February 2025
New Mexico Mule Deer Hunt: A Last-Ditch EffortEvery year, the day
New Mexico draw results come out is a holiday among my dad and brothers. After 12 years of applying and always seeing red on my screen, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting the same result this year. To my surprise, I checked and had drawn my second-choice deer tag in a unit I had always wanted to hunt. Immediately, the research and phone calls began.I knew this hunt would be no slam dunk with a
muzzleloader. It is a low-density unit with not many deer. With it being the end of September, the weather was likely to be hot and deer movement at a minimum. Getting back from
Alaska shortly before the season started and never actually setting foot in the unit was going to make things challenging. I decided I would ask around and see if I could find some help to stack the cards in my favor as much as possible. I got a suggestion from
Huntin’ Fool to talk to Layne Kellar from Kellar’s Elite Outfitting. After talking to Layne on the phone, I was confident we would be able to get an opportunity at the caliber of buck I wanted to hunt.Layne told me he was going to send Justin Trewern to guide me while Layne was finishing up elk hunts. Justin and I talked the night I got to town, and he informed me that he had seen two giant bucks that would fit the bill while scouting the day before. We came up with a plan and were prepared to grind it out all week for a chance at one.Opening morning, our plan was to split up and glass different sides of the mesa to cover more ground and increase the odds of turning up one of the bucks. As hunting for big, old mule deer normally goes, we were unable to locate either one despite glassing all day. With temps being in the 50s at night and mid 80s during the day, we knew we would have to catch them in the twilight before the sun came up to have a chance.On day two, we had the same plan to split up and cover more ground on different mesas. As the twilight started to show, I began picking apart everything I could while moving along as fast as possible. The sun started to rise over the mesa, and I figured it was too late to catch one before he bedded. I decided to look through my spotter one more time at a little bowl in the side of the mesa I had already looked at a few times. I instantly picked up a big-framed deer and sent video of him to Justin to confirm he was one of the ones he had previously seen. The deer did what big bucks do and gave me about five minutes before disappearing into the junipers.Justin drove his truck around to my glassing knob, and we both agreed he was a giant and was going to be pushing 200". After watching the bowl for about 30 minutes and not seeing the deer come out, we decided the buck had bedded. I took Justin’s truck around closer to begin my stalk from the top of the mesa while he stayed and watched to make sure the buck didn’t sneak out. I worked my way around and began navigating my way off the mesa wall to get to the bowl the buck had disappeared into. To my surprise, when I belly crawled over the rock on top and peeked into the bowl, the buck was nowhere to be found. I figured he was tucked into a crack that couldn’t be seen. I waited for three hours in the heat for the buck to possibly get up and change beds.
A little after the three-hour mark, I looked across and could see a buck coming over into the bowl. The buck had apparently snuck out as we were watching this morning. He was feeding in a pinyon tree at 90 yards with just his head and antlers showing. I figured he would walk down into the bowl and bed in the shade. There was a 10-yard opening between juniper bushes, and my plan was to shoot him if he stopped in the gap.After about 20 minutes of only seeing his head, he turned and walked down into the bowl, marching right through the opening without stopping. I could hear the buck working his way through pinyon and juniper below me but could not see him. Justin could never see him from his angle, so I figured he had to still be below me somewhere. I used my binos to look through a big, dead pinyon and could see the buck bedded facing me at 45 yards. With all the brush and branches in the way, I could not see him. I got back on the muzzleloader and was going to wait him out. It took him only two minutes to wind me when the wind swirled and he busted out. I called Justin and told him what happened and headed back to his glassing spot. Our morale was still high, and we figured if we kept grinding it out we would get another crack.The next day was much like the first and we could not locate the buck. We kept changing spots and glassing different angles all day. We knew if we kept at it we would find him again. On the fourth day, Layne and another one of his guides, Kayden Marshall, had joined us as they had finished up their hunts. I was able to find the buck again across the canyon on another mesa. He had joined up with another buck that was also big. I had everyone come around to help keep eyes on him. The bucks split up before they bedded and went to opposite sides of the mesa. I went around and was able to locate our target buck again bedded in a bad spot. We knew we had to try and get a stalk in as he would more than likely change spots overnight. I worked my way in and waited three hours until dark. The buck had given us the slip again without ever seeing him leave this time.We spent the next two days searching all over for either of the two bucks. The last morning was much like the previous two days as we were unable to find either buck. Justin came to pick me up from my glassing spot and suggested we move and look over new country. We didn’t make it two minutes before Justin had the idea of pushing a bench on the other side of the mesa to see if we could kick one of the bucks out. I got out and walked over the mesa top and got ready while Justin went around to the other side to watch. When I saw Justin get set up, I began walking down the bench. I didn’t make it very far before I peeked my head around a juniper and could see a deer bedded in the wash at the bottom between the two mesas. I slowly pulled my head back behind the tree and put my binos on him. I could tell the buck was heavy and figured he was in the low 190s. I decided I was going to get set up and take a shot. I ranged the buck at 140 yards. He was bedded towards me in the shade and was tough to see through the peep sight. I could make out his white throat patch and decided I didn’t want to risk him standing up and leaving. I zoned in on the center of his throat patch and squeezed the trigger. After the cloud of smoke cleared, the buck was running towards me up the wash and tried to jump out of it. The buck fell off the bank and ran around the corner in the wash and disappeared.
I called Justin and filled in the gaps of what happened that he couldn’t see. I sent him down into the wash on his side and figured if the buck wasn’t dead, he would run up the wash under me. Layne and Zander Doyle had come around and joined us at this point. Layne went down and joined Justin to push the wash while I kept Zander with me to help watch for him. When the boys got to the corner where I last saw the deer, the excited yells began. As I made my way down to them, I could not believe what had just happened. A last-ditch effort worked out in our favor.The buck shocked us when he green scored 213". We figured out looking back at previous video that he was the second buck from the fourth day. I cannot thank Layne Kellar, Justin Trewern, Zander Doyle, and Kaden Marshall enough for all the help.
A little after the three-hour mark, I looked across and could see a buck coming over into the bowl. The buck had apparently snuck out as we were watching this morning. He was feeding in a pinyon tree at 90 yards with just his head and antlers showing. I figured he would walk down into the bowl and bed in the shade. There was a 10-yard opening between juniper bushes, and my plan was to shoot him if he stopped in the gap.After about 20 minutes of only seeing his head, he turned and walked down into the bowl, marching right through the opening without stopping. I could hear the buck working his way through pinyon and juniper below me but could not see him. Justin could never see him from his angle, so I figured he had to still be below me somewhere. I used my binos to look through a big, dead pinyon and could see the buck bedded facing me at 45 yards. With all the brush and branches in the way, I could not see him. I got back on the muzzleloader and was going to wait him out. It took him only two minutes to wind me when the wind swirled and he busted out. I called Justin and told him what happened and headed back to his glassing spot. Our morale was still high, and we figured if we kept grinding it out we would get another crack.The next day was much like the first and we could not locate the buck. We kept changing spots and glassing different angles all day. We knew if we kept at it we would find him again. On the fourth day, Layne and another one of his guides, Kayden Marshall, had joined us as they had finished up their hunts. I was able to find the buck again across the canyon on another mesa. He had joined up with another buck that was also big. I had everyone come around to help keep eyes on him. The bucks split up before they bedded and went to opposite sides of the mesa. I went around and was able to locate our target buck again bedded in a bad spot. We knew we had to try and get a stalk in as he would more than likely change spots overnight. I worked my way in and waited three hours until dark. The buck had given us the slip again without ever seeing him leave this time.We spent the next two days searching all over for either of the two bucks. The last morning was much like the previous two days as we were unable to find either buck. Justin came to pick me up from my glassing spot and suggested we move and look over new country. We didn’t make it two minutes before Justin had the idea of pushing a bench on the other side of the mesa to see if we could kick one of the bucks out. I got out and walked over the mesa top and got ready while Justin went around to the other side to watch. When I saw Justin get set up, I began walking down the bench. I didn’t make it very far before I peeked my head around a juniper and could see a deer bedded in the wash at the bottom between the two mesas. I slowly pulled my head back behind the tree and put my binos on him. I could tell the buck was heavy and figured he was in the low 190s. I decided I was going to get set up and take a shot. I ranged the buck at 140 yards. He was bedded towards me in the shade and was tough to see through the peep sight. I could make out his white throat patch and decided I didn’t want to risk him standing up and leaving. I zoned in on the center of his throat patch and squeezed the trigger. After the cloud of smoke cleared, the buck was running towards me up the wash and tried to jump out of it. The buck fell off the bank and ran around the corner in the wash and disappeared.
I called Justin and filled in the gaps of what happened that he couldn’t see. I sent him down into the wash on his side and figured if the buck wasn’t dead, he would run up the wash under me. Layne and Zander Doyle had come around and joined us at this point. Layne went down and joined Justin to push the wash while I kept Zander with me to help watch for him. When the boys got to the corner where I last saw the deer, the excited yells began. As I made my way down to them, I could not believe what had just happened. A last-ditch effort worked out in our favor.The buck shocked us when he green scored 213". We figured out looking back at previous video that he was the second buck from the fourth day. I cannot thank Layne Kellar, Justin Trewern, Zander Doyle, and Kaden Marshall enough for all the help.
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