Camping Unit 29,30? Barbary sheep

[NW_Bucketlist]

Looking for some help locating a few good places to camp in the southern part of unit 30. We will be arriving a few days before our hunt but it looks like we will be getting down there a few hours after dark. Trying to only setup camp one time would be nice. If anyone can help me out on some spots it would be much appreciated. Our hunt starts Dec. 15.

Thanks
Mitchell

 

[NMBigGame]

Pretty wide open as you can camp on any BLM or state land which most all the land in the southern part of those two units.

 

[tclipse]

How did your hunt go? I’m going in a month behind you. Planning on bringing a floor less shelter but have heard a few times that a free-standing tent is the way to go for this one. Interested to hear what you used and how it held up.

 

[44thStateSender]

How did your hunt go? I’m going in a month behind you. Planning on bringing a floor less shelter but have heard a few times that a free-standing tent is the way to go for this one. Interested to hear what you used and how it held up.

Just my two cents, but I'd avoid floorless in that country. Last time I was down there for The Poor Man's Sheep, we had a strong wind kick up overnight. We were in a pop-up camper, and gratefully so. There was sand in EVERYTHING. If a wind like that kicked up while you were in a floorless tent, you'd be picking sand out of your arse (and everything else) for a week. Good luck down there. It's fun country.

 

[tclipse]

Just my two cents, but I'd avoid floorless in that country. Last time I was down there for The Poor Man's Sheep, we had a strong wind kick up overnight. We were in a pop-up camper, and gratefully so. There was sand in EVERYTHING. If a wind like that kicked up while you were in a floorless tent, you'd be picking sand out of your arse (and everything else) for a week. Good luck down there. It's fun country.

Will a 3 season tent work in February? I have a Nemo but it’s only 3 season. I’ve heard the nights can be freezing but the only winter tents I’ve got are floorless.

 

[44thStateSender]

Will a 3 season tent work in February? I have a Nemo but it’s only 3 season. I’ve heard the nights can be freezing but the only winter tents I’ve got are floorless.

Yes, if you take zero degree sleeping bags you'll be warm enough. But the mesh windows/sides of most 3-season tents still leaves you somewhat susceptible to catching a lot of dust/fine sand if the wind kicks up.

Another thing that surprised us while we were there... there's a lot of border patrol activity on the remote dirt roads down there. We drove right into a group of agents at 2am and they came down on us pretty hard. It took a few minutes to convince them that we weren't involved with some sort of border crossing/trafficking activity. They said that the road we happened to be on was one of the most heavily used roads by people jumping the border. Make sure you have all the paperwork for your vehicles, trailers, and that you're not doing something stupid, like borrowing a buddy's suppressor or something like that.

Also, if you leave your camp during the day, be careful about what you leave behind. I've been told that the border hoppers generally just go thru camps looking for food, water and cash. But if you had some nice clothes, no doubt that would get taken, too. One local hunter we met said that when he leaves camp, he simply leaves a gallon of water and some food out and accessible to keep them from tearing his whole tent apart. There's a lot more human activity in that desert than you might think.

 

[NMBigGame]

Will a 3 season tent work in February? I have a Nemo but it’s only 3 season. I’ve heard the nights can be freezing but the only winter tents I’ve got are floorless.

A floorless tent will work but when in gets windy your tent is going to get very dusty. You could try and stack rocks around the base of the tent to cut down on the draft. Snakes won't be a worry in February but if you're running a stove you might get a scorpion or other visitor trying to soak in the heat. If you're not camping in the Guadalupe then wood will be scarce so you'll have to bring your own.

I've run 3 season tents in zero degree temps without issues. In fact, I plan on camping in a 3 season for my January hunt. Try and close and seal most of the vent on your tent to eliminate the wind as much as possible. I put a few strips of duct tape on the top vent of my Big Agnes Copper Spur to cut down on the air flow inside. Leave a little bit open to cut down on condensation. If you run a 3 season, keep your electronics wrapped in your pack or inside your bag with you. The cold will zap their power.