White Sands coues?

[Shiras]

I was looking through the NM pictures off the main page and saw this....

http://www.coueswhitetail.com/New_Mexico/N...0nov%201998.jpg

 

"Unit 19A, New Mexico??????????

 

Nov. 1998

 

This great 3x3 nets 105 6/8.? It has a 15 inch inside spread and its main beams are 19 3/8 and 18 7/8."

 

19A? Wow! Now that is pretty far east. According to the NM G&F big game units, it looks like that falls in the White Sands region. I had no idea they existed that far right of the border. Anyone had any luck that far east?

 

Heck maybe those are Texas hybrids, they are so far east.

 

 

-Shiras

[DEERSLAM]

Wow that's a big forkey

Maybe Tommy (crazyaboutcoues) can shed some light on this subject after his hunt is over.

[jamaro]

OKAY... This is a NO BS story... The only deer I ever saw my dad kill was an eastern whitetail around the three rivers area, between Tularosa and Carizzozo... that was about 20 years ago.. I wish I had pictures but I don't... There is also a few pockets of Rio Grande Turkeys in those mountains...

 

Jason

[Kevin]

Anything on the east side of the Rio Grande is considered an eastern whitetail by B&C, P&Y and NMDGF if I'm not mistaken. Units 34 and 36 have good populations of eastern's (judging by the size of even the does). Who knows when it comes to subspecies and the adaptability of these critters?

 

Kevin

[GRONG]

I'm pretty sure that deer came from the west side of the state but I'll check. A buddy of mine measured that rack quite a few years back and I think he said it was lion killed in the bar-ditch of a road if I remember right.

 

Farthest Coues I've ever heard of in my antler buying travels thru NM was a huge typical buck killed in the mountains just south of Magdalena with a bow. I think it's top 5 too! 114" comes to mind.

 

I've personally hunted in 36 where you guys mention quite a lot and have never seen a whitey yet. I've bought quite a lot of whitetail sheds at Mescalero though but they were all northern whiteys. I actually bought a HUGE non-typ shed from there there scores 85"! Blew me away! Man I'd love to see one of those deer one of these days. I hear there's quite a bit of them around Cloudcroft too.

[billrquimby]

I've bought quite a lot of whitetail sheds at Mescalero though but they were all northern whiteys.  I actually bought a HUGE non-typ shed from there there scores 85"! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Josh:

 

Are you the guy who buys antlers in the vacant lot across from the Circle K in Springerville every summer? If so, I'll stop by and say hello.

 

BillQ

[GRONG]

Hey Bill, no that's not me but I know who you're talking about. I usually sit just north down the road, back toward Springerville on the west side of the road. It's a big open area, seems as if they were just building a big building on the south end of that lot I sit at. Sound familiar? I drive a tan 1/2 ton quadcab Dodge and usually have a small 8' trailer in tow. Love to meet and chat with you one of these days.

[billrquimby]

Hey Bill, no that's not me but I know who you're talking about.  I usually sit just north down the road, back toward Springerville on the west side of the road.  It's a big open area, seems as if they were just building a big building on the south end of that lot I sit at.  Sound familiar?  I drive a tan 1/2 ton quadcab Dodge and usually have a small 8' trailer in tow.  Love to meet and chat with you one of these days.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Josh, I'll look for you this summer. Lunch at the China Garden, the Sapphire or Booga Red's is on me == your choice.

 

BillQ

[GRONG]

Sounds awesome Bill!!!!

[NMTcoueshunter]

I've heard of that coues taken out of the mountains just south of Magadalena that Josh is talking about, but I've also heard of coues in the Organ Mts by Las Cruces. Those are the farthest east Ive heard of them.

[Benbrown]

I participated in some biological surveys in the Organ Mountains 13 or 14 years ago. We covered pretty much the entire range and I never saw any signs of whitetails. Saw mule deer in the foothills, but no deer up in the higher elevations. That unit is now a CWD unit and a primitive weapons unit. I believe that a fair proportion of the animals that were checked from that unit last year tested positive for CWD. It certainly would not be my first choice for a NM Coues hunt...

[Kevin]

Ben,

 

Intresting you were there when you were. Were you working on the lion survey? I completed a turkey habitat annalysis there in 91.

 

One of the things we looked at was archeological records for the area to determine whether or not turkey were native. While doing that, I also noted that coues deer did not seem to occur there. These observations were based on bone fragments etc. found in digs as well as petroglyphs, written accounts etc. From what I can tell they've never existed on the Organs.

 

The mule deer herd in the foothills in the early 90's was tremendous compared to today. Between lions, drought and probably CWD there are very few deer around here these days.

 

Kevin

[Benbrown]

Kevin:

 

Nope, I was assisting the Natural Heritage Program with surveys of invertebrates (primarily land snails), botanical surveys and plant community surveys. I used to supervise several of the programs in western states and took advantage of my status to participate in field work in unique areas from time to time...

 

Ben

[jamaro]

Land Snails?

[Benbrown]

Yep, land snails. In the southwest, the rare ones mostly live in talus slopes in the upper regions of the Sky Island mountain ranges. They have been isolated in these ranges since the end of the Pleistocene (approximately 10,000 years ago) and many species are now found only in a single mountain range (or sometimes even only in one part of a mountain range). During the dry seasons, they retreat several feet below the surface of the talus where it remains cool and damp. During the monsoons, they move to the surface and feed on lichens and detritus--as good a reason as any to poke around in the higher elevations when no hunting season is open!