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Self-Reliance · Southwest New Mexico

Mule deer hunting in New Mexico

Understand mule deer country, lawful hunting opportunities, careful field decisions and responsible recovery in New Mexico.

This series centers on New Mexico, with practical detail for Silver City and the Gila region. Read food, cover and seasonal movement together; keep species identification, a valid license and lawful access as distinct questions. The New Mexico Public Lands Guide provides companion context for ownership and approaches.

Use the New Mexico Department of Wildlife’s deer page and current hunting publications for the actual hunt. No habitat description guarantees a harvest or permission to enter.

6 chapters

Read the series

  1. Mule Deer in New Mexico: Food, Cover and Seasonal Movement

    Read New Mexico mule deer country through forage, shelter, water and seasonal movement, with practical detail for Silver City and the Gila region.

  2. New Mexico Deer Hunts: Units, Licenses and Current Rules

    Understand New Mexico deer licenses, species-specific bags, Southwest hunt areas, legal methods and access, separating 2026–27 hunts from adopted 2027 rules.

  3. Reading Mule Deer Country: Terrain, Sign and Lawful Approaches

    Understand benches, drainages, tracks and feeding sign in Southwest New Mexico mule deer country, with careful viewing positions and lawful routes through the Gila region.

  4. Ethical Mule Deer Shots: Field Judgment and Recovery

    Choose responsible mule deer shots through identification, practiced accuracy, angles and safe backgrounds, then follow New Mexico recovery and access requirements.

  5. From Deer to Freezer: Meat Care, Transport and Disease Precautions

    Care for New Mexico mule deer meat through clean field handling, prompt cooling, lawful tagging and transport, CWD precautions and safe freezer-to-table practices.

  6. Learning From a Mule Deer Season: Conditions, Decisions and Field Records

    Understand a New Mexico mule deer season through actual sightings, terrain, weather, access, ethical decisions and useful field records, including hunts without a harvest.

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