New Mexico Unit 9

[Rampage1]

Hello everybody! I am new to monster mulies, but have been checking out the board for awhile now and have found it very informative.

I am looking for a little guidance. I got out of the Marine Corps in December and decided to treat myself to an out of state hunt. I drew a NM unit 9 archery tag and have never hunted the area before. I have done a lot of map work and have a few good looking areas picked out. But I still don't really know what to expect out of the unit. I contacted the bio. for the area and he told me there's a good herd of elk there, just not a whole lot of big bulls. He also mentioned that the elk are scattered throughout diffrent elevations in the unit. Does this coincide with what anybody else has seen? I have never killed a bull before, only a cow, so I am not to concerned with a 350" bull. Just something respectable. Is this a reasonable expectation? Also, could anybody reccomend a decent place to stay in grants?

Thanks for ANY help, and good luck this year!

 

[ScottNM]

What you described of the unit is correct. Mostly raghorns to 5x5s. Look at American canyon and Colorado canyon areas. Your hunt last a long time if I remembber. The rut should get things going the last 5 days. Dont know about grants.

 

[Rampage1]

Thank you for the suggestions. I high lighted those areas on my map and added them to my list of places to check out. Good luck this year.

 

[gleninaz]

I used to hunt unit 10 south of Grants years ago. Got a big bull out of there as well as a number of archery cows. Grants has a few fast food joints and a motel right on the I-40. I always camped where I was hunting. I don't know 9 at all but if it is like 10 there is a checkerboard of private posted land and public so you need to get a good FS map that shows where you can legally hunt. I had two guides in 10 stop with clients and tell me I could not hunt an area that was public, They lost the arguement and I scored my bull. I found that climbing straight up off the roads was the best way to kill an animal. They tended to hide on the hilltops where most hunters weren't willing to go. Crapload of road hunters where I hunted. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[Rampage1]

Thank you for the input! I am hoping to avoid the road hunters as well, I have a couple good looking areas mapped out that are a good distance from any road. I am will probably end up bivouc hunting for a couple of nights at a time and then heading down into grants for a night of R&R at a motel room in the middle of my trip to shower/de-scent. Thanks again for your guy's input!

 

[fj4elk]

Rampage, I drew this tag and have been up once to scout. I have also talked to a Game warden. Grants has a bunch of new Hotels on the east side of town. I'm thinking the same thing as you. Hunt a few days and drive in for a shower etc. Do you have the 1st season or 2nd?

 

[nmelktrout]

This unit has been a smaller bull unit for years and the elk are high and low. Don't commit to an area unless you've got animals located and are not near 4 wheelers and others. Move around until you find them. There have been some giants killed off of public land in 9 over the past 4 years with archery and muzzle tackle but they are not the norm. I'd save the drive to and from Grants and camp out on the unit. Like many units I'd find the little hell-hole pockets that aren't getting human pressure and are being overlooked. Some of the bigger bulls in this unit have been killed in weird little pockets. Go to the NM Forum and do a search on the unit and you will come up with quite a bit of info. Good spots are secretive but there's plenty of elk to go around and if you hunt hard you WILL get into them. Get off the beaten path in NM and you will find animals.
-Cody

 

[Hatch]

Sent you a PM

 

[freaknasty]

in my time there i've found theres alot of genenitics 5x5s but there is some 6x6s running around there are some good ones also but there smart good luck