Borderland hunter Mark Young took this beautiful New Mexico Bull Elk with us in early October. Mark hunted hard for 4 days of rain and dreary conditions, before taking his 340 class trophy elk.

Guide Mario Guisto with Mark Young, of Adam Clements Safari Trackers

To learn more about Adam Clements Safari Trackers, look them up at www.safaritrackers.com or contact Mark Young at (307)587-6372

Chris Dowland and his stud 15"+ New Mexico Antelope

Sam Carroll and his beautiful, opening morning Pronghorn

Griffin Hall and his swept back, busted up Warrior

Casey Charter and his awesome New Mexico Pronghorn in front a great sunset

Chris Crosland and his massive 15" Pronghorn.

Just a couple spots left for 2012 New Mexico Pronghorn Antelope Hunts!

Borderland Hunter Ryan Dalton took this fantastic Columbian Blacktail in Northern California last month!

Ryan’s long range set up includes his Remington Sendero 7MM with NightForce scope,  mounted on a Bogen/Manfrotto tripod, with the Triclawps.

Take a closer look at the Triclawps at www.triclawps.com

Jeff and his 500+lb Boone and Crockett Bear!

Team Borderland member Jeff Crosland takes a whopper AZ Black Bear! Congrats Jeff!

All Jeff’s hard work paid off, when this giant hit the ground on opening weekend of the Fall bear season!

The Crosland Boys are on a roll this year! Good work guys!

117 7/8"

Congrats to Nate Crosland on his GIANT AZ COUES!

Nate took his buck on opening day of the first general rifle season, at 256 yards, with his 7mm-08.

Nate has hunted hard the last few years, and has taken Turkeys, Javelina, and Mule deer, this is his first Coues buck! What a way to start!

Nate and his Net B&C Typical buck

Where: Central New Mexico, Lincoln County, 40 minutes from Carrizozo

What: 2 Landowner Antelope Authorizations on 20,000+ acre ranch.

When: Sept 17, 18, 19^th, 2011.

This hunts $1400 OFF of regular price! Deal of the year! Contact me immediately for pricing!

Fully outfitted, and Guided 2×1 by Matt Woodward, Licensed New Mexico Outfitter.

Lincoln County is some of New Mexico’s best Big Antelope Country. Bucks here will ranch from the low 70’s to 80”+. The largest buck taken off this ranch was 92”+, about 5 years ago. There are currently several 80” bucks on the property. This a fantastic, historic antelope ranch.

Stay in a rustic ranch house, with all the amenities of home. Enjoy great meals and great antelope hunting!  All inclusive, except for your transportation to the ranch.

I will process your antelope licenses for you.

Contact me immediately for more information, references or pictures. I have 1000’s of pics of this ranch and the antelope on it.

Matt Woodward

Borderland Adventures

(520)820-4728

This one was a while in the making. Chris Traver hunted with me this past January. We spent a week spotting and stalking Coues Deer, and a couple Muleys. A few close calls was the result. We didn’t get the deal closed, and I invited Chris to return for the August hunt. He only had three days to hunt, so we had to make the best of it.

Mutual friend Tyler Arnold joined us for the weekend hunt.

We glassed all morning and Chris sat water for the afternoon. The first afternoon Chris had Coues deer inside 10 yards. A small buck, and few does fed by his blind at 8 feet at one point. No shooters. That morning we had seen a group of Mule Deer, and one of the bucks had caught Chris’ attention. I knew it would. It was Prettyboy.

Chris' buck, the week before the hunt

Not super big, or wide, or tall. He was still a sharp looking deer. He mentioned him that evening, and said ” if you can find him again, I would like to kill him”. Good enough for me.

10 minutes into glassing the next morning, we had him. 1500 yards away, with 4 other bucks, feeding and covering ground fast. They covered 400 yards before we had a plan together.

Chris dropped off our 400′ vantage point, and I stayed back to keep an eye on the bucks. He made an almost mile long semi-circle in front of the bucks, and climbed up a wash bank. He now had the wind and elevation to his advantage, and the bucks were headed his way.

Glassing and peaking over the edge, Chris located the bucks, 60 yards out, and headed down the wash below him. They played, bucked, and fed as they walk under his vantage point.

Chris had ranged a pre-determined spot in the grass below at 33 yards. His angle-compensated range finder gave him a reading of 23 yards.

As Prettyboy hit the clearing, he stopped on that exact spot. The G5 Montec blew through both lungs. He lurched into the wash, the other bucks froze, and then continued to feed, completely unaware of the archer on the hill above them. Chris quietly backed out, and we met in the wash a few minutes later.

We patiently waited almost an hour. We located the impact spot, and found his tracks tearing off in the firm sand.  No blood. Not even a drop.

We foot trailed him about 150 yards, when he hit another wash, and made a hard right. 30 yards ahead he was piled up at he edge of the brush.

Chris Traver and his Trophy Velvet Mule Deer

Chris had worked long and hard to take a quality buck with his bow, on the ground, fair chase. This was his 9th day in the field with us this season (January included).

Congratulation Chris, all your hard work, and diligent practice paid off big time!

Mineral licks were washed out, water was standing everywhere, and the prospects were looking like tough, spot and stalk Coues hunting.

In my scouting efforts over the last few weeks, I had noticed one area that didn’t seem to be getting rain. In fact, half of the mountain was still dry and brittle, with little greenery showing. A quick walk up a wash confirmed no standing water. The storms, or most of them, had simply missed this area. I took notice, and didn’t think much more about it.

There is one water source in this area. Deer frequent it in the dry season, but during the early and late bowhunts there is typically water standing in the creek bottoms. The drink of water is on a very, very steep hill. With nowhere obvious to hunt it from, and a seemingly tough situation. Multiple bucks in an almost unhuntable canyon made it frustrating, now and in the past.

A week later, the area still had not received any rain, and the archery season was under way. We ended up hunting in that general area, and the seep came up in conversation.

After a couple of days of hard chasing bucks, Team Borderlander Jeff Crosland decided to get creative and give it a whirl.

He grabbed a lawnchair, some pruners, and his bow, and headed for the seep in full camo.

Jeff carved out a small niche in a small, brushy mesquite tree, screening in the area behind him. Just big enough for him and his lawnchair. He was working on little sleep and dozing off 1 1/2 hours into his sit, when he noticed a doe had appeared below him at 34 yards, drinking. Almost immediately, the doe became nervous, and focused her attention below her on the steep slope.

The next thing Jeff knew, a set of velvet antlers appeared below him, headed for a drink.

Within seconds, the buck appeared in his 4 foot shooting lane, Jeff settled his pin, and dropped the string on his Mathews Monster.

Jeff with his "Lawnchair Buck", reminding us to follow your gut feeling, and strike while the iron is hot

Quartered away, the buck took the 100 grain Muzzy tight in the crease, exiting in front of the opposite shoulder.

When help arrived for the recovery, we found the buck piled up at the base of the hill, 80 yards straight downhill!

Jeff took notice of an unusual situation, got creative in an almost unhuntable situation, and capitalized on it 90 minutes later with a Fantastic 95″  Non-Typical Velvet Coues Buck!

Jeff had a busy weekend. While his brother Chris was shooting an archery antelope opening morning, Jeff was shooting an archery turkey in Northern Arizona. Once his turkey was on ice, Jeff headed 5 hours south, and was on his first deer stalk of the season by 3pm on Friday. Congrats Jeff!!!

Cody’s Story:

The second day of archery Coues deer season dad and I arrived at the trail head at 1 p.m. “AKA- “the hottest part of the day” That morning we had already watched two mid-eighty class Coues deer find their way to the biggest shad tree they could find and snuggle in for the afternoon heat.  After evaluating all stalk options on these two deer we decided to pass due to bad wind direction.

   After a short drive and a good hour hike down the trail we arrived at our new glassing destination. We quickly set up are tripods and glass and began searching the oaks and tall grass looking for any sign of these little deer they call the “Gray Ghosts”.  

  We quickly located a couple does with yearling up feeding, we got a good laugh watching the goofy fawns messing around but we quickly got back to business. Shortly later we had two buck found and they too were up feeding, I quickly put my spotter on the two bucks and gave them a quick field score I had the bigger buck at mid 90s and the second buck at mid 80s both shooters in my book with archery equipment.  As they both feed slowly down a long canyon my dad and I decided that I had a good chance to get in position before they bedded back down for the day.

   About an hour and half later I found myself at my destination a saddle directly above the two bucks. I checked the wind and quickly gave the thumbs up to my dad about 1500 yards away who was watching me and the deer  threw his 15’s, He quickly gave me a couple quick hand signals and I read that the bucks where still up and feeding.  I rested on a huge rock took some time to catch my breath and try to locate the bucks below me.  About 15 minutes later I located the smaller buck and began to study him hoping he would bed where I could get to him. Then I noticed the bigger buck directly across the canyon- just my luck! I keep watching these bucks feed and finally bed down about 50 yards below a small saddle now about 200 yards across the canyon. 

    Back to square one!  After another hour and half hike I find myself in the saddle directly above the two bucks. I quickly get the signal from my dad that the two bucks are still bedded.  I took some time to catch my breath and get some water then swiftly began the final leg of my stalk. After picking my way in the tall grass and cat claw I set up directly in front of a prickly pear cactus and the buck. I quickly noticed the buck’s tines sticking up in the tall grass; I ranged the grass in front of the buck 25 yards with the wind blowing in my face.  

   Now this is where the hard part began:  I had to wait close to an hour, 25 yards from a great buck hoping the wind would not shift and send this buck on the run. I began to hear some noise behind me and I slowly moved my head and now I had two small bucks, a “forky” and a small 3 point that where 30 yards above me.  They had moved in from the saddle above and with the wind blowing directly at them I knew I was asking for trouble! Just when this thought came to mind, they caught my scent and both began to make a racket above me.

  The large buck I was after rapidly jumped out of his bed and stopped about 5 yards from his bed and glared up at the two small bucks to see what had spooked them.

  I quickly drew my Hoyt and took a slight quartering away shot at 30 yards.  

  It seemed like forever to get my bow canted right but once I got the bubble level in the kill position I buried my 30 yard pin to match the perfect quartering way shot and I let the arrow fly. I heard a ‘shwack’  I didn’t see the arrow hit so I knew I had held my follow through just right. I watched the large buck trot off about 40 yards and bed down under a tree, a long 15 min had passed and I could tell through my 15’s the buck had passed. 

Cody and his Coues Buck

   My dad hiked up to meet me and we gave quick high fives and talked over the stalk, we where both amazed of how well the long stalk panned out. After a short hike the beautiful buck laid at our feet and I was one happy Coues Deer hunter! About 10 p.m. we found our way back off the trail head and back at the truck- What a day!

   My Taxidermist Scott Kendrix, owner of “Global Destinations Artistry” rough scored the buck for me and he came up with 100 4/8 gross… That’s a lot better than the mid 90s I had guessed the buck would probably score at!

Wednesday and Thursday were spent scouting, photographing and locating some new birds. While a few historic Gould’s haunts seemed vacant, a couple of other had hard gobbling Tom’s and plenty of hens.

The Gould’s turkeys in Southern Arizona are  tremendous reintroduction success story. Non-existant in Arizona for nearly a century, transplants from Mexico have been booming in population throughout the Sky-Islands of Southeastern Arizona.

Friday morning started off with with a big Tom gobbling off the roost and then giving us the slip. After a couple of close calls, we caught up with a big Tom courting six hens at 9:00 am.

Travis’ Gould’s was a mature tom, with a 10.25″ beard, and heavy, worn spurs.

This is the second Gould’s turkey legally taken from the Santa Rita Mountains. The first tag was issued last year, with two tags being issued this season. Hopefully, the hunter next week will have the same success.