MuleyMan Report post Posted June 11, 2009 Woooooooow. According to the email I just received from NMGFD, I drew this highly sought after tag. Last year's draw odds for NR unguided were something like 2%, weren't they? Think I'll go buy a handful of lotto tickets tonite. I know nothing about this unit/hunt except that it has been highly rated in the past and is highly sought after. I grew up in SW New Mexico, but haven't been in this particular area in decades. I would be looking for a 90"+ Coues buck. I also would have a week before the hunt to scout. I'm not afraid to hike and glass. No backpacking, tho. Also, I would want to hunt public land only. Is this hunt 'great' or is it just 'above average'? For the kind of buck I would want, can anyone compare this unit to one in Arizona such as 31, 32, 22 or 29? Thanks in advance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hiker Report post Posted June 11, 2009 Congrats! That is a rare tag. My 10 year old son also drew a unit 23 Burro Mtn youth tag. Our family has applied for that tag for years but up until now have blanked. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rio Report post Posted June 11, 2009 Muleyman PM me I give you some area's to concentrate on, I had this unit for mule deer last year and had several trail cams out, for the most part the mule deer and coues seemed to stay apart except for a few areas. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAM Report post Posted June 11, 2009 Congratulations on a great tag! My buddy and I drew that hunt last year and had a great time. Of the Arizona units you have listed I have hunted 22 and 31 and I would say it's kind of like hunting the terrain of 31 with the deer numbers of 22. Seeing 8-12 deer a day with a buck or two per day was about the norm. I passed a couple 90 inchers and my buddy shot a nice 92 inch buck on the last morning. If I were you I would call Tommy at Gila Wilderness Hunting and inquire about his map service. We used it and it was spot on. You will find out quickly that there are not coues deer spread out evenly across the Burros. Like many coues areas in AZ they are in pockets and are very spotty. You could spend a lot of time and gas money and still not accomplish what you will get from him. Tommy lives in the unit and knows exactly where to put you and he's also a sponsor of the site. http://www.gilawildernesshunting.com/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COtracker Report post Posted June 11, 2009 TAM thanks for the photos. COtracker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muleybull Report post Posted June 12, 2009 Wow! How many of you drew it as NR's. Me and 2 other buddies drew this hunt as well and we are NR's. This is the second time three of us, all NR's have drawn this hunt. First time was in '05. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MuleyMan Report post Posted June 16, 2009 Congratulations on a great tag! My buddy and I drew that hunt last year and had a great time. Of the Arizona units you have listed I have hunted 22 and 31 and I would say it's kind of like hunting the terrain of 31 with the deer numbers of 22. Seeing 8-12 deer a day with a buck or two per day was about the norm. I passed a couple 90 inchers and my buddy shot a nice 92 inch buck on the last morning. If I were you I would call Tommy at Gila Wilderness Hunting and inquire about his map service. We used it and it was spot on. You will find out quickly that there are not coues deer spread out evenly across the Burros. Like many coues areas in AZ they are in pockets and are very spotty. You could spend a lot of time and gas money and still not accomplish what you will get from him. Tommy lives in the unit and knows exactly where to put you and he's also a sponsor of the site. http://www.gilawildernesshunting.com/ Woooow TAM! Thanks for the honest post and terrific info and pic. Good stuff.....that's what this is supposed to be about. Your buddy's buck is a beautiful one! I took your advice and I already contacted Tommy. Tommy doesn't seem to mess around......does he? Tommy is indeed reputable and is anxious to deliver. I'm rastlin' with this tag, plus an October muley tag in unit 30 Colorado (a good one!), plus an outside chance at a CO unit 10 rifle bull tag............after a mild winter and a VERY wet spring. Dunno which I will settle one. The CO 30 deer I can return and save points..............but I'm pretty confident that I can wack a biggun there.... I'll also likely draw an AZ 31 late Nov Coues tag.........or if real lucky..........a 6A Dec Coues. Not bragging......I'm just very fortunate. Where do I spend my 4 weeks and 3 days this fall? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
