NM youth elk hunts

[Jayden12]

Anyone ever get drawn or go on one of these hunts.Put my son in this year because they look like exceptional opportunities.Hes got 5 years/chances to get lucky.I wonder why with low recruitment of young hunters now days more states don't offer them.Alot of states have doe/cow hunts for kids.But,I think,NM got it right with some good quality units open to kids for 5 days.I was on the fence about applying and then watched Randy hunt with his relative
Hoping my son gets lucky because it looked like a great hunt

 

[cfree]

NM is a great state to hunt. One of my favorites because they have a great mix of quality and quantity. However I think they dropped the ball on the NR youth hunts. First they only allow NR youth to get 6% of the tags. Many of the youth elk hunts have 25-30 tags, so that's 2 tags max to NR youth. Second, they charge full adult price ($548) for those tags, some of which are considered HD tags($773). They are ES tags and that is nice, season dates certainly are optimal.

I can only compare their opportunities to AZ where NR youth pay $5 for a license and $65 for a cow elk tag with a 10% NR cap. A NR youth in AZ can still buy the $5 yearly license to apply for bull but will have to enter the adult draw and pay full price there, $665, if drawn.

I hope you are lucky in the draw. it will be an amazing hunt!

 

[Pintlar]

My son drew a youth tag in 2014. The hunt was an absolute blast! We didn't see another hunter in the woods and the weather was fantastic. The bulls were still screaming, and he ended up taking a beautiful 6x6. Hope you can draw in the 5 year time frame!

 

[hank4elk]

I'm torn on NM Youth hunts. Do not have any of my own, but helped raise several. Helped them daily as a Park Ranger.
I help out every year,someone,if I can. Gave a cow tag to a local kid last year, but he got sick & dad blew it for him....lol.
I could not hunt big game until I was 16 growing up. I still do not think kids are old enough & responsible enough that young. I think they should GO on hunts growing up.
NM gives youth some of the very best tags there are. It sets them up for failure for years to come in future draws. & Life.
IMHO.

 

[AggieOutlaw]

I'm torn on NM Youth hunts. Do not have any of my own, but helped raise several. Helped them daily as a Park Ranger.
I help out every year,someone,if I can. Gave a cow tag to a local kid last year, but he got sick & dad blew it for him....lol.
I could not hunt big game until I was 16 growing up. I still do not think kids are old enough & responsible enough that young. I think they should GO on hunts growing up.
NM gives youth some of the very best tags there are. It sets them up for failure for years to come in future draws. & Life.
IMHO.

Though to argue with that reasoning. I think it can be good for hunting recruitment and retention to let kids have success and fun experiences. But this may be my motivated reasoning to justify putting my young kid in for every youth only species. I hope I don’t regret it.

 

[mrcowboy]

I am kind of with Hank on some of these youth hunts that are sandwiched in between archery and muzzleloader season and Decemeber deer hunts. I do appreciate that we need to get more youth involved in hunting and outdoors activities, however we do set them up for a let down. A kid harvests great buck or bull and during those hunts but then they get severely pissed when they don't get a 6x6 every year. We rush them to the pinnacle of the hunting (6x6 bull 300 +) then their expectations are that every year. When the reality is, sometimes drawing your third choice is awesome. I have a friend that guides in Chama area, he says he gets kids that go on these guided hunts that tell them they will not shoot anything less than a 380 bull. I do relaize these kid's folks are shelling out big dollars for these hunts, but what kind of precedent are we setting? IMHO kind of along the lines that "everyone" is a winner in youth sports. Sometimes you have to toil a bit. Makes you appreciate when you achieve.

 

[Jayden12]

Not sure about the let down aspect.My son knows that if he draws one of these tags it's a very special hunt.We drew cow tags in Wyoming this year and that's all he talks about.We really only hunt public ground but his grandparents own a few acres that border a no hunting state park.Its over run with deer.Of course he enjoys hunting there but he's always been fine with hunting the close by gamelands
I don't think if he kills a really big bull that it would ruin his future expectations.If anything it would get him in the points game in other states hoping to get another special tag.
Hope he draws.Itll be a father/son trip he'd never forget

 

[BDH]

In 2004 I drew the youth tag in 16A, it was a cow only and one of the best hunts of my life. I am 32 now and that hunt is one of the reasons that I have continued hunting. I didn't even kill and elk that trip, mainly because my dad let me lead the way, make mistakes on wind, and not being patient. Put your kids in for theses hunts!!!! I hope they are still going on in 12 years when my daughter is hopefully ready and willing to go on one.

RLTW

 

[Western Traveler1]

I'm torn on NM Youth hunts. Do not have any of my own, but helped raise several. Helped them daily as a Park Ranger.
I help out every year,someone,if I can. Gave a cow tag to a local kid last year, but he got sick & dad blew it for him....lol.
I could not hunt big game until I was 16 growing up. I still do not think kids are old enough & responsible enough that young. I think they should GO on hunts growing up.
NM gives youth some of the very best tags there are. It sets them up for failure for years to come in future draws. & Life.
IMHO.

IMHO that is a parenting thing. If taught to appreciate the gifts and opportunities presented to them I see no problem. Gratitude and thanks. It may not be for every kid but for those raised in hunting families why not have a chance to get out there. I've seen 12 YO ranch kids driving 100K tractors and kids driving themselves to drivers training. During hunting season kids trucks are parked across the street from the school grounds. An involved parent should able able to determine if their kid belongs in the field chasing big game. Besides life is unpredictable they may never have another opportunity. I think it is nothing like a participation trophy if they have to do more than pull a trigger.