MuleyMadness Hunting Forums

West side is a bit different, but there are closed and opened roads like on the east side, just not as much area to deal with.

posted but must have went elsewhere. West side is similar to east side with opened and closed roads. Just less area to deal with, so a little bit easier.

Kaibab200:

Have you hunted 2B before?

yes last year. Read my first couple of posts posts on this post. For being one of New mexicos top hunts, I was sorely disappointed. I feel the management of the unit is the cause of a henry mountains, paungsagant, az strip type unit having such poor quality.

BohnTR. When I'm talking about the West side I'm talking about the area by burnt mesa west side of the lake. Still a large area, yes, but not as many people or as much area as east of the lake.

Great post. I'm hunting 2B during the 1st rifle season this year. (Oct. 19-23)
Never been there before and those top 3 you have listed were my top 3 "to do".

I'm hunting solo and coming by myself from Dallas. For what sounded like a great unit when I was researching right before the draw - it sure does sound like there are a lot of negatives. Especially early in the season.

Don't get down about the hunt it is hunting. It is a great potential unit. There are resident bucks and these early snows in Colorado may turn it into a great hunt. I was talking to one of the premier outfitters last year and he said that it has been 10 years since the weather had caused the bigger bucks to migrate in large numbers during any of the hunts, so maybe this will be the year. There are some big resident bucks, but for the most part it is a 2 point hunt and most of the resident hunters harvest smaller bucks. Hunt hard and you never know what you are going to find. Last year I was scouting during the dates of your hunts and I glassed up a 180 inch type buck 400 yards away going about his business, no hunters, etc. I was wishing I had your tag. There are some nice bucks, just not a lot of them. There isn't a better trophy unit besides 2c in new mexico, so you have a good tag. Here is what disappointed me about the hunt and what was great. When you draw a states premier hunt I was expecting to see multiple 140 to 150 bucks during the hunt and when you saw something bigger to have to make some choices. It just didn't happen for us. It was either a 2 point or a bomber. We saw 2 bombers during the hunt. Lots of spikes and 2 point, very few in between. The great part of the hunt is the potential, you just never know when you may glass up the buck of your life. The genetic potential is there the next hill may just hold a giant.

GOod luck

kaibab - Thanks for your insight on this unit. I'll be there next week for the first rifle hunt.
Good luck to you and your son on the youth hunt this weekend!

Me and my boy went out shooting again 2 days ago he shot a 1 inch group at 100 yards, so we are on target. Put most of the gear together last night. We have a scout court of honor tonight, Im lucky enough to be his scoutmaster as well, so we won't have much prep time tonight and we will head out thursday. I will update you early hunters on our hunt, hopefully we will have something come our way.

Good luck! Hope you guys have a great hunt. Looking forward to hearing a good report.