Drew TX Desert Mulie Gun Hunt

[LIWolverine]

Just got notice that I drew the Elephant Mountain gun hunt! I’m super jacked! It’s one of the lowest draw odds in the state.

Anyone have any experience out there they would share? I’ve hunted all over but have never hunted mule deer.

I know it’s primitive camping, spot and stalk, we are assigned compartments and it looks like there are a TON of deer and some decent ones.

I know there is only so much I can learn online but they don’t allow any scouting. Hunt dates are 12/9-12/12.

I appreciate any and all help or encouragement. Going in blind and trying to fill a tag in 4 days is a tall order.


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[robie]

Congrats! Awesome tag. I've never hunted it but you should ask over on Texas Hunting Forum or TBH.

 

[LIWolverine]

Thanks! Already a member on those and been doing research reading old post just haven’t posted yet.


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[RockAndSage]

Man, what a cool challenge. You'll find plenty of info on hunting mule deer in this forum, that will more or less be universal to desert muleys, and some specific to them as well. It's definitely worth your time to immerse yourself in it, and then ask specific questions that you think may pertain to your hunt. Congrats on that tag!

 

[wytx]

I'd be talking with the folks there, they know where the deer are I'm betting.

Congrats and looking forward to seeing a nice Texas muley !!

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Congrats, and let us know how it goes.

 

[SCHUNTER73]

I hunted aoudad literally right across the highway from there this spring. We saw tons of does and a bunch of sheds. Congrats and good luck!

FWIW, one of the prettiest girls I saw in Texas works at the border patrol depot just north of there.

 

[bpitcher]

Congrats. That's some awesome country out there.

I hope to draw one of the WTX hunts one day.

 

[Boone-In-Wall]

That's amazing! Those TPWD MD Hunts are my dream hunt! I've been to Matador and Black Gap and both would be incredible! How many points did you have?

Good luck and look forward to hearing about your adventure!

 

[go_deep]

I can add nothing to the mule deer portion, but if primitive camping isn't your thing, get some good great lined up because of its cold and wet while your there, that can start to wear on a person and take the fun out of it.

Good luck!

 

[JGRaider]

I haven't hunted that property specifically, but grew up in W TX and hunted muleys all over the Trans-Pecos since 1971. My first bit of advice would be use the best binocs (8 or 10x) you can afford, get some elevation, and glass your butt off. Doesn't hurt to know where water holes are either. When vegetation freezes and leaves drop, those deer will still need water. Congrats on a great tag in awesome country.

 

[LIWolverine]

I found out the two biologist who have worked it for years were killed in a helicopter accident in July. Everyone on the ranch is now new. I’ll get as much info as I can.


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[LIWolverine]

That's amazing! Those TPWD MD Hunts are my dream hunt! I've been to Matador and Black Gap and both would be incredible! How many points did you have?

Good luck and look forward to hearing about your adventure!

Took 9 points. Been putting in for Matador and Black Gap for the same.


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[Mojave]

Did this hunt area for Javelina in 2019, I think it was in December.

Had a lot of challenges.

BLUF: Was a massive cluster F.

Stayed at the Holiday Inn in Alpine something was screwed up on my hotel reservation and they did not have me booked for the entire hunt. There was not any place decent in town to stay. Strike 1.

We get to the headquarters the dude sees my New Mexico plates and I can only assume that his ex-wife that gave him herpes must have been from New Mexico. I actually was supposed to draw first. But he (his name was Dewey) decided that since I was not from Texas I was draw last. They put me in a pasture full of cows next to the road. Strike 2.

I don't know what the deal was but the cows would not leave me alone. They followed me wherever I went through out the entire area. I found a ton of prickly pear that had been chewed up by javelina. But saw no lives ones. About 8 or 9 dead ones on the side of the road. Strike 3.

About an hour after they let us out to go hunting it starts pouring down rain. I seriously started looking for wood to build an ark. Strike 4.

So I walked back to my Toyota and watched it rain for the rest of the day. Weather report on my phone said same weather. Eventually got tired of it, and went back to town in hopes of a hot meal and a sleeping solution.

I get back to town that night and I thought well maybe I can find some cheap camping gear or a sleeping bag and sleep in the Sequoia. Not terribly uncomfortable. Nothing was open on Saturday afternoon, that had anything like that. Not even a place to get a blanket. Strike 5.

No place to stay, no sleeping gear. Drove back to Las Cruces and got home at midnight.

About 2 or 3 months later I noticed on Facebook (I was a social media guy back then) that Dewey and 2 other guys had been killed in a helicopter accident. Maybe it was Karma. Maybe it was his time. The two other guys were older than me and had led full lives. Dewey had a young wife and little boy. Felt bad for them.

Think of it as a big ranch that sits not too far from the Mexican border. Most of it surrounds a bighorn sheep habitat on the top of the mountain that you are not aloud to go see.

I saw a lot of nice deer in that country down there. I think it would have been a good hunt.

I hope you don't draw the area next to the road.

They have a nice campground if you bring good equipment or a camper.

Holiday Inn in town was wonderful. It was next to Pizza Hut and I had not had Pizza Hut in a long time and I ate there twice.

I looked at the success report for the year I went a couple of months after I got home. I think out of 8 or 9 guys about half did not kill a javelina. I don't know if they got tired of the rain. But we got unlucky.

 

[Mojave]

Some other thoughts.

There were no stands. I brought a popup blind and had planned on using it over water. I walked in the rain about 4 miles based on my Onyx maps. Made huge circles in my unit over and over. I think I went home and measured it on google maps and I had about 350 acres.

Once it started raining and I was soaked through I headed to the truck. I was probably 40 degrees.

You had to wear an orange hat and vest. But we were all miles apart and not allowed into one another's units.

We were allowed to hunt elk. No one saw one. There were also feral hogs and coyotes on available and no one killed anything but the 5 javelina. I just looked at the harvest report for that hunt.

There was an arroyo on the back side against the mountain. I crossed it before it started raining and I was pretty worried about crossing it after the rain. There was a bit of a flash flood going on, but I found some higher ground and got across the arroyo to get back to the truck without swimming.

I would do it again, the camp ground might have had showers. I remember nice cooking facilities and bathrooms.

Enjoyable place to hunt, as often happens there were guys that had 10-13 points to draw this tag. I had no points when I drew it. It was my first TWPD draw.

 

[LIWolverine]

I haven't hunted that property specifically, but grew up in W TX and hunted muleys all over the Trans-Pecos since 1971. My first bit of advice would be use the best binocs (8 or 10x) you can afford, get some elevation, and glass your butt off. Doesn't hurt to know where water holes are either. When vegetation freezes and leaves drop, those deer will still need water. Congrats on a great tag in awesome country.

Thanks! 10x50 El's and a tripod should set me up good. Thinking about a spotter since I would like to get a nice deer and dont want to blow stalks on one I wouldnt take.

 

[LIWolverine]

Some other thoughts.

There were no stands. I brought a popup blind and had planned on using it over water. I walked in the rain about 4 miles based on my Onyx maps. Made huge circles in my unit over and over. I think I went home and measured it on google maps and I had about 350 acres.

Once it started raining and I was soaked through I headed to the truck. I was probably 40 degrees.

You had to wear an orange hat and vest. But we were all miles apart and not allowed into one another's units.

We were allowed to hunt elk. No one saw one. There were also feral hogs and coyotes on available and no one killed anything but the 5 javelina. I just looked at the harvest report for that hunt.

There was an arroyo on the back side against the mountain. I crossed it before it started raining and I was pretty worried about crossing it after the rain. There was a bit of a flash flood going on, but I found some higher ground and got across the arroyo to get back to the truck without swimming.

I would do it again, the camp ground might have had showers. I remember nice cooking facilities and bathrooms.

Enjoyable place to hunt, as often happens there were guys that had 10-13 points to draw this tag. I had no points when I drew it. It was my first TWPD draw.

Awesome info! Sorry your hunt ended up that way.
Yeah, those fellas were killed in July. I dont know if anyone else ran that ranch other than them so there may be a few new folks out there. Ive got a lot of good rain gear and camping gear to handle the crazy weather.

 

[Boone-In-Wall]

Took 9 points. Been putting in for Matador and Black Gap for the same.


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BTW, they've killed at least 3 bull elk out there since 2018. Be on the look out!

 

[LIWolverine]

BTW, they've killed at least 3 bull elk out there since 2018. Be on the look out!

Nice!!


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[Mojave]

It is Texas so you should be able to use a daytime thermal hand held spotter.