NM elk appilcation

[BDH]

Looking for some advice. I put in my application for NM, and think I might have messed it up. I put 53 1st choice 16A second and 16E third. I am still able to delete the application and redo it I will just loose some money. Do you guys think its worth it to loose the 50 bucks and redo the order in which I apply?

Thanks in advance for any advice

RLTW

 

[hank4elk]

Lowest odds 1st .Moderate 2nd . Good 3rd

 

[dcopas78]

I started by putting the hardest draw area, which in your case is 16A, down to the most likely draw.

EDIT: like Hank said! I must have been typing at same time

 

[BDH]

This is most likely me not understanding things correctly, for 53 1st choice had 64% chance of drawing if you put it as your first choice and it when down from there for 2nd and 3rd choice. 16A had a 33% chance 1st choice and then went down for 2nd and 3rd choice, but 16E the 1st choice odds for 2016 are 23% the 2nd choice had 25% chance and 3rd choice had a 35%. Should I keep 16E as a third choice based on that or move it up? Does anyone know why 16E seems to differ form other units?

 

[dcopas78]

Those odds are way too high for a non resident. Odds for 16A are 0.7% to 3.9% for the various seasons. 16E odds were 4.7% to 8.6% for the different seasons. 53 odds were 8.2% to 31%. These are all from gohunt.com and are nonresident, unguided, 1st choice odds. I think you may be looking at some wrong info.

 

[BDH]

I'm a resident. I should have put that out there earlier.

 

[hank4elk]

AW? Bow? MZ?
Prime unit? Trophy? Cow?
Variables are endless.
The only thing harder to draw than a 16a or d is a VV,low odds even for a res.
16e is easier to draw but harder to hunt,IMHO.
The 50's are gaining more popularity as they do seem to be improving in quality & quantity. Never hunted them but been in there a bunch years ago.
A good bull can be found in any unit with elk in NM in my opine. Just not behind every tree.
A cow elk in the freezer is always a trophy to me.If you really want to go try a cow as 3rd. Res. get all the tags now,cept LO.

 

[bobbydean]

My brother and I have applied for the same units for years. Only difference is that I normally throw in 2 good units 1st and 2nd. He draws at least every 2 years and usually 2 of 3. Normally a cow hunt. I have never drawn. He does Hank's formula, good hunt first, then fill in with ok hunts.

I live about 100 miles for unit 34. bull 1st choice and late cow for 2nd and 3rd choice. I was going to go for all 3 cow hunts, but the only hunt that I am scheduled off was the bull. I thought it was karma; I am still swayed by karma.

 

[BDH]

It will be archery and I can only get time off for the 1st hunt.

 

[hank4elk]

Nothing wrong with Karma BD! Truckma in my deerhunt case & Cowma last year LOL
I'm spoiled by where I live and get to see,but the odds are bad and never draw the best, but someday maybe one.
Til then my secret spot for elk is not anymore and I really have not looked at the numbers. But know what my options are.

 

[hank4elk]

BDH,call NMG&F and ask about military personel options. Seems like you are,maybe.
I'm not a bow hunter so not up on those draws really,cept the numbers of hunters that come thru here and where they go.
I'll ask around.

 

[NoWiser]

I'd switch those choices around. With 53 as your first choice, your chances of 16A are basically zero. It depends if the upgrade from 53 to 16A is worth $50.00 to you, I guess.

 

[AggieOutlaw]

Looking for some advice. I put in my application for NM, and think I might have messed it up. I put 53 1st choice 16A second and 16E third. I am still able to delete the application and redo it I will just loose some money. Do you guys think its worth it to loose the 50 bucks and redo the order in which I apply?

Thanks in advance for any advice

RLTW

BDH

If you are a NM resident, then it isn't $50 to redo the application. You lose the application fee...I wanna say in the ballpark of $10. I did this last year. Assuming they didn't change it, I would definitely change your order.

53 is a good second choice. You really should pick your lowest draw odds hunt first, you'd hate to be #1 in the draw and get a tag that has 70% odds that any joe can draw. If you have your heart set on high country elk like 53, then you may want to consider Valle Vidal once-in-a-lifetime for your #1. If not, then I'd recommend 16A first. Or, 16D which has the highest success in early season but worse draw odds at 12% or so.

Using last year's spreadsheet as a first-order approximation of odds (resident, first season archery), 16A is about 20%, 16E is about 45%, and 53 is about 40%. Success rates for those hunts are around 23%, 14%, and 29%. So assuming you're an average hunter your odds of elk in the freezer next year are ~5% in 16A, 6% in 16E, 11% in 53.

16E is mostly state, BLM, and private. Lots of good opportunities but it's not 100% Gila like the other 16's. If you are military or veteran, make sure you take advantage of the generous discounts and hunting opportunities by NMDGF.

Hope this helps you. Good luck!

 

[AggieOutlaw]

Yeah, I just checked. The application fee is $7 res and $13 non-res. Not a big deal to change.

 

[BDH]

AggieOutlaw

I took your advice and switched it around, 16A is now my first choice. I have already held a VV tag back when I was still high school. NM is doing a great job taking care of veterans with 50% off all tags. Thank you to everyone who responded!

 

[AggieOutlaw]

AggieOutlaw

I took your advice and switched it around, 16A is now my first choice. I have already held a VV tag back when I was still high school. NM is doing a great job taking care of veterans with 50% off all tags. Thank you to everyone who responded!

Was your VV tag a youth only? If so, you're still eligible as an adult.

Thanks for getting me off my butt and doing my odds. I'm gonna go with Urraca which just opened for resident archery last year or so. Rough country, maybe we'll bump into each other.

 

[BDH]

No it was a cow rifle tag. I can still put in for bull rifle but the dates aren't going to work out for me this year.