Tubb2402
Member
In an effort for others to learn from my mistakes, I’d like to share this year’s elk hunt. I’m 34 years old and live in Mississippi. I’m married and have twin boys age 3. I grew up in Texas and have always enjoyed hunting but for the most part it has always been dove, quail, and duck hunting with a little deer hunting here and there. I’ve always had this dream to go elk hunting but I lived in Texas where there is very little public land and virtually no elk. I went on my first elk hunt last year in 2017 but was unsuccessful (see 2017 story here). Even though I was unsuccessful in terms of harvesting an elk in 2017, I gained lots of valuable knowledge from it that greatly attributed to my 2018 hunt.
One of the biggest lessons was to start applying for draw hunts. So for me I made a short term plan and a long term plan. My short term plan is to go elk hunting every year, and long term plan is to draw trophy units. That way by the time I draw a trophy unit I know what I’m doing. I’m not in the financial situation or have the time to hunt in every western state. So I focused on 3 states, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. All 3 states are the closest to Mississippi. Arizona is blend of random draw and bonus point system, which makes a great state for long term and short term. Colorado over-the-counter is always my fall back option to go every year and building preference points is my long term strategy. Since New Mexico has no bonus or preference point system, everyone has the same chance of drawing. This makes a great option for both short term and long term strategies. I want to thank goHUNT.com and Randy Newberg for their help. Between Brady’s insider strategy articles and Newberg’s youtube videos they really helped me understand these systems, especially for someone who has no points.
So now that I had my strategy, I applied in each of my three states. I tend to apply closer to the deadline as I really do not want to draw two tags in the same year, at least right now in this stage of life. The nice thing about applying in AZ, CO, and NM is there is very little overlap between draw dates. This year I applied in AZ first in February, and results came out March 17. Then since I didn’t draw a tag in AZ, I applied in NM by March 21[SUP]st[/SUP] and results came out April 18. I did have to apply in CO by April 3 so there was a little overlap and would risk the possibility of drawing 2 tags. However, since CO has a preference point system and I have no points I found it best to apply for premium units that I knew I couldn’t draw with my points. I just assumed that I probably wouldn’t draw a tag in 2018 and would just do over-the-counter CO, but I got lucky and drew my second choice for New Mexico.
I was so excited when I saw the draw results come out, and called a buddy of mine that lived a few hours away in Albuquerque NM. We had both applied for the same units and wanted to see if he drew as well. Unfortunately, he did not draw but was still excited to come along.
For this year my season was the last 5 days of October. It was going to be a post-rut hunt with bulls headed for sanctuary. Now that I had my tag I needed to dial in my hunting location. To do this I used OnXmaps and Randy Newberg’s E-Scouting series. I also bought a book written by Jack Ward Thomas North American Elk: Ecology and Management. This book was hard to find but the Wildlife Management Institute had it for ~$60. This was something last year taught me, I needed to learn more about elk. Last year I focused a lot on getting the right gear, which took away time I should have been focusing on elk behavior. I can’t say how valuable the new E-Scouting series is that Newberg put out on his youtube channel. This really helped me find the spot on the spot. Using Onxmaps I created 4 hunting areas A-D, each with 4-5 glassing spots, on the edge of a burn or in a burn, in the purple area on the “Roadless area” setting. I also marked all water location, trailheads, hunting pressure, and potential feeding areas.
Now that I had my location dialed in, I was ready for October. My wife was happy I had someone to go with me and I also picked up a Garmin Inreach Mini to make sure I could communicate with her if needed. In preparation for this year’s hunt I wanted to keep my pack light so I created an excel sheet and listed everything I was taking on the trip. Then pulled out the food scale and weighed every item. This really helps know what I need to bring vs what is nice to bring. It also helped me know in the future which pieces of gear I might want to upgrade. See list below.
Since the hunt was only 5 days I wanted time to scout at least a day before season opened. So I left Mississippi on Wednesday afternoon October 24[SUP]th[/SUP], and drove 11 hours all the way to Lubbock, TX. I went to Texas Tech University and still have several friends in Lubbock, which helped cut down cost as I was able to crash on a friend’s couch. The next day I drove on into NM. Along the way I did stop and saw some Antelope feeding, and a pretty area that had great fall colors.
I was able to make it to my camp location by noon on Thursday. I had chosen an area that was close to my A and B areas and a little closer to area A. I just set up in the National Forest off of a dirt road that was easy to drive the truck. Just for reference my camp setup is a 2-man tent and I sleep on a cot. I also setup a table and chairs under a folding canopy to cook at night. After I got setup, I had a day and a half to explore my unit and e-scouting areas A-D. The plan for me was pretty simple and repeatable. I basically was living by the rule of you don’t leave elk to find elk. If I found elk I was staying in that spot until I either killed one, blew them out of there, or ran out of season. See table below for day by day plan. For me my goal was to kill a legal elk. I’m new at this and do not have a lot of experience. So while it may be nice to kill a trophy I was there to learn and take the first legal bull, because knowing me I’ll screw up the first encounter.
Well I got to my area A number one glassing spot about 2PM. It was in the mid-50s and the sun was shining, with 15-20 MPH wind. My spot was only about 1.5 miles from the trail head. I was really excited when I saw my first sign of elk. Fresh droppings, probably from that morning.
One of the biggest lessons was to start applying for draw hunts. So for me I made a short term plan and a long term plan. My short term plan is to go elk hunting every year, and long term plan is to draw trophy units. That way by the time I draw a trophy unit I know what I’m doing. I’m not in the financial situation or have the time to hunt in every western state. So I focused on 3 states, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. All 3 states are the closest to Mississippi. Arizona is blend of random draw and bonus point system, which makes a great state for long term and short term. Colorado over-the-counter is always my fall back option to go every year and building preference points is my long term strategy. Since New Mexico has no bonus or preference point system, everyone has the same chance of drawing. This makes a great option for both short term and long term strategies. I want to thank goHUNT.com and Randy Newberg for their help. Between Brady’s insider strategy articles and Newberg’s youtube videos they really helped me understand these systems, especially for someone who has no points.
So now that I had my strategy, I applied in each of my three states. I tend to apply closer to the deadline as I really do not want to draw two tags in the same year, at least right now in this stage of life. The nice thing about applying in AZ, CO, and NM is there is very little overlap between draw dates. This year I applied in AZ first in February, and results came out March 17. Then since I didn’t draw a tag in AZ, I applied in NM by March 21[SUP]st[/SUP] and results came out April 18. I did have to apply in CO by April 3 so there was a little overlap and would risk the possibility of drawing 2 tags. However, since CO has a preference point system and I have no points I found it best to apply for premium units that I knew I couldn’t draw with my points. I just assumed that I probably wouldn’t draw a tag in 2018 and would just do over-the-counter CO, but I got lucky and drew my second choice for New Mexico.
I was so excited when I saw the draw results come out, and called a buddy of mine that lived a few hours away in Albuquerque NM. We had both applied for the same units and wanted to see if he drew as well. Unfortunately, he did not draw but was still excited to come along.
For this year my season was the last 5 days of October. It was going to be a post-rut hunt with bulls headed for sanctuary. Now that I had my tag I needed to dial in my hunting location. To do this I used OnXmaps and Randy Newberg’s E-Scouting series. I also bought a book written by Jack Ward Thomas North American Elk: Ecology and Management. This book was hard to find but the Wildlife Management Institute had it for ~$60. This was something last year taught me, I needed to learn more about elk. Last year I focused a lot on getting the right gear, which took away time I should have been focusing on elk behavior. I can’t say how valuable the new E-Scouting series is that Newberg put out on his youtube channel. This really helped me find the spot on the spot. Using Onxmaps I created 4 hunting areas A-D, each with 4-5 glassing spots, on the edge of a burn or in a burn, in the purple area on the “Roadless area” setting. I also marked all water location, trailheads, hunting pressure, and potential feeding areas.
Now that I had my location dialed in, I was ready for October. My wife was happy I had someone to go with me and I also picked up a Garmin Inreach Mini to make sure I could communicate with her if needed. In preparation for this year’s hunt I wanted to keep my pack light so I created an excel sheet and listed everything I was taking on the trip. Then pulled out the food scale and weighed every item. This really helps know what I need to bring vs what is nice to bring. It also helped me know in the future which pieces of gear I might want to upgrade. See list below.
Since the hunt was only 5 days I wanted time to scout at least a day before season opened. So I left Mississippi on Wednesday afternoon October 24[SUP]th[/SUP], and drove 11 hours all the way to Lubbock, TX. I went to Texas Tech University and still have several friends in Lubbock, which helped cut down cost as I was able to crash on a friend’s couch. The next day I drove on into NM. Along the way I did stop and saw some Antelope feeding, and a pretty area that had great fall colors.
I was able to make it to my camp location by noon on Thursday. I had chosen an area that was close to my A and B areas and a little closer to area A. I just set up in the National Forest off of a dirt road that was easy to drive the truck. Just for reference my camp setup is a 2-man tent and I sleep on a cot. I also setup a table and chairs under a folding canopy to cook at night. After I got setup, I had a day and a half to explore my unit and e-scouting areas A-D. The plan for me was pretty simple and repeatable. I basically was living by the rule of you don’t leave elk to find elk. If I found elk I was staying in that spot until I either killed one, blew them out of there, or ran out of season. See table below for day by day plan. For me my goal was to kill a legal elk. I’m new at this and do not have a lot of experience. So while it may be nice to kill a trophy I was there to learn and take the first legal bull, because knowing me I’ll screw up the first encounter.
| New Mexico ELK Hunt Plan | ||
| Day 1 | Wednesday 10/24/2018 - Travel | Leave drive to Lubbock, TX |
| Day 2 | Thursday 10/25/2018 - Travel/Scouting Day | Leave Lubbock and arrive between 1-2pm. 1-2hr hike to primary evening glassing spot till 6:45pm. Walk out in dark 1-2 hours; eat, sleep by 9:00pm |
| Day 3 | Friday 10/26/2018 - Scouting Day | Leave at trailhead at 4:30am hike to primary morning glassing spot, then: Scenario 1 - Elk from previous evening) If I see elk from previous evening about 10am do mock stalk and get into position to make shot based on location of previous evening. Then walk out in dark and mark path for opening morning. Scenario 2 - No Elk from previous evening but Elk from Morning) If no elk from previous evening and but find some that morning. Watch them into bedding area and mark on GPS. Then about 10am do mock stalk and get into position to make shot for evening confirm location of bull. Then walk out in dark and mark path for opening morning. Scenario 3 - No Elk) If no elk at all wait till 30 min after day light, then move to next morning spot. Then if still no elk go to afternoon glassing spot. |
| Day 4 | Saturday 10/27/2018 - Season Opens | Leave at trailhead at 4:30am hike to primary morning glassing spot, then: Scenario 1 - Elk from previous evening) If I see elk from previous evening about 10am do mock stalk and get into position to make shot based on location of previous evening. Then walk out in dark and mark path for opening morning. Scenario 2 - No Elk from previous evening but Elk from Morning) If no elk from previous evening and but find some that morning. Watch them into bedding area and mark on GPS. Then about 10am do mock stalk and get into position to make shot for evening confirm location of bull. Then walk out in dark and mark path for opening morning. Scenario 3 - No Elk) If no elk at all wait till 30 min after day light, then move to next morning spot. Then if still no elk go to afternoon glassing spot. |
| Day 5 | Sunday 10/28/2018 - Season Open | Leave at trailhead at 4:30am hike to primary morning glassing spot, then: Scenario 1 - Elk from previous evening) If I see elk from previous evening about 10am do mock stalk and get into position to make shot based on location of previous evening. Then walk out in dark and mark path for opening morning. Scenario 2 - No Elk from previous evening but Elk from Morning) If no elk from previous evening and but find some that morning. Watch them into bedding area and mark on GPS. Then about 10am do mock stalk and get into position to make shot for evening confirm location of bull. Then walk out in dark and mark path for opening morning. Scenario 3 - No Elk) If no elk at all wait till 30 min after day light, then move to next morning spot. Then if still no elk go to afternoon glassing spot. |
| Day 6 | Monday 10/29/2018 - Season Open | Leave at trailhead at 4:30am hike to primary morning glassing spot, then: Scenario 1 - Elk from previous evening) If I see elk from previous evening about 10am do mock stalk and get into position to make shot based on location of previous evening. Then walk out in dark and mark path for opening morning. Scenario 2 - No Elk from previous evening but Elk from Morning) If no elk from previous evening and but find some that morning. Watch them into bedding area and mark on GPS. Then about 10am do mock stalk and get into position to make shot for evening confirm location of bull. Then walk out in dark and mark path for opening morning. Scenario 3 - No Elk) If no elk at all wait till 30 min after day light, then move to next morning spot. Then if still no elk go to afternoon glassing spot. |
| Day 7 | Tuesday 10/30/2018 - Season Open | Leave at trailhead at 4:30am hike to primary morning glassing spot, then: Scenario 1 - Elk from previous evening) If I see elk from previous evening about 10am do mock stalk and get into position to make shot based on location of previous evening. Then walk out in dark and mark path for opening morning. Scenario 2 - No Elk from previous evening but Elk from Morning) If no elk from previous evening and but find some that morning. Watch them into bedding area and mark on GPS. Then about 10am do mock stalk and get into position to make shot for evening confirm location of bull. Then walk out in dark and mark path for opening morning. Scenario 3 - No Elk) If no elk at all wait till 30 min after day light, then move to next morning spot. Then if still no elk go to afternoon glassing spot. |
| Day 8 | Wednesday 10/31/2018 - Season Ends 6:40pm | Leave at 4:30am: Scenario - If all locations have been exhausted do something crazy. 6:40pm - hike out get camp ready to leave next morning. Bed by midnight. |
| Day 9 | Thursday 11/1/2018 - Potential Travel Day | Leave at 6am; arrive home by 10pm |
Well I got to my area A number one glassing spot about 2PM. It was in the mid-50s and the sun was shining, with 15-20 MPH wind. My spot was only about 1.5 miles from the trail head. I was really excited when I saw my first sign of elk. Fresh droppings, probably from that morning.
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