NM GMU 13- Datil, NM

My nephew and I will be hunting in 13 from Nov. 1-5th. Has anyone hunted the Datil area before? Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to scout yet. I may be able to get down there in two weeks. I called the Magdalena Ranger District office earlier today and he said they have received a lot of rain and many of the roads are harsh with a slick clay base in the Datil Mtns. I'm hoping that is good news for keeping the road hunters at bay, but he said it makes it hard since the deer aren't holding to any patterns since the food and water is abundant. I expect 40-60 degree weather, barring any cold fronts, and heavy pressure so I'm thinking our best bet is still in the high country. Any thoughts?

I'll be hauling a 28 ft. TT so I'll be camping low. Does anyone have a camping area they've used before? I'm told 63 South of highway 60 has decent places to camp, but 6A is overly popular.

Thanks for any advice.
3,742
Default Avatar
I've hunted 13 but not over by datil. I hunted the Bear Mountains north of Magdalena and saw a few deer. Pretty low success rates in 13, but if I had to do it all over again I would have spent more time up high. I tried to hunt the lower sage and saw a lot of does, but I feel like the bucks were definitely still up high. Good luck, hope to hear a good report!
0
Default Avatar
Thanks Jdeck,
I made it down for a "scouting" trip yesterday, but didn't get much scouting done. It had been raining a lot and started again about 15 minutes after getting out of my truck. The rest of the day was spent trying to keep my truck out of the ditch! FS6 was gravel based and well maintained, but 66 and 6a were muddy, slippery messes! It was a wash on scouting, but I'm glad I made it down there.

I did talk to an older gentleman who was flagging for road construction. He told me about a place where he jumped two "big 8 pointers" while riding his horse last Sunday. I was able to glass the place over before the rain set in and it looked promising. But then, the entire Datil area looks like deer country to me.
0