Although
the official hunting season includes the months of December and
January, in Rancho El Carbon, except for rare occasions, hunts
are only organized during January. The reason for this is very
simple: the rut is at its highest during this month, deer tracks
are more noticeable, the muleys presence is more obvious, and
their behavior is very predictable.
Rancho
El Carbón offers you six days hunts o until you kill (or
wound) a mule deer-what ever comes first-during the four January
weeks (if the official calendar doesn't change) in the way described
below.
Success
Rate. It is very important to mention that due the abundance of
mule deer at Rancho El Carbón, all our clients have experienced
100% chances to shot an adult mule deer buck, but the size and
quality of the antlers depends on the hunter's luck, hunting skills,
experience, tenacity, or patience, since Rancho El Carbón
is an open and free range terrain where deer moves freely. We
do not have high fences. We offer the optimal conditions to get
a record buck, but we cannot warranty that you will get it. That
is totally up to each hunter.
Coues
white tail deer. To all the hunters who book a mule deer hunt we can offer
a Coues deer hunt also under a trophy fee extra charge above the
mule deer hunt. That charge is applicable only when the hunter
kills (or wound) a Coues deer, there is not any charge just for
to tray.
Javelina
or collared peccary. At no extra charge all our clients are welcomed to hunt one
javelina during his mule deer hunt.
Bow
& Arrow Hunts. Many bow hunters had asked us if it is possible to hunt a
mule deer with it. We have told them that legally, yes, it is
possible, but being realistic, it is very difficult since mule
deer doesn't have an established pattern which allows the hunter
to call or to ambush them as it is common with some other spices.
In twelve years and more than one hundred mule deer taken, none
has been shot with bow and arrow . . . but the hunters are welcomed
to try any legal way they want. The hunt's price is the same.
Please
contact us for more information about fees, transportation, reservations,
etc.
On
arrival to the ranch, hunters will be met by the cook and his
aide, who will help them unpack and will assign them their bedrooms.
Afterwards, hunters will meet their guides and chauffeurs, adjust
their rifles and prepare their gear in order to start at an early
hour the next day.
In
Rancho El Carbon we're glad to offer -in moderation- alcoholic
beverages at no additional cost, in an intent to create
the friendly atmosphere characteristic among hunters. After
dinner, hunters are invited to enjoy conversation with fellow
hunters, sitting around the fire and contemplating one of
the most spectacular views of Nature, seldom seen in big
cities: a star-studded sky.
Hunting
begins at dawn. After breakfast, hunters start their hunting journey,
first from the vehicle until 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. and, at that time,
they're invited to search on foot for their trophy in the forest.
The walk usually lasts until noon or 1:00 p.m., when they join
the chauffer who is expecting them for a delicious lunch. They
take a rest and start the hunt again, from the car or on foot,
as the circumstances require it.
The
return to the house is scheduled well into the night, as the best
hunting hours are those of the late afternoon. This routine is
repeated each day until they obtain their mule deer.
It
is important, at the beginning of the hunt, to learn a little
about the language and the surroundings, including the local
name for plants and animals, as the guides are people who
have lived in that land all their lives, and what's new
for us is everyday life for them. So, when they say: "Debajo
del paloverde" or "Detrás de la pitalla",
we'll be able to locate the point they're indicating. Locals
call the bura male deer "buro", the "bura"
is the doe, and when they talk about "venados",
they're referring to the whitetail, no to the bura.
HUNTING
STATISTICS
Ninety
percent of mule deer taken in Rancho El Carbon have not required
shots ranged from more than 100 m. However, most of the whitetail
deer have required the hunter to be able to shoot from a distance
greater than 200 m.
In
Rancho El Carbon, for the last ten year, every hunter has had
the chance to hunt a bura. Opportunities are lost mainly when
a hunter lets a lot of animals pass in search of a better trophy
or when shots fail to hit their target. Due to these facts, our
success rate is about 80%. In the case of whitetails, as they're
considered a secondary species, and not every hunter is interested
in them, we have no statistical information, but three or four
are taken every year.
The
average size of mule deer taken in Rancho El Carbon is around
25 to 28 inch rack or 170 points B. C; and more than ten of them
have been included in the record book.
CLOTHES
AND GEAR
We
recommend every hunter to bring, in addition to his personal stuff
and traveling clothes, come hunting clothes made of medium thickness
material, such as denim or gabardine, in order to protect their
bodies from thorns, and which allow them to move freely, to be
comfortable, and make no noise. Preferred colors are dark green
or brown, with a camouflage print pattern.
Temperature
oscillates between 20 to 25C (65 to 77°F) during the day,
but after sunset it descends dramatically to 0°C (32°F)
during the night and, especially at dawn, so it is advisable to
bring a warm jacket, gloves and a ski-mask, pieces of clothing
which can be left behind in the vehicle, when starting the sun
goes up.
Based
on our long time experience, we recommend the following items
to be included in order to have a comfortable five day hunt in
El Carbon:
