For those who have hunted in the area what should I expect to see if I hunt 25 mi south east of Dryden. It's roughly 7 mi from the rio grande

mostly whitetail in that area.

you may run across a few mule deer though, buy you really have to get past Dryden to get into mule deer country

I hunted 12 miles south of Dryden a few years back and it was about 50/50.

A lot will depend on the ranch I would think but expect mainly WT. There was a 190 class MD killed in Val Verde County about 4-5 yrs ago now so there is an odd chance you could get a big one but don't bank on it.

I'm buying 190 acres with hills and a nice little cliff area with a creek running through it and was just wondering what to expect. I know javis but I wasn't sure of which deer would be there

Depending on the exact location you might have exotics drift in or out, especially aoudads. Hogs are likely also depending on the water situation. Don't be surprised if you see a bear on camera as sightings have gone up out in that area over the past 12-15 yrs. We have them 20 miles or so west of Fort Stockton.

Was it taken up near pumpville?

I heard of a big 190" buck that was taken in Val verde

I never could find out just saw it on the TBGA site back then with a score and county. Only MD entered in Region 4 I have ever seen listed on that site.

The closest corner is 3 miles from the river so I foresee hogs and illegals

I think that's the one.


Dentist in Del Rio was telling us of the biggest MD ever taken in Val Verde county was a "book" deer and it was shot near pumpville. I didn't know that Val Verde county had any mule deer worth a darn, All ever saw were scrubby little bucks

I don't think he netted book though. I think he was like low 190's net and not sure if was NT or Typical either.

isn't the min 195" for typical buck?

I am not a "book" guy so not real sure. I think it is a 195 minimum for typical. Someone else might know.

The minimum B&C score for the all-time awards--thus "book"-- is 190 typical and 230 non-typical for mule deer. For whitetails, it is 170 and 195, respectively.

IME, lots of guys who say they don't care about the B&C record book will happily go through the process if they do indeed get lucky and take a record book animal. Case in point....a local Baptist pastor shot a book black bear in Alaska on the first bear hunt he ever experienced. He now has the plaque and certificate, his picture in B&C's Fair Chase magazine, and a gorgeous life-size mount in his den!

I'm more of a magazine guy myself....more pictures