Any advice one the west side or the east
Thanks

Deer or elk?

I hunted it a lot

Outside of Magdalena going west, either of the two mountain ranges to the south, you will need to drive around and find the water. It has been very dry. Also just south of the VLA (Very Large Antennas) the giant radio telescopes, that road takes you into the mountains. The VLA is where the movie CONTACT was made go past the VLA to the base of the mountains. take the first road to the left will take you to several stock tanks.

Also the VLA is an interesting tour if you have time,

Heck!
Bull elk
Went south of the VLA, and been to Sargents Tank
Thanks

I prefer west side of mags. Easier to glass, 107 to mule shoe, that exist is about a mile from where state record was shot last year

Roger that
Will look for it
Thanks a lot!

Go west out of Magdalena and take Hwy 107 south to 234 turn left (east) stay on 234 as it will fork and go south. Stay on it until you cross the cattle guard into the national forest. Just as you enter, there is a stock tank on the right that nearly always has elk around it in the early morning.. You have to be inside the forest boundary because all the land from 107 is the private land and next to the forest boundary that shares the same fence.

It’s marked well, but onx always when in doubt. If you are glassing those fingers out there is a water guzzler, it’s always gamie. Work those fingers out with you glass and if you want to go on a walk abou, thats where I would head and bugle, just bugle up into them.

If you see any big rams please send me a picture

Thanks again
Will look at

You can also go up top from the east side to the observatory, and bail of the back side or hit some of the trails, that road is water canyon road . All those trails basically run the ridges and you can bugle off in them, that pack out will be a little sporty though

Great info, heard bugling here in camp, going to look for them first
Thanks again

It’s a hell of a tag!!! Good luck. rooting for you

Day 3
Bull was silent this morning, didn’t see him, nothing this evening Might try S 107 in the morning
Thanks again

Good luck, keep us posted!

Fantastic trip, saw several nice bulls, bear, mule deer, turkey, javelina pigs. Off 107 and 234 saw a nice bull. It was my sister with the tag, her and oldest brother hunted hard, last evening at dark 10 cows and a huge 6x6 came into water, didn’t shoot since past legal shooting, all in all a fantastic trip. Thanks for your input and if I can give any info let me know

Awesome, Wish she would have got one!!!


Did you see any bighorn sheep?

No big horn sheep, we drove further south on 52, looked like prime area for them but no luck

Should have hunted 234 earlier, it's a better morning hunt around that stock tank! At least you were close!

Tank was very low, very muddy, didn’t have many tracks there, saw a very nice bull when parked on top of the ridge, not very many hunters there either

If you go into mags in Dec- Jan you will see 5-15 bulls down at the base just sunning. My buddy withered a 350 probably 600 yards from that guzzler. I was in there is earlier this year and saw a few littler bulls 250-300 range. I missed a stud Mulie in back yard of observatory few years back. If you are bow hunt, that Jan rut Mulie deer tag is a fun hunt. It’s can be sparse at times but when you finally get into them some good deer in there.

I saw a very large herd of antelope to the west at the intersection of hwy 107 @ 234 a few years back. I counted 48 and more on the other side of the ridge. They are grazing about 30 yards off the highway! Video is too long to post

That’s a herd

Very Large Array.

Yep, saw it but was too late to correct it to "Array"! They stretch 25 miles from one end to the other when at their maximum spread!

It’s an impressive sight. Been by there a few times to hunt unit 15.

Observatory at the top of Mags is cool to, I killed a Mulie up there

I took this from FR234 about 3 miles away on a perfectly clear winter morning, temps @ 12 degrees and calm.

Ha I missed a stud just below the observatory

I’ll be back around there Dec 1

We've drawn mule deer tag in 17 before they went to the ridiculously low non resident quota, had no idea the VLA was in that unit.