ttha_aggie_09 said:
Bumping because I am interested in a New Mexico elk hunt next year as well... good info so far.
Is it reasonable to expect a 300" bull? One of the places I was looking was shooting 280s on average but had nice lodging and the pricing was $7k. Thought that was really steep for a bull that size.
Very short answer: yes, you should be able to find a 300" bull if you hunt hard enough in a place where good elk are. Should you expect a 300" bull (or any certain size)- absolutely not. Unless you are hunting high fence, or paying for a private land tag on a highly managed place.
(Stop reading here if you don't want a soap box. I'm not trying to talk down to anyone, just honestly trying to convey something I have learned over the years of elk hunting, which has made it infinatly more enjoyable and fulfilling for me).
I say this for 2 reasons:
1) Elk are not deer. They aren't predictable. They do elky things in elky ways for reasons known only to elk. I don't think you can say an area as big as NM should have X-sized elk, or even a section within. I've spent time in the famous Gila Mnts of NM: and there are areas that do grow 380's, and also areas where you would be lucky to find a 280. I hunted antelope near Corona this year, in some crazy flat featureless land. There was one little molehill of a mountian, that was 15 miles from any other elevation- and wouldn't you know there was a herd of elk on that speck. I saw 3 bulls in one morning that were all over 350". You would NEVER think there was an elk in that county driving by. Meanwhile, I live in some of the prettiest elkiest looking mountains in CO- and unless you are committing a month to scouting and hunting, you're dang lucky to kill a 300+ bull. There's plenty here, doesn't mean you can kill them. There are people who spend weeks (or a month) in these mountains and go home empty, and others who drive down the road and shoot a monster from the truck. Meanwhile, 2 hours west of me there is a ranch in the freaking sand dunes that kills 300's all the time, and a hand full of 350's every year. I know a guy in Oklahoma of all places that kills really nice bulls every single year- but also has people come out and never see a single elk.
2) All that to say, I have learned to stop chasing inches when elk hunting. My advice: hunt as hard as you can, with the best people you know, in the prettiest places you can find- and you will never be disappointed elk hunting. I totally understand wanting to kill one of a certain size, but don't let that be a deciding factor in your hunt. Enjoy hunting for elk- the pain, misery, frustration, humility, beauty, and majesty of it all. Embrace it, success is not killing a certain sized elk- success is sharing an experience with such an animal. It makes it that much more meaningful when fortune finally does reward the sweat equity you have put in.
