Uhhhhhhhh, using a 12 guage to hunt deer is illegal in NM.
Mule Deer Hunting in the West is the complete opposite of East Coast Whitetail hunting; you're practically on top of the deer when you shoot them in the East, and there's a lot more population, so that's why some states have banned rifles for deer; out West you're picking off deer from one mountain to the next mountain...odd they'd ban shotguns since I can't imagine why someone would want to use them.