Unit 6C Draw

NW_Bucketlist · Apr 20, 2019

My hunting partner and I got lucky and drew 6c tags. Now I am trying to gather any info I can via online scouting or help from previous tag holders. This is usually not my style but NM is to long of drive for me to scout(22hrs). Any help with the unit will be appreciated good or bad.

My hunting partner and I are both avid outdoorsman from Washington state. We both have done well chasing Roosevelt elk in SW Washington and helping tag holders in some of our best units in the state for Rocky Mountain elk. We know how hard it is to harvest elk and both plan to be in the best shape of our lives leading up to the hunt. Our plan is to bring a enclosed trailer down with us and make that our base camp and spike out from there. Our tag is Sept. 1-14 and we plan to be hunting the whole season.

Some of my more directed questions are:

What are the FS roads like? I drive a 1ton dodge 4x4 that can get stuck pretty easy.

What is the weather like that time of year?

How are the elk numbers in the unit?

Sorry for being that guy I just don't have enough vacation time to scout it since I am hunting the entire season.

Thanks
Mitchell

JRABQ · Apr 20, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Apr-20-19 AT 07:53PM (MST)[p]The roads in 6C are generally good, any of the main FS roads usually are firm with a good rock or gravel base. The only roads I recall having trouble with in the distant past are now closed to vehicle travel anyway. I am less familiar with the northern part of 6C so maybe it's different up there.

Weather will usually be cool mornings but potentially hot afternoons. The unknown is whether the Monsoon will still be active. It often is in early September so that means afternoon clouds and thunderstorms, which will at least keep it from being so hot. Look at the seasonal temps in Los Alamos for an idea about the weather.

Regarding elk numbers, good question, 10-20(?) years ago NMGF put a disclaimer in the proclamation warning hunters about the sparse elk herd. All indications are the situation is better now, but I believe this can be a hit or miss hunt. Do not be surprised if you go multiple days without seeing an elk.

Good luck!

NW_Bucketlist · Apr 21, 2019

Thanks for the response I appreciate it. I am really looking forward to this hunt and seeing new country. Are quads legal on FS roads in NM? It seems like there a lot of different road systems some looking like Jeep trails looking at the unit with OnX. Also where is it legal to camp on FS ground?

roadrunner · Apr 21, 2019

ATV's (quads) are legal on all roads you can drive a normal vehicle on.

You can camp anywhere on USFS land that you can legally drive a vehicle on or you can pack in anywhere you want.

I would use caution packing in somewhere and leaving your vehicle unattended for several days...

JRABQ · Apr 21, 2019

It seems like there
>a lot of different road
>systems some looking like Jeep
>trails looking at the unit
>with OnX.

Be sure to get a recent motor vehicle use map (MVUM) or Santa Fe Nat Forest map.

Reuben_Soady · Apr 22, 2019

I was up in the Snake River unit last fall...here's a couple of big differences:
1) Before I went up there I didn't know what was "reprod".
2) My buddy from Bend was practicing "long range" shots out to 250 yards; he took his NM bull at 350.

+1 on the motor vehicle use map. Some old double tracks are closed to all motor vehicles, and free informal camping is only available in limited areas along certain roads.

NW_Bucketlist · Apr 23, 2019

Thanks for the feedback. Are you saying there is reprod in Unit 6c or saying that it is more open in NM? Also I see a lot of burns in the unit how many years after the burn are they to thick to hunt? I am used to hunting thick stuff a lot of our shot opportunities during archery are sub 30yrds. You hear the elk breaking sticks before you see them.

roadrunner · Apr 23, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Apr-23-19 AT 06:01PM (MST)[p]PM sent. Have no idea what Reuben was saying...

Reuben_Soady · Apr 24, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Apr-24-19 AT 02:26PM (MST)[p]Sorry for being obtuse. There is no reprod in New Mexico. That stuff sux. 6C will generally be more wide open, even in the woods. The burns will have some thick brushy spots, but the terrain is hilly enough that you should be able to glass over and through it. Trees take forever to grow in NM.

tvbrewster · Apr 25, 2019

Hope the archery season is less crowded than the muzzleloader was 2 years ago. There were people everywhere driving anywhere they could go with ATV's and small 4x4 trucks. Was a chit show.

Put in your time and you'll find them they are there.