Any recommendations on outfitters / tribes to look into for a trophy bull elk hunt? Willing to spend whatever. I've heard White Mountain Apache Rez is great, but they aren't taking new hunters. Thanks for any thoughts.

Cotton Mesa Ranch in Colorado, one of the best places I know of for trophy elk!

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If you can stand the bite stay after White Mountain rez. You'll move up faster than you think.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Cotton Mesa high fenced? I know a few guys who have gone. I'm not 100% certain of that. Doesn't matter to some, does to others.

I was supposed to be in Utah this September with R&K, private land, guided hunt. Had to push to next year, but all in is around $15k, not including travel, tips, taxidermy

I think that is probably ballpark. If you are lucky and draw a tag you will still pay an outfitter 6k-8k. Last I checked tags in Unit 34/36 New Mexico were running 8k. Now add in the outfitter, the $780 you have to pay NMGF and you are there. Still have tips and taxidermy. Some of the tags on the western side are higher. Pretty steep!

You are correct a 10,000 acre high fence with no high fence cross fences in it.

Thanks. I'm not going to do a high fence place, but I'm also not the most patient waiting on a tag. Native Rez hunts seem like the best solution.

Look into Mescalero too. I have not personally been there but am buddies with a guy that shot two bulls there.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Look into Mescalero too. I have not personally been there but am buddies with a guy that shot two bulls there.

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A guy I used to know very well, but has since passed, owned a ranch immediately to the west of the Mescalero reservation. He received something like 14 bull permits and a couple of hundred cow permits every year. He sold most of the bull permits to an outfitter for around 7000 each I think, and that was back in the late 90s early 2000. The bulls would score in the high threes and a few in the low fours. All of those elk move freely between his ranch and the reservation.

Yeah I think his bulls are 330-340 and 360-70.

And as another poster added earlier, I'd fully expect to spend north of $10k and probably closer to $15k or higher for a private land elk hunt.

Dirk Neal's Outfitting in Red River, NM. He is contracted to the nearby Taos Reservation.

575 754 two seven two nine

He also owns Red River Stables at the Y in Red River (great place to take the kids etc if you want to take them on trail rides etc) Dirk hunts Bear & Mt. Lion as well.

I've known him for years and can vouch for him. PM me and and I can give you more details.

Edit: I'm sending him my contract this week, in case I draw. Even if I don't draw an Elk tag (I'm not hunting on the Reservation) My brother and I (A&M Class of 2005) are probably going to go Bear hunting with him this fall. I am also including a note about anyone contacting him from TexAgs.

I do NOT get any kind of "deal" from him for this, nor would I ask for one, but Dirk is a legit hound man and modern day mountain man. You should hunt with him once. If you want any more details on hunts with him, holler.

Talk to the good outfitters in the Gila about landowner tags. Thats your fastest way to be hunting 350" bulls (rather than waiting on one of the reservations to have an opening), as you can find loose tags yearly. you want a unit-wide tag, not a private ranch only tag. Tag will be between 10-25K depending on which unit you are looking to hunt in, and then you still have outfitter fees. But, you will be in big bulls daily with a competent outfitter.

I don't think Mescalero is doing trophy's this year. You might want to call and ask if they're on your list.

I hunted in Unit 34 with Tye Hare of K9 Country Outfitters several years ago. 34 is on South side of the Mescalero. His report was that the reservation is down and has been for a while. For what it's worth he said he's seen 5 point herd bulls. It may be wise to check a few more sources before dropping money on what used to be a slam dunk.

bigF said:

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I hunted in Unit 34 with Tye Hare of K9 Country Outfitters several years ago. 34 is on South side of the Mescalero. His report was that the reservation is down and has been for a while. For what it's worth he said he's seen 5 point herd bulls. It may be wise to check a few more sources before dropping money on what used to be a slam dunk.

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Wow. Any idea what has caused that decline? The drought?

This is just his opinion and may simply be a single factor of many. He thinks it is overhunted. Not by paid hunters, but by members of the reservation. I don't know the rules for tribal members, but I understand that they have access to hunt. Not sure what regs if any from NMGF they are required to follow.

Edit to add:
I dreamed for years of elk hunting. I booked a hunt with Bear Paw Hunts out of Havre, Montana in 2009 time frame. There is an Indian Res up there called the Rocky Boys Reservation. I questioned my guide about it pretty hard because I was wanting to hunt in the Bear Paws and it is mainly private and well-known for big bulls. I felt like I had gotten mislead on my hunt and mostly it was because I was naieve. I ended up on public land. The guide I had said, "Sure you can get a tag, but you will have to deal with the Indians". Please don't put any race implications on that statement. He just meant that they make their own rules. Nothing is running through the state.

Elk hunting is not cheap for the most part. I would definitely gather first-hand info from someone before I went anywhere.

bigF said:

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This is just his opinion and may simply be a single factor of many. He thinks it is overhunted. Not by paid hunters, but by members of the reservation. I don't know the rules for tribal members, but I understand that they have access to hunt. Not sure what regs if any from NMGF they are required to follow.

Edit to add:
I dreamed for years of elk hunting. I booked a hunt with Bear Paw Hunts out of Havre, Montana in 2009 time frame. There is an Indian Res up there called the Rocky Boys Reservation. I questioned my guide about it pretty hard because I was wanting to hunt in the Bear Paws and it is mainly private and well-known for big bulls. I felt like I had gotten mislead on my hunt and mostly it was because I was naieve. I ended up on public land. The guide I had said, "Sure you can get a tag, but you will have to deal with the Indians". Please don't put any race implications on that statement. He just meant that they make their own rules. Nothing is running through the state.

Elk hunting is not cheap for the most part. I would definitely gather first-hand info from someone before I went anywhere.

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Not the first time I've heard that. Whether its true or not, or based in someone's bias, I don't know.

Will be an interesting next few years for elk and deer populations, given the management changes in UT, WY and CO to follow. In addition, Northern UT and CO will maybe see a 50% fawn crop based on the biologists I have been talking to. Its the winter that will not end. I drive 71 miles one way to work. I see lots of animals on the way, but I see a lot of dead ones too. Snow is still deep and the elk are looking like they are in a famine and are still walking in 3-4ft of snow. Couple that with the energy needed to get to grass, they are starving at best. Mule deer are the same story.

Is 50% considered really low?

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Is 50% considered really low?

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I read that as 50% of normal, but probably am wrong.

I would also look into the Jicarilla Apache Reservation.

I had to the opportunity (and blessing) to hunt there twice for trophy bull elk. We hunted on the Horse Lake Mesa game park, which is about 15,000 square acre high fence. The only time we saw the fence was when we went through the gate and we chased bulls all over the place. You are likely going to have an opportunity to take a 330+ class bull, but make no mistake, you have to hunt hard.

They also have hunts on the reservation lands, which are not high fenced, but still provide an opportunity for a really good bull elk.

In either case, you have to have a tribal member guide. We had really good experience with our guides and still keep in touch with them to this day.

Jicarilla Information

What is hunting in SW New Mexico like these days, especially since the Gila fire? I used to bow hunt for elk down there in the late 80s and early 90s and it was filled with monster elk. There weren't as many elk as northern NM, but the bulls were huge. Two brothers used to hunt down there and in Arizona and it seemed that they alternated years every year where each was taking a new world record elk.