridge to spot. We had our best success when we could get the sun at our backs and the wind into our faces. In the middle of the day we would often jump them out of their beds. If we didn't have any luck in the foothills we would drive up the mountain and glass the hillsides. We would often see Whitetail in the higher elevations, and one year I killed a nice Coues buck. Good luck--it's very pretty country. And just a piece of advice: If it rains, stay out of the dry creek beds--They can fill up in a hurry.

I've always found mulies to be bedded in ravines and draws usually with their noses
downhill to scent the updrafts. When you spot them they'll run a short distance but always
stop to turn and see what is chasing them. That's when you get a second chance shot.
They are pretty tough to spot as they blend in so well with NM foliage. Look for small
movements in the shadows. Once they spook, it's neat to watch them "bunny hop" away a short
distance then turn to look back. Good luck. I've been hunting them for awhile in unit 37
and also have been a white tail hunter since I was a teenager. I'll be in Unit 37 this month
chasing them again.

I strongly disagree with the 2nd poster regarding a good deer being 4x4 with 20" spread. Don't get me wrong that that's a nice deer, but there are some monsters in that area. Worked in 31 for a few years and we'd see massive deer on the side of the highway every winter.

Really open country so I'd recommend letting you glass do the walking for you. Get (or borrow) a good spotter and some binos and start checking out the desert.

Bring a shotgun to as there is some great dove hunting down that way.

Cheers.