Elk Hunt

[SC Living Outdoors]

Hey everyone,

I drew a NM rifle tag for Oct. 13-17. I have been doing a ton of research on Gohunt, onX, Google maps, NM game and fish website, and online. I know this will be a tougher hunt because most of the public land is in the southern part of the unit away from the majority of the elk. Everything I have read online says it is tough, but doable. This is my first elk hunt so I am looking at it from a learning and having fun perspective, but with that being said I'm going to do everything in my power to be successful. I don't need to shoot a giant. I will be completely happy with any legal bull. I'm from the east coast so I'm used to 99% of land being private and doing my home work.

I have been able to locate a few areas through my research that look like they have potential. Is there going to be an issue with knowing if roads are open to the public? I have used the street view feature on Google maps and one of the roads that I was hoping to use looks almost like a driveway, but it didn't have a gate. I try to do everything by the book and the last thing I want to do is trespass.

I am making a list of questions to ask the local game warden, but I want to be as well informed as possible before calling him so I don't waste his time.

EIf any of you have other advice I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks

 

[AggieOutlaw]

I would expect that many of the long access approaches through private will be gated and locked during the hunting season. Check that road carefully from pavement. I’d bet there’s a gate somewhere along it. But maybe not.

Access to the sparse public land is the biggest challenge of 21B. Landowners blocking limited access is well known too.

 

[hank4elk]

Talk to the State lands guy or someone from Socorro BLM office about access. It is limited as stated.
I can't find sate guys number right now but it is listed in NMG&F site. Look at their maps for access,& I think his # is in there.

 

[BrianID]

There is a very good reason 21B is easier to draw than units to the West of it. Public access to the elk isn't as good as you might expect. Elk will get pushed from public land to private land with hunting pressure. Most of 21B is fairly open country and doesn't hold elk. You could deffently kill an elk on this hunt but you will have to work or get lucky to find one on public land. If you have never hunted out west and had to deal with determining if you are on public land, I would highly recommend OnX maps.
Don't hesitate to burn some boot leather during your hunt. Hiking 10+ miles per day is often an effective technique when hunting elk. Sometimes you have to cover a lot of ground to find where the elk are.
Also get a plan together before your hunt on how you are going to deal with an elk after you get one on the ground. Even if you are lucky enough to kill an elk within 1/2 mile of a road, getting the meat back to your vehicle is a significant challenge. Good luck. Even if you don't kill and elk, you should have an enjoyable time in the hills of 21B.

 

[cfree]

You've probably already considered this, but look for ranches with unit wide landowner tags in 21B(and possibly surrounding units) that you can legally access and hunt, or cross to get to landlocked public parcels. I'm not familiar with that unit but have crossed/hunted private ranches that get UW tags in other units. NM is a fun state to hunt, I'm sure you will do fine.

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

I have been doing serious research. I have onX that I am using to prep and use while I’m there. I’m planning to hike a lot. I have 5 days to scout and a solid plan on where I’m going to spend most of my time scouting. I also have a plan on how to get the elk out if I’m able to get one. Thanks for the response I’m really looking forward to it.

 

[chadw]

My son and I drew 21b For elk on the same dates OCT 13-17 and my wife the week after, My son also drew a Mule deer tag for this area in November if anyone has any more advice this will be our first hunt since moving to New Mexico so I will be using it as education but would very much like for my son to at least get a shot. I have heard all the bad things about 21B like blocked land and a lot of outfitters in the area my main concern is a place for travel trailer and basically am I wasting my time for both the elk hunt and mule deer hunt.

 

[AggieOutlaw]

Y’all will have fun. Don’t get me wrong, it can still be a fun and challenging hunt. It’s just tough to get into elk. There’s plenty of them tho and the success is pretty good in the unit.

CFree. If you have a tip on how to find UW ranches please let me know. When I look up the ranch, they only give the name of the ranch manager or point of contact, not the deed owner. This means you can’t even do the work on OnX to see if the ranch is unit wide. No surprise, when you try to contact the ranch POC, they aren’t interested in helping a public land hunter find their property.

This is the single biggest scam in New Mexico. You open your secret ranch to the public in exchange for an elk tag or ten. If there is a way around it, let us know.

 

[3855WIN]

I've hunted near there a couple of times. There will be BLM, but you will need OnX or something similar to know that you are on it. BLM looks like just another part of a ranch. There's also a good chance you will be told you are on private.
This is very late rut, or most likely, post-rut. Bulls will be trying to get back into rugged canyons. Have at least two spare tires for your rig. Bring plenty of water. Make sure you see the Very Large Array to the north.

 

[Chrismac83]

I had a hunt on this unit last year. Access is pretty tough. All of private on the north end is owned by a landowner who also runs an outfitting business. I had identified a couple spots where I thought I'd get access to BLM but he owned little sections off the road and gated it. What this means is that most of the hunters (if you want to hunt the north end) are limited to a few access points.

 

[chadw]

Do you have any advice on where to go or access points you used

 

[Labman]

There used to be a ton of UW land open to hunt. Beginning last year those guys switched to RO and there was only one UW ranch with elk tags last year. My dad drew the later Oct tag and I went with him. He hunted it for half a day and then his 70 yr old knees went out on him and we threw in the towel at noon. PM me and I can throw you a bone.

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

Does anyone know if elk can be found outside of the COER? I found some good looking pieces of land 10 or 15 miles south of the COER south boundary on the fish and game website, but I don't know if its worth my time. I'll have 5 or 6 days to scout immediately prior to the season opening on October 13th.

 

[Duff Hunter]

Scliving Outdoors - How did this trip work out for you? I am considering this unit and I would love to hear your perspective on the unit after visiting on a first time hunt. While I have elk hunted a few times, I do not have a whole lot of experience.

 

[Sitkahoyt95]

Hi all, just interested on seeing how everyone did on this hunt and if they would do it again. looking to hunt the archery season thanks again!