Rubone
Member
Here in NM most hunts are by lottery for public land. It is always a nail biter wondering if you will draw anything in a particular year. (That is unless money is no object and you can buy into a private land hunt!) So every year it is trying to determine which game unit makes sense, which hunts are a priority, which can be just for fun if it works out, etc. It can also be a cost issue for some as the hunts have to be paid in advance and then if you are not successful on the draw the cost is refunded. So you have to be able to commit up front. Every year I put in for what I deem a possibility for me in my part of the state with a random oddball. I usually put in for Pronghorn Antelope, Deer, Elk, and Oryx (the oddball). There are a couple other species I like but they can be extremely difficult to draw, or logistics make them tough, like Javelina, Barbary Sheep, or Ibex. So last week the draw results were posted a week early, and hooray, I drew an Antelope hunt and a cow Elk. Great news for me! The Antelope is a bit tougher as it is in a game unit that is about 200 miles away, so it will require a good scouting trip up front. The Elk hunt is close enough to sleep in my own bed. Antelope is late August, Elk not until mid November. But that is just around the corner.