NM Unit 2B

By the looks of it seems to be a pretty good looking unit. You've got a huge lake and tons of public land. The entire eastern 1/3 portion of that unit is National Forest (Carson National Forest). And the western 2/3 of it is mostly BLM with some private and state sprinkled in. Most of the BLM is in the southwest portion of the unit. If you worried about the deer not being down out of the mountains yet, I'd hunt the North-Eastern part of the unit in the higher elevations of the Carson National Forest. West of the mountains you'll be at about 6,000-7,000ft and in the mountains you'll be between 7,000 and 8,000 ft. I don't know how the mule deer move in that area but a lot of places have mule deer in the same areas whether or not it's winter or summer. You might try to find a migration map for mule deer in that unit to see if they pretty much hang around the same areas throughout the seasons. I know this doesn't specifically help you but if I was worried about them not being down out of the mountains yet I'd hunt the higher elevations. Here's a link from another forum from someone inquiring about 2B. I see a few post talking about the Carracas Mesa being a good spot. One poster says it's full of 200+ bucks. Hope this gives you a little confidence! http://www.biggamehunt.net/forum/mule-deer-nm-unit-2b

Thx for the reply. I called the biologist yesterday and he mention Caracas Mesa too. So I guess there's a decent amount of deer there, my only concern now is how many people will be there.

I don't know. You never can tell. Usually, if it's overcrowded, you'll find several forums where people have complained about it. It usually doesn't take you long to figure out that it looks like a pumpkin patch. I didn't really see anything indicating that it was overhunted; to my standards anyway. I did read somebody's post that said be sure to use an ATV, or some other mode of transportaion, because going on foot is rough. I also read one where the guy said there's alot of oilfied activity so it pushes the deer to the more quiet areas. He said the activity usually keeps them moving around. It sounds like a pretty successful place to hunt if you ask me. I've read better reviews about this unit than the unit I'm planning to hunt in Colorado next year.

I've spent a lot of time in this unit and it can be very tough. There are some good resident deer but the hunting gets better when there's an early snow in southern Colorado. The poster that says it's full of 200+ deer is full of it. There are some great bucks there but full of 200+ is a pipe dream. As you can see from google maps there are oilfield roads everywhere and there's no such thing as a quiet corner as far as the oil field traffic goes. The deer are used to the traffic and pump jack noise so don't fret over it. Just hunt hard like you would any other unit. Don't expect it to be easy and to be able to pass on all kinds of bucks. In the last few years I've been lucky enough to draw two tags, the first I didn't see a buck until the third morning and on the last we saw a buck the first day that my buddy shot and nothing but a spike for the rest of the hunt.

Thx for the info, I've heard about the oil trucks and stuff and how bad the roads can be when wet. Is the eastern side of the unit any good in the Carson National Forest area? Seems like most of info I've read on it talks about areas around the lake and western side. Still debating on using a 8x or buying a 15x for this hunt too.

For the earlier hunt (earlier than archery season), I would focus on the areas that border the eastern edge of the reservoir and as far North as you can get. There are several walk-in areas in this portion of the unit that you can hike into using the gas well roads. Public vehicle access is restricted, here. It's not too long of a walk, even shorter if you hitch a ride in with a gas worker.

The reason why I would focus North, is depending on weather, the deer will be slowly migrating into the state from Colorado. There are some resident deer in the unit, but not too many. The first "arm" of the reservoir is a natural funnel and holds some deer early. Pray for lots of snow early, especially in Southern Colorado. Deer will feed in the large open bitterbrush/sage flats and bed up on the mesas above. Bring the best optics you can, including a spotting scope and tripod, as you'll be glassing some long distances in some areas.

I've hunted several times (archery) in January. Brings chains for your truck, as the roads will get bad if wet. Don't expect 180" bucks everywhere because it's not a realistic goal in this unit any longer.....especially on the earlier hunt. In other words, the first mature buck you see, you might want to take him. Be prepared for warm weather and frigid temperatures as well. Good luck.

I will pipe in about 2B, what a great area: this may sound like a stupid question but i will ask: How hard are you willing to work for the deer? How good of shape are you in now and what type will you be in come hunting season? If you are willing to hunt in the BIG BUCK part of 2B and are willing to work, then send me a PM and i will give you my area up there. this is an area that has produced BIG BUCK for over 30yrs, i found this spot when I was in Collage in Durango and had more time than money so lots of hiking and fishing.
I will tell you the reason that the BIG ones are there is because you will earn this animal.

If you will be happy with a nice 4X4 or 3X3 look around Navajo reservation there are some nice bucks in that area.

Please understand i do not mean to belittle you in any way, but this area will make you think twice.

V/R
M.Bird

M Bird, pm sent,