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Just got back from my Brother-In-Law's muley hunt in 23 and we didn't have much luck. We hunted there for 3 full days and didn't see but 2 muleys. I glassed a coues buck opening morning at 437 yards that i think was with another buck but we could only see its rear end because it was bedded in the bush. This was at an area between black mesa and aztec peek. The next day on black mesa we walked up on 2 muley bucks that were bedded down right at sundown but they took off and we couldn't get back on them, especially without any sun. We were primarily hunting on top of black mesa and around coon creek and we had no problem seeing coues. My buddy glassed a couse buck and doe on top of black mesa at 351yards. We saw plenty of sign of deer on top of black mesa, a buck and doe skull and backbones that some coyotes got (looked like coues), one shed from a coues, and plenty of bedding spots. We were only familiar with that part of the unit and so we hunted there all three days, especially because of all the signs of deer. My question is, are there many muleys down low this time of year or are they in the higher elevation? We stayed low and glassed in the rollers but only saw coues. What have others seen and what do you recommend to get on some muleys? I hope some others that were out there had better luck, but from looking at their camps and driving past them it didn't look like it....I believe we had a tough 3 days seeing much of anything was because of the moon being almost full every single night we were there! Do you think the moon has a large part of bedded bucks during the day? Regardless it was great to get out there!!!

I'm new to this site and to New Mexico and am looking for some guidance on NM Unit 23, first rifle hunt in November for FAMD. I've been looking at maps and reading through these forums and am hoping someone who hunts unit 23 on a regular basis (for coues or mule deer) can point me in the right direction of where to hunt. I live in Albuquerque and with gas prices the way they are and an upcoming wedding in just a few weeks, it doesn't look like I'll be getting to scout before my hunt. I'm planning on getting down there the day before the hunt opens and I'm ready to spend the day hiking in (no animals or ATVs to help me out) and camping that night to get away from the road hunters (I hear there is a good possibility of seeing quite a few) into the wilderness where the good mule deer are. I have that entire week off of work, so I'm not afraid to really get into the backcountry. From what I've seen with the maps, it looks like the area north of Mule Creek would be promising but probably full of hunters. I'm also pretty interested in the Whiterocks Mountain area and from there up north along the AZ border. I would guess these are my best bets for getting away from the road hunters where the good deer hide. I would love a shot at a big deer, but I recently graduated from college and haven't been hunting in three years, so this year I'll be happy to get what I can get. Anyone have any suggestions? Where are my best bets to get into the deer and any other suggestions would be very much appreciated. Since I'm new, I wasn't sure whether to post this in the Mule Deer forum or the NM forum, so if I would get a better response elsewhere, I would appreciate your help. Thanks much!