nm elk draw

tommyc

Member
Messages
8
im putting in for the draw with 3 other people this year .what units do you think i should apply for i am a out of stater.im looking for units with easy access lots of public land, with good numbers and half way descent quality.also it will be a do it yourself hunt
thanks
 
oh yea in the past i have put in for 34,15,16,and 16a and have been drawn i time in 4 years. i know thats not to bad but what could or where could i apply to increase my odds
thanks
 
Unit 6 and 51 offer good hunts with good elk numbers . 5B has easier odds , both resident and non res. What hunts are you guys looking at and what weapon choice ? 52 is another good one , a bit tougher odds , but a great unit . Big bull country , is 15 and the 16s' , tough odds too ....NMHUNTNUTT
 
I would like to put in for bow and muzzy but i cant because of my friends they want to hunt muzzy only.i guess we will have to try and also find some terrain thats not really really bad,one guy is kinda worried about that, but i told him if he wants to go he will have to deal with it. I was gonna try to stay on the south end but im willing to go north .Just not to familure with the are, but the main thing is definatly access , becuase we will be walking in every day. are you familure with 34 at all?
 
I have no knowledge of 34 as far as personal experiance , but thats a great unit , but not easily hunted , its ROUGH! The southern units are mostly all qaulity and high demand units , $766.00 vs $541.00 for a standard non res tag , so keep that in mind . I drew a fourth choice muzzy cow hunt a couple years ago though , now I know why every body puts in for 15 bull hunts . 16E has the best draw odds for all muzzy elk hunts , and is a pretty good unit too , give crazyboutcoues a call , he can line you out some ....NMHUNTNUTT
 
I've also been wondering some of the same things. My dad and I want to go on an archery elk hunt in New Mexico and have never hunted out of state before. We don't know where to go and don't know the odds of drawing. Not sure if we should go with a guide for the first time and then try DIY on future hunts. What kinds of draw odds are we looking at for a good hunt where we can atleast expect to get into elk, not looking for a Gila hunt for those are longer than we would like to wait. We would just like to get into some bugling elk.

Thanks
 
NM offers very good archery elk hunts , with that said , be careful when looking into hiring an outfitter here , seems theres alot of coyotes trying to do business , its usually the less expensive ones that can promise you this and garuntee you that . Get referances from out of staters , look at pictures of their past clients etc . Its tough to find em affordable and still offer a quality hunt with experianced guides . I think theres a few units that a guy could learn well enough to hunt with a few days early scouting , it just takes effort . But we do have some good elk ...
 
your right about that I hunted in 34 in 2002 got there 5 days early did miles of leg work and glassing and connected the first morning on decent 5x5 well decent for me any way. and the other thing was i had probely 8 or 9 guys stop me and ask if i wanted to hire them .....because they knew where there several 350 to 380 bulls that nobody else knew about !!! also how can i get in touch crazyaboutcouse
 
TommyC - from what i've been hearing, the 34 is one of the better units in NM right? How many years did it take for you to get a tag?
 
got drawn i think in 00 or 01 put in every year since and havent got a tag since. nither has a couple other buddies of mine for the same units but a different tag
 
Odds of drawing 34 are 10% or so, also keep in mind when choosing units with a group of four you want to apply to a unit with a LOT of tag, otherwise you kill your odds. For example if a unit has 50 tags, 5 go to NR without a guide, if you are drawn third, 2 tags are gone and 3 remain but you have 4 so you get passed on! Basically it makes you odds FAR tougher with a group in a unit without a lot of tags.

34 is a good choice FYI
 
THANKS DONVATHOME FOR THE INFO THATS POBALEY SOME OF THE BEST INFO ON THE DRAW IVE HAD YET .YOU BY CHANCE DONT KNOW MUCH ABOUT 36 DO YA ,SUCH AS ACSSES ,AND IS THE TERRAIN AS RUFF AS THEY SAY NOT TALKING ABOUT THE WILDERNESS AREA AND ARE THE ELK FAIRLY EASY TO GLASS OR LOCATE OR IS IT KINDA LIKE 34 JUST STEEPER.
 
I don't know why you never here much about it, but unit 9 has everything you say you are looking for. Plus the only bull tags in the unit are archery or muzzle, and there are lots of tags.
 
your definitly right about that i dont think ive ever heard anybody say anything about nine .....but you say theres good access to most of the unit ......and the elk are plentyfull
 
What about 22 and 23 for archery. From what I can see, the odds for these units are 52% and 40% for non-guided non-residents. How are they for hunting and public access?
 
I think unit 9 has been mismanaged . Its not at all what it was in the 90s' . Theres alot more private land and after the first muzzle loader hunt which is a cow hunt at the end/beginning Sept/OCT , the elk just move heavy into alot of these private ranchs . If you remember a few years back I believe they hammered 9 with cow tags in consecutive years and its taken its toll on the elk herds there . I have a friend who has a smaller piece there but he has water tanks , he leases it to large outfitt , but said that 9 has dwindled to a lesser unit as I too asked him last year about the hunt .All the barbary sheep have also moved into reservation and private land in 9 as well .In the early 80s' unit 10 McGaffey Lake area was closed for some 5 -6 years , when the G&F reopened it , that was one of the best units for muleys in NM ,right there with the Zuni and 2B and 5B hunts. I lived in Gallup so we experianced it first hand , but it too has been mis managed , for both elk and mule deer . Its sad , and I don't know what the right answer is to fix the numbers in these units , but they are not what they once were , not even in top tier for quality or quantity of units in NM...jUST MY .02....NMHUNTNUTT
 
hey guys two of the guys on my tag suggested a drop camp in 36 or maybe hireing somebody to pre-scout it for just in case time is a factor ....do you think its worth it ,...,or 3 or 4 days plenty for us to scout and find some bulls ..also i just want to say again thanks for you guys have been a huge amount of help ....keep it comeing
 
I have hunted 36 three times, once for elk and twice for bear. You won't have any problem seeing good bulls, but you better be in really good shape. We watched one man get airlifted off of the west side the first year we were there. If you are lucky enough to draw a tag spend the extra money and buy a bear tag, because there is no doubt you will see a few. Also don't be surprised if it is 80 degrees on the muzzle hunt, it would be really easy to lose all of your meat if you are way in on foot.
 
I have not hunted 34 or 36 yet (hopefully this year!) but I know a lot of guys who have, 34 & 36 are rough, steep, lots of dark timber, 36 is steeper, both good elk hunts. This is what I have heard.
 
Ya YA BLah blah... I don't think you guys know what you guys are talking about in unit 9. Ya they did cut the #'s of Elk down with cow elk hunts, but so did USO on the Floyd lee with their cow elk hunts. It was just to get the numbers down to a manageable population. Just no big bulls, but plenty of them though. I guide in unit 9 and have no trouble with either of the muzzle hunts. SO ya i don't think you should put in for unit 9.
 
tommyc,

What are you hunting with archery, muzzle, or rifle? Are you going with an outfitter or DIY?
 
Yeah I guess I could be way off and totally wrong about unit 9 , I started my response with "I think" , not "I KNOW" , but was sharing what Ive heard on the unit . Now I do know its NOT what it once was , if you were there in the 90s' , you would have to agree . Being that you guide there I would expect you to know the unit inside and out and hopefully consistant enough to put your clients on elk , I too know a guy who outfits in unit 9 with good success . But when in comparison to other units , lets say 6 ,52 ,51 and now even 2 now , its still a lower percentage success unit , and this is a unit that used to be more in comparison with 15 and 16s'. Not to worry I won't put in for it nor do I tell others too . I do hope it gets back to what it once was , I'd like to hunt it someday , but for now I'll stay up north ....Best of Luck to ya ....NMHUNTNUTT
 
we would like to do a muzzy hunt ,or a bow hunt , what does aguided hunt run for .....and landowner tags if we dont get drawen.....im also thinking about doing a CO. bow if not drawen tired of waiting its been 3 years....
 
NMHuntnutt1,
Sorry man I didn't mean to upset you. Ya I will agree that their isn't as many elk, but this unit does get pounded with hunters, but still a good place to just kill a bull. The Cow hunts are even harder to be successful it seems. I prefer to hunt unit 10 anyway for bigger bulls, but less elk. Good luck to ya too man
 
Tommyc,
Are you wanting to kill a bull or a trophy?
A hunt on public land will run you around 2000 and up depending on the outfitter. It varies on private land probably somewhere around 4500 and up.
 
Huntnutt1,
Who is the guy you know that guides? I have been chasing barbs around unit 9 this winter, seen a few on private land though. You have any info that could help out posssibly?
 
id like to hunt on public land in nm but getting tired of being unsucsessfull for 34 36 15 16s...really id just like a oppertunity at a nice bull ..with my muzzy ...id perfer a do it yourself hunt but havent aclue about any unit other than 34 in nm. i dont think i would have much of a problem doing so if i knew the area or could halfway locate some elk in other easier to draw units ...also i dont have all the crazy stuff to pack in camp...
 
didnt you say you guided those parts ...what kinda bulls run that area....is it easier to draw there ...i may want to consider it....
 
The person I know is Toby Truby . He runs a pretty good elk camp , but even better barbary sheep hunt . He has a ranch near Alpine TX with free ranging audad(barbary sheep) , and his hunters kill 28-31 inch rams every year . Toby grew up in unit 9 country , he's from Thoreou , so he knows all the hot pockets both in 9 and 10 and his hunters also kill plenty elk , every now and then they kill nicer bulls , but either way , his hunters leave his camps happy and uasually return . No hard feelings , I know you probly know 9 and saw some humor in my words about it , its just that I lived in Gallup for 13 years and 9 was at one time a very prime bow and muzzle loader hunt , but not any more , I know theres still plenty of elk , but no where near what it once held . Glad to hear your on to some sheep , but keep that quit , that gets out and about and you'll be spotting every tom ,dik and harry searching for them , and then they go right back into Acoma land ....NM
 
51, 52, 53, 44/45 are units to look at with better draw odds. Muzzleloader hunts are GREAT hunts in NM, by far the best, so odds are tough anywhere. Consider archery to get a tag, you will be waiting a looooooong time for a NR muzzy tag in 34.
 
Tommyc,
Yes, I have guided in unit 9, 10, some 12,13. To be honest it is some what of a high demand hunt in Unit 9 especially the 1st Muzzy bull hunt, but the 2nd and 3rd Hunts are easier but then you are kinda out of the rut by then at least the 3rd. In 9 you can kill a quality 5by5 maybe a 6er, but if you just want meat and a good time just to kill a bull this unit is good. Unit 10 is a High Demand Hunt. I don't know how it compares to 34s 15, &16 as far as drawing a tags, but 10 is good place although can be somewhat hard to find elk if they are not bugling. A really good chance at a quality bull though. Look on the NM game and fish website and look in the hunting information pg. and look on the drawing odds.
 
ALRIGHT JUST TALKED TO A GUY FROM GAME AN FISH , HE TOLD ME TO PUT IN FOR 13 OR 17 MUZZY HUNTS. THE ODDS ARE BETTER, AND THERES STILL PLENTY OF BULLS ,WITH GOOD ACSESS. .......TIMES RUNNING OUT WHAT DO YA THINK 34,36 15 13 OR 17 ???
 
tommy, I dont know if you are interested in some private land hunts in unit4. It borders the Quinlin ranch and its real close to the sargents WMA. I can get you in contact with the right people if you are interested. They have bow tags and rifle tags. the cool thing is you could hunt deer and or bear on the same hunt. call me at (505) 860-1993 if your interested
 
Hey tommyc, Ive hunted unit 36 archery and saw some good bulls in there but I really don't think I would want to hunt that unit again with out some mules, that was one tough hunt.I saw a guy give it up on day two and leave. If you go for 36 be in top shape and bring some livestock with ya. Good luck in the draw.
 
This will be my first time to enter or even hunt in NM, but I was thinking about going ahead and putting down unit 34 as my first choice with rifle (you never know), but what should my second choice be? I'd like to at least get drawn, and a cow is fine. At least better than nothing. I just don't want to go up there and not see anything. Any help would be appreciated.
 
I hunted unit 9 muzzleloader two years ago. It was not at all a quality hunt like I was expecting. I absolutely don't recommend it.
 
NMBullSlayer27

I have been shed hunting Unit 10. We have found a couple sets of both mule deer and elk but nothing real big. We have also had to cover a ton of ground just to find these. I used to head out to unit 15 but do not have the time needed to get there right now. I make lamps and funiture out of the small stuff but would like to find a big set to hang in my new house. I'm going to have to buy a bunch of horns this year because I have not found enough to make all the stuff I need. Do you know anyone selling horns in that area? I might be able to meet them next time I go out. Thanks!
 
It's a good place to kill a bull if you are on Floyd Lee's. But if you are on the forest you are pretty much screwed. I am priviliged enough to get to hunt Floyds place.
 
I know Toby.....good guy. He guides on private land. Again, in unit 9 if you are on private land, you have a good chance. If you are hunting on the forest, you're chances are much lower.
 
there are several of us in unit 2 that shed hunt every year. We do not have a lot of options on who to sell our sheds to. shoot me a pm and ill give you some contact info.
 

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