Posted today. Week Early.

Elk - Unit 15
Mule Deer - Unit 23

Could be a good year.

Congrats!! Weapon? Guide draw?

TX_COWDOC said:

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Congrats!! Weapon? Guide draw?

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Elk - Muzzleloader. Unit 15 is muzzleloader or archery only. Bull Tag. CVA Paramount .45.

Mule Deer - Any legal weapon. Will probably use 6.5CM with a can.

Both are resident, non-guided tags. My IT manager is a licensed guide though and will go....he's got a lot of mountain goat in him and is 20 years younger.

All red. Yearly donation made.

I'm unable to log into the New Mexico website, getting a server error, am I the only one?

BullSprig07 said:

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I'm unable to log into the New Mexico website, getting a server error, am I the only one?

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just logged in again. worked for me.

TikkaShooter said:

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All red. Yearly donation made.

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Same

Drew first rifle mule deer in unit 16. Looks like the hunting may be a little tough, but looking forward to exploring the Gila

ALL IN 2013 said:

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Drew first rifle mule deer in unit 16. Looks like the hunting may be a little tough, but looking forward to exploring the Gila

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You will really enjoy that hunt. Beautiful area. Took two cow elk from 16A, but never got a bull tag.

I ain't mad about it. Drought is going to make most of the animals die and the ones that survive will be have little puny antlers and no meat. That's what I'm telling myself and I cannot be swayed from these concrete facts.

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Mule Deer - Any legal weapon. Will probably use 6.5CM with a can.

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Are you bringing a tracking dog for the blood trail?

Mule deer unit 24 NM-successful

unsuccessful for NM muley

how long does it take for the refund?

My coworker drew 16B, 9/1-9/14, archery. Lucky dog!

(I was unsuccessful, ugh)

Any archery guides he should consider, if he wants to take advantage of this rare non-res draw opportunity and not go DIY?


moved this here from the other generic western hunting thread....any referrals would be welcomed as he researches his options.

Sully Dog said:

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Mule Deer - Any legal weapon. Will probably use 6.5CM with a can.

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Are you bringing a tracking dog for the blood trail?

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Think I will be ok. Shot most likely will be 200-300 yards and the pronghorn we took last year just dropped. So, we will see. Could use 7mm Rem Mag or 300 WM but might not be any meat left.

AG_2006 said:

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My coworker drew 16B, 9/1-9/14, archery. Lucky dog!

(I was unsuccessful, ugh)

Any archery guides he should consider, if he wants to take advantage of this rare non-res draw opportunity and not go DIY?


moved this here from the other generic western hunting thread....any referrals would be welcomed as he researches his options.

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San Francisco River Outfitters.....that is their backyard and they do a great job. There are others also if you want other contacts.

And that is also a good unit..

Unit 37 mule deer second rifle. NR, non-guided.

Unit 36 elk first rifle for my daughter. Was hoping for the youth hunt, but this was 2nd option.

Never hunted this area...is this a good unit for elk?

Yes.

Martin87 said:

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Sully Dog said:

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Mule Deer - Any legal weapon. Will probably use 6.5CM with a can.

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Are you bringing a tracking dog for the blood trail?

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Think I will be ok. Shot most likely will be 200-300 yards and the pronghorn we took last year just dropped. So, we will see. Could use 7mm Rem Mag or 300 WM but might not be any meat left.

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Just poking a little fun.

Seriously though. I have been using my .300 wsm the last couple of muley hunts because of wind and I generally have to take longer shots. I have been surprised how little meat loss there has been.

All in 2013, are you doing a DIY hunt in 16 or hiring a guide? I've hunted that unit since I was a kid and can probably give you some knowledge of where we've shot and seen bucks over the years. Maybe more importantly, where we haven't seen bucks. I'd be more than happy to fill you in on what I know.

Ag97 said:

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All in 2013, are you doing a DIY hunt in 16 or hiring a guide? I've hunted that unit since I was a kid and can probably give you some knowledge of where we've shot and seen bucks over the years. Maybe more importantly, where we haven't seen bucks. I'd be more than happy to fill you in on what I know.

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I'm doing DIY, man that would be incredible! I've never been there and any pointers would be awesome

Buddy and I got drawn for deer in unit 21. We are pumped. Can't wait to get out there. Anybody have any experience there?

ALL IN 2013 said:

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Ag97 said:

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All in 2013, are you doing a DIY hunt in 16 or hiring a guide? I've hunted that unit since I was a kid and can probably give you some knowledge of where we've shot and seen bucks over the years. Maybe more importantly, where we haven't seen bucks. I'd be more than happy to fill you in on what I know.

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I'm doing DIY, man that would be incredible! I've never been there and any pointers would be awesome

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When you get ready to start planning, let me know and we'll work out a way to go over a few things. Easiest way I've done it with friends that have gone out there with me over the years is using Google Earth. I'll map out where I plan to hunt and save those waypoints on a GPS. There is no cell signal out there unless you are on the fringes or can get high enough on a mountain top to catch a signal. You'll need a GPS and a map saved to your phone with roads on it. I live in Bryan, so if you are ever this way, we can meet up and go over some of that info in person as well if you wanted.

Two buddies and I got drawn for rifle elk unit 6C.

Any advice for that area would be greatly appreciated

Drew a Unit 23 Elk muzzle loader tag. Had some success in that unit a few years back, looking forward to the return trip. That being said what is your favorite long range muzzle loader? I know the Remington 700 is good but wondering what others you might have experience with and recommend.

Ag97 said:

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ALL IN 2013 said:

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Ag97 said:

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All in 2013, are you doing a DIY hunt in 16 or hiring a guide? I've hunted that unit since I was a kid and can probably give you some knowledge of where we've shot and seen bucks over the years. Maybe more importantly, where we haven't seen bucks. I'd be more than happy to fill you in on what I know.

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I'm doing DIY, man that would be incredible! I've never been there and any pointers would be awesome

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When you get ready to start planning, let me know and we'll work out a way to go over a few things. Easiest way I've done it with friends that have gone out there with me over the years is using Google Earth. I'll map out where I plan to hunt and save those waypoints on a GPS. There is no cell signal out there unless you are on the fringes or can get high enough on a mountain top to catch a signal. You'll need a GPS and a map saved to your phone with roads on it. I live in Bryan, so if you are ever this way, we can meet up and go over some of that info in person as well if you wanted.

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Sounds good man will do. I'm up in north Texas but make it down that way every so often, would be happy to buy ya a beer at the chicken

ClarkWGriswold said:

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Drew a Unit 23 Elk muzzle loader tag. Had some success in that unit a few years back, looking forward to the return trip. That being said what is your favorite long range muzzle loader? I know the Remington 700 is good but wondering what others you might have experience with and recommend.

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CVA Paramount .45 cal is what I use. Looks like you will be just south of me, and I have a buddy that has 23 archery elk.

I drew Rifle Deer in Unit 22 - going for Coues

harge57 said:

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TikkaShooter said:

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All red. Yearly donation made.

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Same

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All red for Oryx, Mule Deer, Elk, and Antelope.

Guess it's just coyotes and dove for me this year again

Drew unit 23 archery elk this year. Been trying to draw a gila elk tag for 11 years now, so hoping to make the most of it.

Ag97 said:

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ALL IN 2013 said:

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Ag97 said:

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All in 2013, are you doing a DIY hunt in 16 or hiring a guide? I've hunted that unit since I was a kid and can probably give you some knowledge of where we've shot and seen bucks over the years. Maybe more importantly, where we haven't seen bucks. I'd be more than happy to fill you in on what I know.

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I'm doing DIY, man that would be incredible! I've never been there and any pointers would be awesome

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When you get ready to start planning, let me know and we'll work out a way to go over a few things. Easiest way I've done it with friends that have gone out there with me over the years is using Google Earth. I'll map out where I plan to hunt and save those waypoints on a GPS. There is no cell signal out there unless you are on the fringes or can get high enough on a mountain top to catch a signal. You'll need a GPS and a map saved to your phone with roads on it. I live in Bryan, so if you are ever this way, we can meet up and go over some of that info in person as well if you wanted.

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Which units in 16 do you hunt?

Mainly 16C but we camp so close to 16A and 16D we cross back and forth through those units depending on where we are hunting. We've also hunted the north end of 16D around Apache Creek a couple times but we almost always come back to 16C because it is what we know the best. Unit 16 is massive and road access is limited. Lots of places to hunt but accessibility is the limiting factor. There are some absolute monster deer and elk in that unit but to find them consistently you almost have to hire a guide to pack you into the wilderness area with mules and horses to have access to them.

If my budget allowed for it, I would hire a guide to pack me in where I normally don't go. It's so hard to get drawn out as a non resident any more, I'm actually considering it for this coming elk hunt. It's been 3 years since I've been drawn for anything and I know people that have gone twice that long without getting drawn. If I don't get drawn for another 3 to 5 years it might be worth it to drop the $5,000 to $7,000 it cost to get a guide that has a much higher chance on getting you on a trophy animal.

I'm pretty confident that I can hunt 16C and find a young bull or buck most years I go out there. I've never harvested what I would consider a trophy buck out of there and have only seen 3 or 4 in all the trips I've taken. My dad and other relatives and friends have taken some nice animals but I've never had the opportunity to even take a shot on the trophies I've seen. My best was a decent 10 pointer about 15 years ago and a couple smaller 8's.

Thanks Ag97. I always enjoy hearing about other people's adventures/stories. I used to live in the Gila back in the day as a kid. Parents moved to Texas in early 80's and I always wanted to go back and hunt that area since I still knew it pretty well. Was lucky enough to get non-res elk tags in 16B three out of four years (archery) before social media took off. I was also fortunate that I still knew folks in that area with horses/pack mules.
Beautiful country. Looks like I cannot message you (not a premium subscriber) but would be fun to talk about the Gila with you.

Yep, the Gila is a special place to me. Some of the best memories I have of my childhood come from hunting with my dad out there. I've told my wife that when I die, part of my ashes need to be spread in a certain little valley I used to sit up on a rock and watch for deer crossing it. Since you don't have premium, if you want to chat about the Gila you can email me at my user name @yahoo.com.