First Elk Hunt Advise

[drthornton]

OK so I have decided to go on an Archery Elk hunt next September. I have no experience but that is for a different thread. I have been doing as much research as I can. I have decided to start putting in for Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. (These states have good hunting within 1000 mile radius of the Dallas area which is a self imposed boundry based on being able to pull an all night drive to get there) However since I am at 0 points in all states I realize that my odds of drawing a decent unit are slim to none.

So the odds say I won't get drawn, which leaves me with OTC fall back options which from what I can tell are Colorado and Idaho.

I have a good friend of mine who is archery hunting 10A(Dworshak) in Idaho next September. That part of Idaho is too far to drive from Dallas (1800+ miles) so I would have to fly into Seattle and drive over with my buddy. The best part of this hunt would be I would be hunting with experienced Elk hunters. The bad is that if by some devine act of God I kill an Elk....I could go broke getting the thing shipped back to Dallas.

My cousin lives in Colorado and he and his buddies are hunting 2nd rifle in an OTC unit( I think it's 28). Good part again is that I could hunt with experienced Elk hunters and it's close enough to drive from Dallas. The bad is I really want to hunt the rut with my bow.

The other option is to reasearch Colorado and go somewhere on my own.


Any thoughts, comments or even jabs are appreciated.

Danny

 

[mdhunter]

You can draw a great tag in New Mexico first year as they have a no point system. My unbiased opinion is this is your best hope for a trophy. You are correct on the OTC tags available in Idaho and parts of Colorado. Your best bet is to get off a $100 and subscribe to the Huntin Fool magazine so you can get up to speed quickly. Apply, apply, and apply.

 

[mixedbag]

I'll be in Colorado in an otc area in Sept. bowhunting.Be my third trip to this area.Send me a pm if you REALLY want to hunt elk.Had two people back out at the last minute last year so I went alone.It added some last minute stress I can do without.If your serious, let me know and you could come with me

 

[enorm]

I am from southern New Mexico, and have lived here for the past 40 yrs. You would have a decent chance for an elk permit depending on what unit you pick. Some of the premium units are harder to draw for. I like to hunt in the Gila and usually get drawn every 3 to 4 yrs. There are other units that will have better odds. I only hunt archery which gives you much better odds. Non-residents get a chance at 22% of the permits, with 12% going to guided hunters and 10% going to non-guided hunters.

 

[wm burwell]

I have hunted otc archery elk three times in Colorado, and planning to return this year. My hunting buddies may bale on me. May need someone else to go with. What unit are you planning to hunt? I have been hunting unit 54 and 55. Planning to hunt unit 55. What state are traveling from? I am in NC. Like to hear from you. thanks wm burwell.

 

[sweetnectar]

Idaho has wolves, Colorado has mountains, Arizona and New Mexico have bad odds, that pretty much leaves Wyoming or Wyoming.

 

[turkeyguy53]

I will be moving to NM in 2012. I am in need of a hunting partner. I have been hunting for some time now, never with a bow. So, maybe we will link up in the future.

 

[turkeyguy53]

I will be moving to NM in 2012 for retirement and hunting, of course. I hope to research as much as possible in the coming months. Can I use you as a source for some questions alomng the way?

 

[enorm]

Any information about New Mexico I would be glad to help.

 

[drthornton]

Thanks for all the replies. As my research unfolds about hunting all these states I am going to treat Elk hunting like an investment plan. I'm sorta plagiarizing an Eastman's article on application strategy but am tweaking it a little for my own situation.

Tier 1: Arizona and Utah. Yes there are slim odds I could get drawn even with 0 points but the reality is that it's gonna take at least 10 year for Arizona and more than that for Utah. So if I stick with my plan, by the time I get drawn on those hunts I should have a little experience under my belt. At 38 once I draw these states it may end up being a once in a lifetime hunt.
Tier 2: Wyoming and New Mexico. On the whole maybe lesser quality critters for obtainable draws but still very good. Wyoming recently started their points system so I am only 4 points behind max. That sounds good at first glance but may be bad as the top units go to max points and it may take several more years to get to the max level. I am still looking for that green chip unit in Southern Wyoming that is an up a comer. New Mexico was what I first researched (since is is the closest to me here in the Dallas area). Since there is no point system every year is a crap shoot. What I do think is I need to put a Gila unit as first choice every year and pray. (16A, 34, 36, 37, 51 & 52 are all on my short list for next year)
Tier 3: Colorado. A hunt I can do every year without question. I do also plan to apply for points as I think there are some draw units that may only require 2-3 points which have double the success rate of the average OTC unit.

 

[drthornton]

I will be moving to NM in 2012 for retirement and hunting, of course. I hope to research as much as possible in the coming months. Can I use you as a source for some questions alomng the way?

Sure,

Before I found some of the other resources on the web...Eastman's MRS, Huntin Fool and a free site called hunterstrailhead.com I built spreadsheets which helped me narrow choices down (I am an Engineer I can't help myself from analyzing data). Now understand I have never been Elk hunting so the info I have is based purely on statistics and reading.

 

[drthornton]

Any information about New Mexico I would be glad to help.

enorm,

I'll take any advice I can. As I said in an earlier post. New Mexico was tops on my list until I analyzed the chances of drawing what I think are good units.

Here are the units I am looking at
16A in the Gila. I have a buddy that leases deer hunting land here in Texas from a guy that has been many times to this unit. I told me he would give me the details if I ever get drawn.

34,36 and 37 Lincoln National Forest. These have been my favorite since I first started looking as they are trophy units and only about 650 miles from home. I found a guy who said he has 37 clocked and if I ever get drawn he will give me the scoop.

51 and 52 Carson National Forest. Don't know much about these other than when I was doing my analysis these 2 stuck out on draw percentage and success rates.

I wish I could find that sleeper unit that no one thinks about but I think in the info age we live in there are none any more.

 

[enorm]

Unit 16A is one of the best units to hunt in. Very large unit with limited amount of hunters. There are well maintained roads, with a lot of space to walk for miles if you want to. Lincoln forest has good amounts of elk with a few big trophies. Unit 34 is where I turkey hunt every spring, it has plenty of roads with easy access. Along with that comes to many hunters, they run archery, rifle and muzzleloader hunts through that unit. Unit 51 and 52 are in the northern part of the state near the Colorado border.

If you are looking for a trophy elk the Gila is the best place to put in. Unit 16C is also a good unit, fewer elk than 16A but will give you plenty of shots.

All the units in the Gila are harder to draw but will pay off if you get drawn.

 

[mixedbag]

I'll be putting in for all Gila units this , and every year.I want to hunt NM for the giants.Theres easier places to draw for average bulls.From what I've been told by a local, 51,52 will get you bulls that you could just as well hunt for in Co otc units.If you just want to hunt NM, then your plan sounds good.All depends on what your looking for.The price to put your name in that hat is very reasonable

 

[drthornton]

I'll be putting in for all Gila units this , and every year.I want to hunt NM for the giants.Theres easier places to draw for average bulls.From what I've been told by a local, 51,52 will get you bulls that you could just as well hunt for in Co otc units.If you just want to hunt NM, then your plan sounds good.All depends on what your looking for.The price to put your name in that hat is very reasonable

I agree but the way New Mexico's draw is structured I don't think putting in for 3 Gila Units is gonna get you a much better chance of drawing. The way I see it that if you are lucky enough to get a hogh random number you will draw your first choice Gila unit. I don't think there are enough tags to hope to hit the last tag with a 3rd choice Gila. I think there is other good hunting in New Mexico so I don't think going Gila or bust is the best approach unless you actually are "Gila or bust". With the Gila units being about 2%-4% chance(1 in 25-50) those odds make it even worse than pooling points from Arizona, Utah and even Nevada.
Using what is really..."Bad" statistical math but I will anyway, it can take you 25 to 50 years to draw that Gila unit. For me, I already have really high end long draws that I am looking at waiting 10 to 15 years for(AZ & UT). I need to use New Mexico to get good high success quality hunts every few years.
So my strategy is to put in for a Gila, slightly less but still high end and then a high success unit.

 

[mixedbag]

Your right, I have no better chance of drawing those units by putting in for 3 of them.I want to hunt there for the big ones only.I can draw for average bulls quicker in other states.Your plan sounds good for what you want to do
Remember, every year your odds go back to the same as everybody elses.So with bad luck, you will never draw NM even in the 25% success draws.Statistical math doesn't work in a state that doesn't offer points.If everything stays the same, 20 years from now, you'll still only have a 25% chance at those same units no matter how long you've applied for.
I'll stick with the long shots till I really want to hunt NM for average bulls.I'm not getting any younger, and in a few more years, NMs terrain will be looking pretty good.Best of luck to you in the draws; any year could be your year!!!!