Elk Hunting Advice Sought

[kl9]

I need some advice from people that have gone elk hunting out west. A buddy and I are going to start building preference points for an elk hunt. I'm looking for recommendations on where to apply. I want to hunt an area where we will have the potential to shoot at least a 350 bull, but I don't (if possible) want the waiting period to be more than 2-3 years. Is this possible?

If so, what are some states and specific management units we should look into applying to? If I'm way off on what is possible let me know. Thanks

 

[Buckly]

New Mexico. Zone 15A Gila and Apache National forest. Primitive area only. Archery and Muzzleloader. You can do it yourself or guided. I've sent a few people there and they weren't disappointed. It's right on the Arizona border. Unless of course cost is no issue. Then there are some places that are well known.

 

[kl9]

I'll look into that, thanks. Is what I'm looking for possible in CO? Or there better/quicker opportunities elsewhere?

 

[willy]

I think the quality of bull your are wanting to get is going to be a tough get in units that will only take a couple preference points to get in CO. If money is no object I'm sure you could find a private land ranch in CO that has that landowner tags in areas with those type of bulls. Wherever you go, good luck, you'll love elk hunting!

 

[pointer]

IMO getting a tag in a unit where there is a high likelihood of a bull that big in 2-3 years of applying is unrealistic, unless you can just get very lucky. ID and NM don't have points so you have as much chance as the next guy. Some states like UT and AZ have some tags that go to the less than max point holders. There are places that you can get tags every year or in the 2-3 year time frame that you are interested. Most all of these will have a 350"+ bull in them, but they will be far, far from common or easy. The shortest path to really increasing your chances of a 350"+ bull is to buy a private landowner tag. For that, I think NM and UT would be the easiest/best places to do that. There just really aren't that many 350" or bigger bulls in any place where tags are easy to come by or cheap.

 

[kl9]

Thanks for the input so far. Let me add a few details.

Money is definitely something we are conscious about. Hoping to keep cost down. Additionally, my buddy is changing his take on things toward wanting to go more towards CO as he has family out there. Are there any management units to where I could have a good chance at a 300" bull with a 2-3 year waiting period?


As a side note (we really aren't looking to do this) how much am I looking at spending on a private landowner tag/hunt. I'm thinking at least $5k which is more than I want to spend.

 

[pointer]

Thanks for the input so far. Let me add a few details.

Money is definitely something we are conscious about. Hoping to keep cost down. Additionally, my buddy is changing his take on things toward wanting to go more towards CO as he has family out there. Are there any management units to where I could have a good chance at a 300" bull with a 2-3 year waiting period?


As a side note (we really aren't looking to do this) how much am I looking at spending on a private landowner tag/hunt. I'm thinking at least $5k which is more than I want to spend.

For a ranch with a lot of 350" bulls you're probably looking 2-3X the $5K you mentioned...

Realize that many elk units that are OTC or that you can draw in 2-3yrs have success rates for bulls under 20%. A vast majority of those are not over 300". That pool gets really, really small for bulls over 350". Sure they are there and you could get one, but you need to be realistic about your chances. My first bull came out of aunit in ID that had less than 4% draw odds that year. I shot the biggest bull we found. He's not much over your 300" threshold and a LONG way from 350".

 

[Buckly]

Thanks for the input so far. Let me add a few details.

Money is definitely something we are conscious about. Hoping to keep cost down. Additionally, my buddy is changing his take on things toward wanting to go more towards CO as he has family out there. Are there any management units to where I could have a good chance at a 300" bull with a 2-3 year waiting period?


As a side note (we really aren't looking to do this) how much am I looking at spending on a private landowner tag/hunt. I'm thinking at least $5k which is more than I want to spend.

For a good shot at 350 and up in short time frame you're probably looking at 25-30K.

 

[kl9]

Eesh that is not what I'm looking to spend. What if I bring my standards down to 300inch bull in 2ish years in CO. Possible for a reasonable amount of $$?

 

[Tree Spud]

IMO getting a tag in a unit where there is a high likelihood of a bull that big in 2-3 years of applying is unrealistic, unless you can just get very lucky. ID and NM don't have points so you have as much chance as the next guy. Some states like UT and AZ have some tags that go to the less than max point holders. There are places that you can get tags every year or in the 2-3 year time frame that you are interested. Most all of these will have a 350"+ bull in them, but they will be far, far from common or easy. The shortest path to really increasing your chances of a 350"+ bull is to buy a private landowner tag. For that, I think NM and UT would be the easiest/best places to do that. There just really aren't that many 350" or bigger bulls in any place where tags are easy to come by or cheap.

How does the process of buying a private landowner tag work in NM or UT?

What are the typical costs?

Any details would be appreciated.

 

[Reagan]

In my opinion, you need to make your goal to just kill an elk. The odds of that are low.

If you bust your ass on a DIY elk hunt, at some point you will be discouraged and broken mentally. Mountains are big and air is thin. Elk hunting is tough. If you kill anything after a week or more of hunting, you will be thrilled. Don't worry about score.


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[pointer]

How does the process of buying a private landowner tag work in NM or UT?

What are the typical costs?

Any details would be appreciated.

In Utah they are sold through lands enrolled in the CMWU program. This link is to a list of the CWMUs in Utah and includes the contact information. Often times an internet search will turn up the ranch's website or the outfitter than contract with to run the hunting program. Price is variable and depends on size of the property and the buck/bull potential for that ranch. I did work on a ranch that was getting $15K/tag in 2000 and had a multiple year long waiting list. The bull elk harvested on that ranch averaged right at 350". I imagine it's a bit higher than that now.

https://wildlife.utah.gov/maps/public/list_cwmus.php

 

[pointer]

Eesh that is not what I'm looking to spend. What if I bring my standards down to 300inch bull in 2ish years in CO. Possible for a reasonable amount of $$?

Define "reasonable amount of $$"? Are you looking to get this done in one trip or are multiple trips of interest?

In that short of a time frame you are looking at having to draw a less than choice unit or a less than choice season in a better unit. Just the breaks. IME with elk and elk hunting, the majority of bulls are killed by the same minority of hunters on a year to year basis. This gets even more so if you are looking a 6pt bulls or those approaching the numbers you are interested in. They know the country and the critters in that country.

PS- A lot of elk hunters have not, nor will never kill a bull that tops 300"...

 

[ncstewart]

I have hunted CO archery a couple times And ID once with a rifle. Those were OTC and tough hunts.
I have been buying points for Wyoming and AZ. For a tag with good odds of killing a 350 then you are looking at waiting for a while. I have 4 points in AZ and for the late hunt I want I have about %15 chance to draw.
My plan is apply for a better tag and then if I don't draw I do an OTC for experience. Any elk hunting is better than none!

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