By Bob Robb I have been hunting northern Mexico for the better part of three decades, and always feel safe and secure traveling there. This year I spent a week, including New Year’s Eve, hunting Coues whitetails in Chihuahua with Ernesto Beall and Ojo Caliente Outfitters. This is one of the most affordable, exciting and enjoyable winter big-game hunts around. The northern Mexican states offer the best Coues deer hunting in the world right now. Most areas of these states have not been pounded like common habitat areas in Arizona and New Mexico, meaning the odds of finding a buck with enough age to grow large is much better. Also, you do not have to draw tags, meaning if you want to hunt them this season—in Chihuahua the season runs through January 25—all you have to do is hook up with a quality outfitter and go. You can get last-minute hunt deals for about three grand for six full days of hunting, which is less than many guided hunts for whitetails in the states.
Ernesto met my party in El Paso, Texas, and personally drove us across the border and the five hours from there to camp. It’s so safe I brought my wife here one spring to hunt Gould’s turkeys. The weather was ideal, with near-freezing mornings but nice days. I also love this hunt because it is not a road hunt, as is the case with a lot of Mexican deer hunting today. There are no roads on top of the mountains here, where the biggest deer live, which means it is up to you to hike, climb and maneuver while glassing them up. It’s challenging and pure spot and stalk hunting, and a perfect place for your favorite western rifle, with shots ranging out to 300 yards or so. On this trip I packed a Weatherby Sub MOA rifle chambered for the .257 Weatherby Mag. topped with Nikon Monarch 4-16X scope loaded with handloads featuring the 110-grain Nosler Accubond bullet.
How good was our trip? I took two dandy bucks in six days, and looked at more than 60 different bucks of all shapes and sizes. To give you an idea of how good that is, I know many very serious Coues deer hunters in Arizona and New Mexico who have not looked at that many bucks in a decade of hard hunting! And as I left camp on January 5, the rut was just beginning to kick in, meaning the very best hunting is happening right now. If such a trip piques your interest, you can get more information from Wade Derby of Crosshair Consulting by calling 925-679-9232; 925-437-8644 (cell) or by going to crosshairconsulting.com. I’ve already re-booked for next season.
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