2nd season muzzy unit 17

Have hunted the unit before along with 13 and 10 for elk. I know this hunt will be tough but still a great hunt.

My question is if anyone hunted it last year how did you feel the hunt was. Any bugling yet or were the big bulls already back up high by the second hunt. It is late oct when the hunt is but I know there is always some bulls talking yet in oct. I am already planning on doing plenty of glassing but never hunted elk this late before in new mexico always did archery before.Coming from Pa but will have 2 or 3 days to scout also. Plus I will be hunting with a friend from new mexico.

PM me

Thank you for the pm all very helpful info

I hunted unit 17 last season on the 1st muzzle loader hunt. It is really neat elk country, with spotty elk populations, and average sized bulls. The rut is over for the most part when the first muzzle season starts, so you will be spotting and stalking, with maybe some smaller bulls showing rut. There was little to no rut influence on my hunt, the first day, some under 300 class bulls were rutting a few cows.

Best bull we saw would maybe go 320". It was tough conditions, full moon and warm temps. I think the unit will occasionally produce a trophy class 350" bull, but that is the exception in this unit from my experience. I ended up not killing, but could have killed a couple of smaller bulls, but that isn't why I went there.

Hunt the Higher elevations on that 2nd muzzle loader hunt, the bulls will be back in bachelor groups and the habit is for them to go high. There is a lot of rough country they can be in.

I spoke to the biologist about this unit after my hunt, and the age class is young in this unit. They might be killing too many elk to produce trophy quality that the unit was once known for.

All this being said, I heard a governor bull was killed late in the year on this unit that went 390", so go hunt hard, have fun, but be realistic with your expectations, and if killing an elk is important to you, I wouldn't get too greedy.