Hunter Reports Taking Big Desert Mule Deer with Sonoran Outfitters

One thing jumped out immediately in subscriber Paul Dachton's report (see Report 8568) on a January hunt in Sonora, Mexico: He took three mule deer bucks scoring 180 to 185. Dachton hunted with personal guide Brian Loper on ranches south of Hermosillo leased by Todd Rice of Sonoran Outfitters (253-269-8789; www.sonoranoutfitters.net). This is Dachton's 12th hunt in Sonora and his second with Rice (see Report ID 8111). He's rebooked again for the coming season. Some of this hunting was from high-rack, safari-style vehicles, but Dachton tells us he hunted by hiking morning and evening to high vantage points, where he could glass big flats covered in cholla cactus. "We were on top of the ridges and glassing when the sun came up," he says. Despite his success, he warns, "Too many hunters have too high expectations for Mexico. The days of everyone getting a 180-class buck and larger are over. We saw lots of small bucks under the 170-class and 170- to 180-class bucks every day, but the bigger bucks aren't behind every cactus." Dacton says Rice's outfit was excellent, including the ranch house accommodations and the food. He gives the cost of his two-week hunt as $9,000 for the hunt, plus $100 in trophy fees and $1,500 in additional expenses. Dachton flew to Tucson, then Hermosillo and traveled to the ranch by truck with no issues. At press time, we talked to Todd Rice about his 2011-12 season, when he hunted seven different ranches, totaling 490 square miles. He reports that three of his hunters took bucks scoring 201, 210 and 217 respectively this season. Rice also made the point that the much-talked-about security concerns along the Mexican border simply aren't an issue. "My wife drove alone from Flagstaff, Arizona, to Hermosillo, Sonora, three times this season and experienced no problems," he says.

........(continued)