NM Elk Draw

[Nick87]

I put over 7k on a credit card for this draw. My wife’s gonna sh¥t when she sees this bill! Put in my son and I for almost everything

It happens.

 

[cgasner1]

Well I wasn’t gonna this year but since you started a thread. I may as well throw in sometime in the next day or two

 

[Tracker12]

Can someone talk to me about unit 6 and the differences between A and B.

 

[5yearcoueshunter]

Can someone talk to me about unit 6 and the differences between A and B.

Night and day. 6B is the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Different rules, tons of Elk, once and a lifetime experience, draw odds almost impossible. 6A is a good hunt, but more typical of public land NM hunt, low to moderate draw odds.

 

[Redraider7]

Night and day. 6B is the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Different rules, tons of Elk, once and a lifetime experience, draw odds almost impossible. 6A is a good hunt, but more typical of public land NM hunt, low to moderate draw odds.

How does 6A compare to 6C?

 

[5yearcoueshunter]

How does 6A compare to 6C?

I would look at the draw odds and harvest reports to get an idea. In general, 6A is managed for a better hunt. Has wilderness and generally more high country.

 

[Redraider7]

I would look at the draw odds and harvest reports to get an idea. In general, 6A is managed for a better hunt. Has wilderness and generally more high country.

Thank you sir!

 

[Clarq]

I put over 7k on a credit card for this draw. My wife’s gonna sh¥t when she sees this bill! Put in my son and I for almost everything

Rookie numbers! I think I landed at more than $8k all by myself! It helps that I don't have to justify my decisions to a wife or anyone else (trying to enjoy that while it lasts...).

Good luck!

 

[klampson]

The first time my wife saw my credit card statement after I applied to NM she freaked out. Now she gets it, and it doesn’t phase her.

 

[Zim]

I’ve been hunting NM since my first Western trip back in 1996. Over the years, I’ve watched the odds for my favorite unit drop gradually from 90% to this year’s all time low 2%. This is definitely not a trophy class unit. Strictly mid/low-tier. Three other low-tier units I hunted over the years also dropped to ~2% which blew my mind. These are nothing more than raghorn units. So this is the first time I have abandoned all my known units and strictly went with low-tier meat bull units with better draw odds. I just wanna archery elk hunt somewhere.

 

[bulldawg10]

I’ve been hunting NM since my first Western trip back in 1996. Over the years, I’ve watched the odds for my favorite unit drop gradually from 90% to this year’s all time low 2%. This is definitely not a trophy class unit. Strictly mid-tier. Three other low-tier units I hunted over the years also dropped to ~2% which blew my mind. These are definitely not what I would call trophy units. So this is the first time I have abandoned all my known units and strictly went with low-tier meat bull units with better draw odds. I just wanna archery elk hunt somewhere.

As a NR, those low-tier meat hunt odds aren't much better either nowadays....unfortunately.

Did you used to pretty much draw ever year back in the 90's and early 2000's?

 

[Tracker12]

I would look at the draw odds and harvest reports to get an idea. In general, 6A is managed for a better hunt. Has wilderness and generally more high country.

What do you mean by better hunt.

 

[Zim]

As a NR, those low-tier meat hunt odds aren't much better either nowadays....unfortunately.

Did you used to pretty much draw ever year back in the 90's and early 2000's?

Yes, before the outfitter welfare legislation I drew my first 6 consecutive years, including the Valle Vidal, units 49, 52 & 45. The archery odds were ~90% those years. My how things have changed. I've not drawn any of these archery hunts since 2011. 0 fer eleven, even via the guided pool (for drop camps) four times.

 

[bulldawg10]

Yes, before the outfitter welfare legislation I drew my first 6 consecutive years, including the Valle Vidal, units 49, 52 & 45. The archery odds were ~90% those years. My how things have changed. I've not drawn any of these archery hunts since 2011. 0 fer eleven, even via the guided pool (for drop camps) four times.

That probably has very little to do with the outfitter pool and way more to do with the total number of draw entries growing every years.

Youtube, OnX, info on the internet like this forum contribute to so much more knowledge and access to western hunting and growing applicants.

The outfitter pool maybe takes 1 to 3 tags out of a potential 10% allocation to NR in most units.

Yet the appilcant numbers per huntcode are just huge in comparison to the number of tags.

If the outfitter pool didnt exist your odds would be virtually the same as a NR or Resident alike.

 

[Zim]

That probably has very little to do with the outfitter pool and way more to do with the total number of draw entries growing every years.

Youtube, OnX, info on the internet like this forum contribute to so much more knowledge and access to western hunting and growing applicants.

The outfitter pool maybe takes 1 to 3 tags out of a potential 10% allocation to NR in most units.

Yet the appilcant numbers per huntcode are just huge in comparison to the number of tags.

If the outfitter pool didnt exist your odds would be virtually the same as a NR or Resident alike.

Totally agree. However, I can tell you the odds for my unit 45 archery flipped from 90% to 10% the year of the welfare legislation, and only got worse. It was very significant. NR tags dropped what?…..from 16% to 6%? Been a while I forgot the exact numbers. Since then the blind masses have overwhelmed the odds, aided by UT & NV attaining unrealistic status. I sure don’t expect to draw anything anymore there, even with opportunity hunts as my choices. It’s all about wealth tags now. Am fortunate I made hay when the going was good.

 

[RoughCountry]

Never understood why they call it Outfitter welfare. It gives the mostly NM resident outfitter income from NM elk and also gives someone a tag to hunt NM elk. All elk units were easy to draw at one time then the internet and the tv shows came along.

People started making a living by promoting hunting, 3 or 4 channels on satellite tv and hundreds of videos online making it look easy to go kill a 350” bull….the rest is history. Now, as a NM resident I’m buying a LO tag to hunt elk on years I don’t draw. Very thankful to be able to do that too as I might not get lucky in the draw for several years or longer.

 

[generalpatton12]

I'm in for archery elk in New Mexico! Shot for the stars really with all three choices, really. I have been twice on private land but would love the chance at a DIY hunt in the rut. New Mexico has some cool country and is so diverse as a state with the habitat types. Fingers crossed!

 

[Hawk Tuah]

Never understood why they call it Outfitter welfare. It gives the mostly NM resident outfitter income from NM elk and also gives someone a tag to hunt NM elk. All elk units were easy to draw at one time then the internet and the tv shows came along.

People started making a living by promoting hunting, 3 or 4 channels on satellite tv and hundreds of videos online making it look easy to go kill a 350” bull….the rest is history. Now, as a NM resident I’m buying a LO tag to hunt elk on years I don’t draw. Very thankful to be able to do that too as I might not get lucky in the draw for several years or longer.

I think a better option is to have simple NR or R tags, and have the outfitters get good enough at consistently getting clients on big animals that they appeal to NR with tags.

 

[ImBillT]

I sent them my money, but I sort of wonder why. I can’t imagine a 10pt unit in AZ, CO, or WY not being 100X better than a 10% odds hunt in NM. When I started applying in NM some of today’s 10% draw odds elk hunts had 50%-100% draw odds, and 30% odds deer hunts were 100%. If I didn’t need another 135” mule deer for my garage floor I might have saved my money and applied elsewhere.

The top tier of NM is great and draw odds for the top tier haven’t gone down all that much. When you could hunt the same opportunity hunt every 2-3 years, and have a chance at a really nice tag, or even hold out for the top tier and have your license refunded NM was a really great value. Now that you’re out almost $100 in non-refundable costs, I have to wonder if it’s worth doing that ten times to draw a bottom tier hunt. There are multiple units in CO that can be drawn with zero points that have better harvest success and equal or better “trophy quality” according to goHunt compared to NM’s bottom tier with 10%ish draw odds. So I could be out almost $1000 in non-refundables before I draw a tag when I could have hunted CO ten times in units with similar stats. Hmmm. What would that $1000 of applications get me in AZ, CO, or WY? If NM wasn’t close, and I wasn’t a sucker for dinky mule deer, I’m not sure NM would be a part of my application strategy today. Ten years ago, even five years ago, NM was a great value. I’m starting to waver with today’s draw odds.

 

[WildWill]

If NM wasn’t close, and I wasn’t a sucker for dinky mule deer, I’m not sure NM would be a part of my application strategy today.

This and the slim odds of a dream hunt keep me hooked as well.