New Mexico Elk

Okie_Poke

Okie_Poke

Member
Joined
May 18, 2022
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189
Location
Oklahoma
Hello all,

My brother-in-law and I were fortunate enough to draw two rifle elk tags in north-central New Mexico this year for October 21-25. We've been chasing wapiti in southern Colorado for the last several years and this will be our first time chasing them anywhere else. I would appreciate any advice you may have on locating elk in this new-to-us area. The unit is within the Santa Fe National Forest.

The unit tops out around 9,000 feet. I'd say most of the huntable area is at an elevation between 7,000 feet and 8,400 feet. The area we are used to hunting in Colorado is generally higher. Last year, for example, when hunting Colorado in November, we camped at 9,000 feet and hunted up to 10,000-10,200. When we've hunted that area in September, we wouldn't find elk much below 10,600 or even higher, depending on dates and the weather. So, I know this New Mexico unit has lower elevations, I just don't have a point of reference for where to expect the elk to be in late October. I know snow and weather are going to play a role in this, but I'm trying to get an idea of where to focus my e-scouting efforts now.

So, I have a few questions:
  1. If you've hunted the area before or are familiar with it, at what elevations would you expect to find elk in mid-to-late October? (We've got bull tags, but I'll start with finding any).
  2. Relatedly, what are elk eating in this area that time of year, and where do you find it? (This unit appears quite a bit "rockier" than the area I'm used to, so I'm guessing the forage is different).
  3. Do you know where I can find a map of summer and winter ranges and migration corridors for New Mexico? (Colorado has this on their cpw website but I can't find similar information for New Mexico. The closest I've found are "Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States" publications put out by the USGS relatively recently, which are helpful but not quite as helpful as I'd like.)

If you know of online resources that can help me research #2 and #3 in particular, I'd be very grateful if you'd point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance!
 
Elk hunting is pretty easy, but you need time and boots on the ground to become knowledgeable if you don’t have it for a particular spot. Once you have it, you can pretty much set your watch on when and where the elk will be.

Find 3 areas you want to hunt, each about 5 miles from the other. In July and August walk all three areas and mark every spring, creek, water hole on a GPS app.

When you show up for your hunt, the landscape and people density will have changed a lot from July and August. During the hunt, it’s as much about avoiding other hunters as it is about finding elk.

Those 3 areas? It takes experience to choose them but they are generally spots no one else wants to hunt - access is too hard with pack animals, the wooded area isn’t big enough, people assume no water there, etc.
 
Okie_Poke said:
Hello all,

My brother-in-law and I were fortunate enough to draw two rifle elk tags in north-central New Mexico this year for October 21-25. We've been chasing wapiti in southern Colorado for the last several years and this will be our first time chasing them anywhere else. I would appreciate any advice you may have on locating elk in this new-to-us area. The unit is within the Santa Fe National Forest.

The unit tops out around 9,000 feet. I'd say most of the huntable area is at an elevation between 7,000 feet and 8,400 feet. The area we are used to hunting in Colorado is generally higher. Last year, for example, when hunting Colorado in November, we camped at 9,000 feet and hunted up to 10,000-10,200. When we've hunted that area in September, we wouldn't find elk much below 10,600 or even higher, depending on dates and the weather. So, I know this New Mexico unit has lower elevations, I just don't have a point of reference for where to expect the elk to be in late October. I know snow and weather are going to play a role in this, but I'm trying to get an idea of where to focus my e-scouting efforts now.

So, I have a few questions:
  1. If you've hunted the area before or are familiar with it, at what elevations would you expect to find elk in mid-to-late October? (We've got bull tags, but I'll start with finding any).
  2. Relatedly, what are elk eating in this area that time of year, and where do you find it? (This unit appears quite a bit "rockier" than the area I'm used to, so I'm guessing the forage is different).
  3. Do you know where I can find a map of summer and winter ranges and migration corridors for New Mexico? (Colorado has this on their cpw website but I can't find similar information for New Mexico. The closest I've found are "Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States" publications put out by the USGS relatively recently, which are helpful but not quite as helpful as I'd like.)

If you know of online resources that can help me research #2 and #3 in particular, I'd be very grateful if you'd point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

What unit are you in? I used to guide in the Pecos Wilderness.
 
Okie_Poke said:
5B
Click to expand...

Good news and bad news on 5B. You are in some of the most spectacular elk hunting country in the world, HOWEVER the vast majority of big elk are coming off of private land in that unit. Public land hunting in 5B is tough. To many people and to little public land access. Honestly the biggest challenge is going to be access and hunter competition. I’d be studying my maps for good looking country and then go have a look in person but I’ll be perfectly honest with you. 5B is a tough nut to crack for public land elk.

Most of your elk are going to stick to deep dark timber during the daylight hours and are going to be tough to get on.

https://huntersdomain.com/hunting-info/new-mexico-units-hunting-info/nm-unit-5b-hunting-info/
 
H&Hhunter said:
….5B is a tough nut to crack for public land elk.

Most of your elk are going to stick to deep dark timber during the daylight hours and are going to be tough to get on.
Click to expand...

Lots of units in the west are similar and very tough to hunt.

One technique is to set up close to the private boundary as elk stream on to private. They are smart and know where the safe, low pressure spots are. This technique works for opening archery, the first season, but by gun season the elk have been on private for 6 weeks already.
 
Use technology.

I've found Google Earth to be very helpful to pre-scout an area when you can't physically be there. I've recorded coordinates on my GPS and walked in the dark right to a promising spot in the past. It isn't as good as being there. But is a useful tool.

I don't know about NM, but there is a lot of useful info online in CO. I'd bet NM does too. I was able to look at data in every CO hunt unit going back several years. The number of hunters in each unit for each of the seasons was available as well as the number of elk taken in each unit/season.

I literally spent hours looking over data before deciding on a unit and season I wanted to hunt There were many areas where more elk were killed, but there were also lots more hunters. The area I decided on was what I felt was a good balance. Then after picking an area I spent hours on Google Earth getting familiar with the terrain.

We got to the area 3 days before the season started and I had a chance to talk to locals while scouting. A Forest Service Ranger was extremely helpful.

While scouting and hunting I recorded my tracks on my GPS and downloaded them onto Google Earth in the evening to document where I'd been and look for things I'd missed. After the 3rd day of seeing nothing, my wife found an on-line CO map showing traditional elk migration routes. I moved one drainage over to the east and found elk sign everywhere. You couldn't put your foot down without stepping in a track. Alas, the herd had already migrated through that area by the time I figured it out.
 
H&Hhunter said:
Good news and bad news on 5B. You are in some of the most spectacular elk hunting country in the world, HOWEVER the vast majority of big elk are coming off of private land in that unit. Public land hunting in 5B is tough. To many people and to little public land access. Honestly the biggest challenge is going to be access and hunter competition. I’d be studying my maps for good looking country and then go have a look in person but I’ll be perfectly honest with you. 5B is a tough nut to crack for public land elk.

Most of your elk are going to stick to deep dark timber during the daylight hours and are going to be tough to get on.

https://huntersdomain.com/hunting-info/new-mexico-units-hunting-info/nm-unit-5b-hunting-info/
Click to expand...

Thanks for feedback. Obviously, 5B wasn’t our first choice. But it’s over 80% public and success rates are higher than where we hunt in Colorado. I’ve read in several places now that all the elk are on private land in the unit, which is weird to me since there’s not much private and that which is private is low and open. I’m not doubting the reports, but it seems odd at least until there’s a bunch of snow.

40B12C06-9FAB-4909-889D-7890F95BC1CF.jpeg

I don’t doubt the elk are more prone to stay on the Apache res or the private on adjacent units, though. There are fewer than 100 tags for the unit in this hunt and only 5 nonresident unguided tags. I’ve got mapping software fired up and we’re planning a scouting trip in august. I’m just trying to get a headstart on where to expect them to be elevation/vegetation wise that time of year to help focus my e-scouting. As it is, I’m looking predominantly in the one part of the unit that doesn’t have roads going through it that’s not the lower wilderness area, favoring north toward the res. But if they are all going to be at 7000-7500 feet that won’t work and I need to be scouting the wilderness area.
 
Okie_Poke said:
Thanks for feedback. Obviously, 5B wasn’t our first choice. But it’s over 80% public and success rates are higher than where we hunt in Colorado. I’ve read in several places now that all the elk are on private land in the unit, which is weird to me since there’s not much private and that which is private is low and open. I’m not doubting the reports, but it seems odd at least until there’s a bunch of snow.

View attachment 1148558

I don’t doubt the elk are more prone to stay on the Apache res or the private on adjacent units, though. There are fewer than 100 tags for the unit in this hunt and only 5 nonresident unguided tags. I’ve got mapping software fired up and we’re planning a scouting trip in august. I’m just trying to get a headstart on where to expect them to be elevation/vegetation wise that time of year to help focus my e-scouting. As it is, I’m looking predominantly in the one part of the unit that doesn’t have roads going through it that’s not the lower wilderness area, favoring north toward the res. But if they are all going to be at 7000-7500 feet that won’t work and I need to be scouting the wilderness area.
Click to expand...
It seriously depends on the weather. But elk will be near grass and secluded water if you can find it. One of my secret elk tricks is to find seeps with water that are away from any roads. My wife’s family used to own a ranch to the east of your unit but with very similar terrain. I like your idea of getting into the thick stuff with no road access. I e spent some time in 5B but couldn’t point you to a specific place to hunt. I just don’t know the unit well enough.

One thing you might have going for you is in Oct they might still be in the rut and responding to cow calls.
 
I never really had that hankering to go hunt an elk that so many eastern hunters seem to get, then two things happened.
First, I moved into the county where elk were introduced in NC, and while there will probably never be a real hunt in my lifetime here, I see them and hear them enough that it stirs me.
Second, I went out west for a public diy bear hunt. While I was there I saw plenty of elk… much more than I saw bears, and many of them I could have easily taken had I a tag. I’m not saying it’s easy, and I know that tags for specific animals tend to serve as repellent for them, but it got me thinking, “maybe I would be capable of pulling this off.”
So now I’m trying to figure out where to buy preference points.
 
courtgreene said:
I never really had that hankering to go hunt an elk that so many eastern hunters seem to get, then two things happened.
First, I moved into the county where elk were introduced in NC, and while there will probably never be a real hunt in my lifetime here, I see them and hear them enough that it stirs me.
Second, I went out west for a public diy bear hunt. While I was there I saw plenty of elk… much more than I saw bears, and many of them I could have easily taken had I a tag. I’m not saying it’s easy, and I know that tags for specific animals tend to serve as repellent for them, but it got me thinking, “maybe I would be capable of pulling this off.”
So now I’m trying to figure out where to buy preference points.
Click to expand...

On one hand, I want to say “Oregon” in jest. But more seriously, if you want to hunt elk there’s no better time to start than this year. Go hunt them while you can. Tags and draw systems are changing across the West. You have limited options to build points this year at this point in the year. You can still get a tag, though, at least in a few places. You’ll probably strike out, but you might not and you’ll learn something for when you use points to draw a tag later.
 
Last edited:
Okie_Poke said:
On one hand, I want to say “Oregon” in jest. But more seriously, if you want to hunt elk there’s no better time to start than this year. Go hunt them while you can. Tags and draw systems are changing across the West.
Click to expand...
Be more specific, please, if you can.
 
courtgreene said:
Be more specific, please, if you can.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure where to start with this, and there's lots of angles here that could be their own thread. But real quick:
  • I jest about Oregon because I don't plan to hunt there. It may be great hunting. If you want to hunt Roosevelt elk, it may be the best hunting. But I'd have to drive through a bunch of states I'd rather hunt to get to it.
  • You've missed the draws for this year, at least the ones I pay attention to. So, with the exception of Wyoming (which allows you to buy a point some time this summer), you'll have to wait until next year to begin building points if you haven't started already.
  • You can still get an over-the-counter (OTC) tag or a "leftover" tag in some places. If you want to hunt elk this year, there is a way to do it. The units will be high-pressure or otherwise less desirable, but you will be elk hunting instead of sitting on the couch watching football.
  • With respect to recent and potential changes, here's a partial list of things I know or have heard/read:
    • Idaho's non-resident "OTC" elk tag now has to be purchased in December of the preceding year and is now a draw in everything but name. That changed a few years ago.
    • Wyoming has been considering whether to reduce the percentage of non-resident tags available. They did significantly increase the cost of "special" draw elk licenses.
    • Colorado has been slowly moving previously OTC units to draw units, at least for archery. They've also been focus-grouping various potential changes to the resident/non-resident allotment/structure. Also, the voters in that state decided it was a great idea to introduce wolves. I won't be shocked if all nonresidents tags are draw-only five years from now.
    • I'm sure there are others. Lots of podcasts and YouTube channels that focus on this stuff if you really want to dig in.
 
I hunt elk in North Central NM often and live in one of the best areas for it in NM. One of the most common fallacies is that Elk are "mountain" animals. They spend a lot of time in the high desert and sagebrush flats. They have also started to move heavily into their older ranges which extend into the eastern plains towards Texas. I see Elk on occasion when hunting Antelope in the plains. I mostly hunt cows and care less about trophy bulls which don't eat good. I'm a meat hunter. I often hunt alone but usually later in the season than you will be here. Last year I killed a nice cow on December 30th, the last day of a 5 day hunt I had with only about 8" of snow on the ground! I also commonly kill Elk between 8:00-11:00 in the morning and 3:00-5:00 in the afternoon. I don't bother to walk miles in the dark to try and jump them. Here is a late afternoon cow (knife for scale), a late morning in the snow young cow with the shot of the country she was in, and a 6x6 bull in a wilderness area, hence the horses.I have a cow hunt in early November this year. I can sleep in my own bed and be home by dinnertime most years. DCP_3660.JPG IMG_0394.JPG IMG_0397.JPG DCP_2112.JPG
 
Okie_Poke said:
Thanks for feedback. Obviously, 5B wasn’t our first choice. But it’s over 80% public and success rates are higher than where we hunt in Colorado. I’ve read in several places now that all the elk are on private land in the unit, which is weird to me since there’s not much private and that which is private is low and open. I’m not doubting the reports, but it seems odd at least until there’s a bunch of snow.

View attachment 1148558

I don’t doubt the elk are more prone to stay on the Apache res or the private on adjacent units, though. There are fewer than 100 tags for the unit in this hunt and only 5 nonresident unguided tags. I’ve got mapping software fired up and we’re planning a scouting trip in august. I’m just trying to get a headstart on where to expect them to be elevation/vegetation wise that time of year to help focus my e-scouting. As it is, I’m looking predominantly in the one part of the unit that doesn’t have roads going through it that’s not the lower wilderness area, favoring north toward the res. But if they are all going to be at 7000-7500 feet that won’t work and I need to be scouting the wilderness area.
Click to expand...
A big mistake to make is the amount of public land. More important is the "access" to public land. I had an Antelope hunt in an area I'd never hunted but looked really good on the maps. Total washout as almost all access across private was locked gates or fenced off. I complained bitterly to the G&F but they just shrug...
I mostly just hunt local units, 48,49,50, 51, 52, 53, all easy access for me , mostly FS, State Trust, or BLM without much private to interfere.
 
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