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Sonora mule deer -- world class hunting with Best of Mexico Hunting Service

f you want to take a big mule deer and have an adventure in the process, consider hunting Sonora in the winter. You'll enjoy spending a week in the desert in January, and you have a good chance of taking the deer of a lifetime.

Over the past two seasons our outfitter has accommodated 34 hunters on nine ranches and has been able to produce muley bucks for 32 of them. The widest rack so far was 35 1/8 inches wide with no abnormal tines. The average buck has been about 28 inches wide.

Accommodations are either in a ranch house or a deluxe tent camp, depending on the ranch. We're offering a 2x1 hunt at $7,500, and a 1x1 hunt at $9,000. These are for six full hunting days. You can book a longer hunt if you have the time. One of our hunters in 2008 stayed an extra four days and saw four bucks over 30 inches, missing one of them, and eventually took a 28-incher with several extra points.  

The ranches vary in size from about 5,000 acres to more than 30,000 acres. We don't know of another area that provides a better chance of taking a truly big mule deer. Some of the bucks in Sonora have it all -- width, mass, height. Naturally, when you're hunting for an exceptional animal, you won't always find what you're looking for, but at least you have a chance here. Keep in mind that the entire trip is an adventure and an unforgettable experience. See some of the most stunning desert landscapes on earth. Much of this land is just as it was before Columbus. Our camps are designed for four to six hunters at a time.

Best of Mexico Hunting Service is run by two Mexicans who are licensed by the state of Sonora; Utah Outfitter Gary Andersen and Rich LaRocco of Hunts.Net help out in organizing and equipping the hunt and often go along to help things run smoothly. ership. Both Mexican partners, Enrique Salmon and Enrique Gracia, come from hard-working cattle ranching families, whose connections have helped tremendously in acquiring the best properties available.

We work only on ranches with good deer habitat, great genetics and light hunting pressure. Hunting is done either on foot, tracking these big bucks across the sandy desertscape, or from high racks mounted on a pickup truck or a side-by-side 4x4 ATV. In some cases, glassing from vantage points can be effective.

There's also a possibility of taking a big Coues deer. We have limited permits, so book ahead if you want one of these beautiful desert whitetails. We've had hunters who have pursued Coues bucks in Arizona, and they said our hunting is much better, especially for mature bucks with bragging-size racks.

Kurt Mahaney emailed me the above picture from his January 2009 hunt. He's the hunter on the right. All hunters but one scored in 2009, and he missed a 205 net typical before he had to leave after only 1 1/2 days. The widest buck in 2009 was 33 1/2 inches, and the two smallest bucks scored in the 170s, which took the average score down to 187 B&C points. I'll be getting pictures of the other bucks in mid-February. The outfitter had one hunter decide to go back for an end-of-the-season hunt, and he won't be back until Feb. 9. -- Rich LaRocco, 1/22/09

Hunt MD7101

Hunt, hunter:guide ratio

Price per person

6-day trophy mule deer hunt, 2x1 $9,000
6-day trophy mule deer hunt, 2x1 $10,000
Dates

Lodging and meals

Hunts start Jan. 12 and Jan. 19, 2010. There's a possibility for earlier or later hunts if you have a group. Accommodations are in ranch houses on the property or in a top-quality wall tent camp, depending on the property. Our customers in 2006 said they had never been in a better tent camp.  Meals are included.
Extra days Location
Extra hunting days are $500 each when guides and room are available. 20,000 to 50,000-acre private ranches mostly between Hermosillo and the Sea of Cortez
Travel Terrain
Fly to Hermosillo, where the outfitter picks you up. If you prefer to drive, the outfitter charges an extra $300 per person to pick you up and drop you off in Nogales, Arizona. Varies from flat desert terrain covered with mesquite and many varieties of cactus to low desert mountains that are similar in looks to foothills in eastern Montana or southern Utah.
Hunter success Trophy size
2008: 100% success except for one hunter who had to leave after 1 1/2 days. A Wyoming outfitter himself, he missed a buck he estimated at 205 typical. 2006 and 2007 combined: 32 of 34 hunters killed at least one buck. Sometimes there are enough permits that a hunter can take a second buck. All our Coues deer hunters have scored on bucks scoring between 90 and 105 B&C except for one buck that was shot by accident when it switched positions with a huge buck as the hunter was stalking. The average spread in 2008 was about 29 inches wide. The average score was 187 B&C and would have been over 190 but two hunters shot bucks scoring in the low 170s early in their hunt. The average in 2006 was 30.5 inches wide and 200 B&C gross score. The largest buck was 35 inches wide and gross-scored 216 typical points with about 4 1/2 inches of difference between antlers. The average spread in 2007 was 28 inches with the widest rack just over 30 inches and the best score just over 201 B&C.
Permits Note
Licenses, tags and gun permits are an extra $300 per person. An American or a Mexican with good English skills is in most camps to aid communication.

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