Outfitters in Mexico use various hunting methods for their clients. Most of Mexico's desert terrain consists of thick brush, trees and cactus. Though visibility can vary from ranch to ranch, it is often less than 50 yards. As a result, a popular method for many outfitters has been hunting from high racks attached to a truck bed frame.

These high racks enable the hunter to seat himself high above the brush line and see the surrounding desert country as a driver moves along. This method can sometimes yield decent results for clients, especially during the rut.

Though it may seem like the obvious method of hunting this terrain, I've found it's not the best method for big bucks. Sure, in theory, it's possible to see big bucks crossing roads during the rut, but don't count on it. Rut or no rut, they didn't get big by making mistakes.

Yes, once in a while, someone will shoot a great buck from a road, but that is not the norm. I, too, have personally seen big bucks over the years while driving, but without a doubt the biggest were seen while on foot.

Unfortunately, some Mexican outfitters will only hunt their clients out of a high racked vehicle. They promise anything to get a client's dollar in their pockets. They promise guides who many times turn out to be nothing more than local cowhands who have no tracking abilities. I've spoken to several hunters who told me that their hunts in Sonora turned out to be nothing more than driving jaunts through the desert and were less than satisfactory.

In my opinion, the most effective and rewarding way to hunt mule deer in Mexico is by tracking. Stories about the Mexican trackers of this desert country are as impressive as the trackers themselves. They are often compared to their counterparts on the African continent. Tracking is truly an art form that utilizes technique, instinct and experience. It is a real treat to see a good tracker at his craft. Tracking can be challenging for some hunters who cannot understand or adapt to this altogether different hunting method, but the rewards can be great.

When you see your first large buck track in the desert, you will know it. They are distinctively larger than doe tracks. Some of the most experienced trackers even claim to know the difference between average bucks and big bucks according to sizes of tracks.

Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to spend a considerable amount of time in the field with some of the finest desert trackers. Along the way, I have prodded them with questions of all types and forms. As a result, I've learned many things.

I've learned that the tracker stays focused throughout the entire chase. Big mule deer bucks in this desert country undoubtedly know that they are being tracked and use various evasive techniques. They will lead you into huge washes (arroyos) and jump barbed wire fences with ease. They often backtrack or just keep pushing ahead of you. I've seen them make huge circles and end up in the exact spot where you started. They also like heading towards rocky ground trying to make tracking difficult.

In Mexico, everything can change for the better in a matter of minutes, and you have to be constantly mentally ready for the unexpected when you are tracking. Last season, one of my hunters jumped an impressive 30-inch class buck when he and his guide were sneaking through cover while hunting only about one mile from our camp. Though the buck didn't allow a shot, the hunter saw it was a keeper as it bounded out of sight.

Later one afternoon that same week, the same hunter and his guide were tracking when they caught up to a great buck. This buck had unique antlers that curved down then up again and are rarely seen in Sonora. The buck was stopped 100 yards away and had not detected the pursuers. This experienced hunter shot and missed this buck he described as the Buck of a Lifetime, but he felt fortunate to have pursued him in the spectacular Sonora landscape.

That same week, during an afternoon hunt, another client tracked a huge buck and flushed him from his bed at about 40 yards. Unfortunately, the hunter froze at the sight of this mid-30s monster and never raised his gun as the buck disappeared.

Later in the season, I dropped off another client on one of my ranches where good bucks had been seen. His guide told me he wanted to start low in the flats and work his way toward the mountains several miles away. Within a mile from where I dropped them off, his guide had tracked a buck and found him. A great buck! He was a solid 30 incher with mass and extra forks and six points to a side without eye guards.

While most hunters would have shot without question, the hunter elected not to shoot. They watched the buck for over 30 minutes and even bedded him down. This client is a trophy hunter and he explained that since it was the first morning of the first day, he thought he would roll the dice and see if he couldn't find a bigger buck, which he didn't. There were no regrets and he is still amazed with the tracking abilities of his guide.

During yet another week last season, a friend and very experienced hunter was in some rolling hill country when he spotted a super buck that he estimated between 32 to 34 inches wide. Within minutes, he counted four other bucks chasing a single doe. They snuck over to the group and lead began to fly.

The hunter shot at and missed the wide monster causing bucks to scatter in every direction. The hunter then ran to a spot where he could see them again and was presented with a huge dilemma. Off to the left he had the wide monster and quartering away to his right was a solid 28-inch buck with super mass. He put his sights on the smaller massive buck and dropped him in his tracks.