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Hunting & Fishing First Elk hunt advise

NMMX

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 3, 2012
59
10
ABQ, NM
I was elated to draw for bull elk this year. I'm second rifle in unit 52 in NM. This is my first big game hunt ever and my first time back hunting in almost 12 yrs. I'm going to take lots of time planning this summer to give myself the best chance. I've got more than a few friends who didn't draw, that would be pissed to see me come back empty handed. I'd appreciate any tips for a first time elk hunter.

I do have a acquaintance that has guided that unit a lot over the years. He's definitely helping me with where to go. I will be taking 2-3 scouting trips as it gets closer.

Any recommendations on a preferred cow call? Any other tips?
 
Primos Hoochie Mama....gets it done. My favorite cow elk call.

Get good binos. Even though it's a rifle hunt, you'll need to spot them a ways off.

Congrats on the tag!!!
 
Im not familiar with NM hunt units or dates, but I assume that if you are asking about calls, you will be hunting in a somewhat limited entry season. Otherwise a call is almost useless when the hills come alive with blaze orange. The Hoochie Mama is a fine call, I usually use mouth reeds myself, mainly for the variety of calls that can be made, and its compact size. One thing I would tell a first time elk hunter is this; take the time to figure it out before you get there. Equipment, skills, and accommodations should be worked out well in advance with skills being the tip of the spear. Dont waste time debating between one gun/caliber over another, more importantly, spend your time getting good with what you have. The same goes for the rest of your equipment. Take the best that you have.

Spend as much time as possible getting to know the area, and try and keep tabs on where the elk stay or frequent. Many hunts are ruined by elk simply evaporating into the forest never to be seen again, till the day after the hunt. Make sure you are in good shape for it too, several of the elk I've shot would have been missed had I not been able to sprint to a shooting position before they disappeared. You'll put on miles in no time with a fair chase elk hunt.

Congratulations, and good luck!
 
Don't shoot an elk in a valley you cant drive in to. Packing it out is a real BITCH!

Made that mistake once...
 
Thanks for the input gents. The hoochie mama was what I was looking at. So guess I'll get that and start practicing. Knowing the area a little bit and speaking with the guide, I will definitely be way off the roads to have any chance. I do have the option of a 4 wheeler and maybe horseback. I'm confident in my physical conditioning right now, but will step it up in the months prior to be sure. I guess my biggest concern is quartering the animal properly, which I guess you just gotta do to learn.
 
Cardio, cardio, cardio. Thats the key to elk hunting in roadless country IMAO. I say be ready for 8-12 steep miles day after day with your pack. Thats always my plan, though execution is sometimes tougher than the planning phase. Best of luck and have fun.
 
Practice shooting off hand as well... or from awkward shooting positions. Then even more cardio
 
Check out that Cruces Basin country, see how you like it. I kinda of liked what I saw of it. At least in there guys aren't supposed to be driving around road hunting. Haha

Where you're going has a reputation for having alot of elk, and alot of elk hunters! When you're scouting, look for spots that are hard to get to. Don't fool yourself though you'll run into ambitious fellows like yourself everywhere. The idea is just to go the places that the least amount of people go.

Coldbore is right, I wouldn't think you'd call up a bull by that late in the year, but take your Hoochie Mama you may use it to put the brakes on a bull trottin' by or away.

Last time I was in that part of the world you could hear and feel your truck fallin' apart on mile after mile of washboards the way I went in. The country and views are worth it though.

Try to have everything you need or might want when you leave home. If you think you're going to pick up some last minute item in Tres Piedres you're probably wrong. Haha

Have a ton of fun!
 
Aww crap! ApparentyI skipped post #7. You are welcome for telling you what you already knew! I say hell with the four wheeler, but you can probably use the SOB better than I can. If you are reasonably comfortable horseback they can make life soooo much easier! Horses bother the elk less than anything I believe, it's the big fat dudes that give horseback hunting the bad rep. If you shoot your elk where RHunter shot his you can skip the quartering and bone the sonuvagun out. Then if you thought some things out ahead of time that horse can do the packing out!

If you shoot an elk where he's easy to get to...Skin him and the easiest way to split him is a cordless sawzall, next to that a full size meatsaw. Those handy little folding saws are a PITA in my opinion. After you have him split down the backbone find the rearmost rib on a side, count three ribs forward and cut between the third and fourth ribs follow the rib around to the chest with your knife and you can separate 'em completly with your knife. Cut up to the backbone and saw or ax cut the backbone. Do the same to the other side and you'll have four quarters.
 
Aww crap! ApparentyI skipped post #7. You are welcome for telling you what you already knew! I say hell with the four wheeler, but you can probably use the SOB better than I can. If you are reasonably comfortable horseback they can make life soooo much easier! Horses bother the elk less than anything I believe, it's the big fat dudes that give horseback hunting the bad rep. If you shoot your elk where RHunter shot his you can skip the quartering and bone the sonuvagun out. Then if you thought some things out ahead of time that horse can do the packing out!

If you shoot an elk where he's easy to get to...Skin him and the easiest way to split him is a cordless sawzall, next to that a full size meatsaw. Those handy little folding saws are a PITA in my opinion. After you have him split down the backbone find the rearmost rib on a side, count three ribs forward and cut between the third and fourth ribs follow the rib around to the chest with your knife and you can separate 'em completly with your knife. Cut up to the backbone and saw or ax cut the backbone. Do the same to the other side and you'll have four quarters.


Good quartering advice...and tons more on Youtube.
 
Never hunted elk but I have plenty of boot prints all over the state of Ak as a guide and fun time. Training, riding a bike is the best training for mountain travel as it simulates the short power strokes of walking up hill. Ride in a high gear or high resistance Vs spinning. Do flights of stairs with your pack on too, up and down for muscle training but can be prone to injury. Hike the mountains with your pack on is best but its not feasible for everyone but if you can get to the hills on the weekends or a few times a month it will build the body. I also recommend a SLOD every two weeks, slow long over distance run or bke to train the body and mind for long stretches of boredom physical output.

If you drink coffee, tea etc stop drinking all caffeine 2 weeks before your trip, all caffeine to include Coke. It takes 2 weeks to drain the body of caffeine, the headache is annoying the first few days. Now in the hills, a cup of coffee works magic. I also use chocolate covered coffee beans, rocket fuel. Amazing what a handful will do when tired.

Get hydrated at least a week before your trip and stay hydrated, sip water every 15-30mins.

Do not eat large meals on the fly as this will take blood from the muscles to digest the food. Eat good early and late, and snack on the fly. I have been on extreme pushes where we ate nothing but packets of Gu on the fly.

Use maps of the area to learn the terrain and make notes. In the hills make notes too.

Take care of the feet, use Degree on them every morning to control sweat, use socks with 50/50 synth wool or 60/40 because they dry quicker, keep shape longer Vs 100% wool.

Elk, not a moose but I suggest to field dress where it lies and not try to manipulate the body. Saw Vs ax, both have merits but I prefer a saw, more efficient and less weight, works on bone and firewood. Stanely sharp tooth works very well for the price and weight.
 
Awesome! Thanks for all the advice guys. This is good stuff. I'll be doing 50# pack hikes in the foot hills regularly. Good advise on quartering 4LH, thanks. I'll pull some videos on youtube also.

Also, good advise on the food and caffeine 45.308. I got a newborn baby in the house and work 70 hours a week. So I think my veins are nothing but red bull and coffee at this point, ha.

Any info on where at what hours the bulls will tend towards? Do they tend to group together when sleeping? When I used to hike the mountains a lot, I would always see cows in the early morning walking in the valleys but the bull was always a couple hundred yards higher up in the trees and much harder to find.
 
Check out the colorado dow site for the video called "down to the
Bone." Useful info on saving weight for the packout if you drop one a long ways in the backcountry
 
Great info guys! I'll be heading out on my first "backcountry" hunt for elk in CO this Sept. I'll be reading and re-reading this onfo over the next few months as I'm trying to absorb all the info that I can.
 
My hunting buddies and I found this saw (Wyoming Saw II) invaluable last year. I highly recommend this for a packable yet strong saw. It's a collapsible bow saw. It comes with fine and coarse blades (bone & wood). Helpful for splitting animals to cool in the early season.

Wyoming Saw II : Cabela's
 
My hunting buddies and I found this saw (Wyoming Saw II) invaluable last year. I highly recommend this for a packable yet strong saw. It's a collapsible bow saw. It comes with fine and coarse blades (bone & wood). Helpful for splitting animals to cool in the early season.

Wyoming Saw II : Cabela's

I use one and must say...I have never seen an experienced Elk hunter in WY without one. And it is not just because it has the name Wyoming on it, most of these hunters/outfitters are packing out nice bulls and the cuts are quick/clean/easy. Obviously a great knife as well is needed. 550 cord to help tie off legs while cutting - or even to keep things from rolling down very steep grades...or here just the wind! I primarily pack it out, so I normally fillet the meat off one side, using the offside hide as my "clean area" then, move the meat to pack bags/snow/sage/branches to continue cooling, flip the elk and slice off every piece off flesh - leaving the entire skeleton behind. Reach inside to cut out the loins, that way I never get into the gut/stomach/poop/urine. If I drop one early in the morning, I use the filet method as described above and only use the WY saw for head/and or antlers.

If later in the day, then the traditional quick quarter and with a good knife/cord/WY saw you can get it done in 30 minutes.
 
Let me chime in and first congratulate you on drawing 52. Unit 52 is an awesom unit for deer and elk. You shouldnt have no problem harvesting a bull, i can almost gurantee that, ive hunted that unit twice but with bow and have seen plenty of elk. If your not picky, you'll get one. What time frame is your hunt?

I would defintely do as other suggest and scout and get your cardio in, 52 has alot of Mt. top, hill sides, and canyons. Pick up a good BLM map or Forest map with all the forest roads. When we hunted bow, we would hunt the water holes in the afternoon to the evening as that is when the elk come to wallow and drink. Finding the water source is crucial, as elk need to drink daily. During the day i would suggest hitting the woods and start trekking and glassing looking for any movement. Unfortunately its been our experience in september the bulls were not bugling, for some reason, they dont start talking to late november. Down south in the Gilas, NM they start talking as early as September and October. If you want to know anything else or details let me know, i have some GPS cordinates i can give you to some water holes where we have harvested bulls at in that unit. You can pick up a good map from Holmans on Jefferson, south of Ozuna. They can customize any location or you can by just a BLM map.

Good luck,

-Mark
 
Awesome stuff guys, thank you. Getting great info in this thread. I will check out the "down to the bone" video and the saw this weekend.

19mad18. My hunt is Oct 18-22. Thanks for the pointers on where to look. I would love some of the GPS cords whenever you have time. I will hit up holmans next week and start reviewing the area.

Thanks again all.
 
I have killed 20 elk in my elk hunting career, and hope to keep the freezer full of elk meat every year until I am too old to do it anymore!

Lots of great advice has been given, but don't forget to take some time every day to marvel at Gods creation and enjoy chasing an amazing animal.

Best of luck on your hunt!
 
Great that you drew a tag and that is a good unit. Unfortunately we got skunked this year and will be buying landowner tags although I finally drew a once in a lifetime tag for Oryx.

I hunt for elk nearly every year in NM either with bow or rifle as well as accompanying my friends and their boys on hunts. First of all get yourself in good condition as mentioned above several times. Elk hunting can be a very strenuous activity especially once you put one down. Check all your gear especially your boots beforehand because having equipment fail in the field sucks. Go through your pack list and eliminate items that aren't absolutely necessary since you will be humping it around. Use a bladder for hydration since you will stay better hydrated. First aid/ safety gear should be carried just in case you get hurt or lost. At least two high quality knives since dressing out elk will dull even the best knives. Dress in layers and be prepared for inclement weather.

The most important thing to take is your eyes and a good set of binoculars. You can cover lots go ground with them and scan areas slowly and deliberately. Many a bedded bull was missed because people didn't, have the patience to observe carefully. By mid October they may be in the rut which definitely makes thing easier. As far as calls go be careful. I have seen many animals spooked by improper or over calling.

Good luck.
 
Great info, private email of PM me and ill shoot you those cords. Best of luck.

I finally drew my Oryx hunt this year and Deer down south, heading out at the end of the month to do a camping/scouting trip...start it of early!
 
There's a lot of good info. already given, in this thread. Good binoculars are worth their weight in gold. I've never liked the little ones. They are handy but, they don't seem to pick up much light during the best hunting hours, and there isn't enough magnification.

Elk are a lot tougher to pack out than a deer. Plan ahead how you'll get one out. If the weather is warm, you need to get the hide off right away, and figure out a way to keep the flies out of your meat. Horses and mules work great. Packing one out on your back is an option. It may take several trips and being in shape helps a lot. You'll probably have to quarter it, bone it out, or use the no gut method, (to backpack it out). I always take three or four cheese cloth game bags. They keep the flies out and your meat clean. Pack frames are hard to find these days, but they still sell them. I like them because you can tie almost anything onto one....including the head and horns.

I've boned out several elk and one moose. It worked great. Do one side using the hide to put your meat on. It will keep your meat up off the dirt, then bone the other side. I've packed several others out with horses and mules. You can use an axe to split the back. A saw works good too, but may take a lot of elbow grease. Of course, shooting one close to the road is the easiest of all.....You may like the no-gut method better than boning one out. If you're not familiar with that, check it out on You-tube.

Probably the hardest part of hunting elk these days, is finding a good area away from other hunters. Scouting is important. Don't tell anyone where your honey-hole is at. It should be kept top secret....I've had some wonderful hunting spots ruined by telling one wrong person. You might as well put an add in the paper telling everyone where to go.

I've used a couple different cow calls. One was plastic. The other was a diaphram call. I've never had much luck calling an elk in with one, but it might work. I jumped a spike bull one time. It spooked and started to run off. I blew once on that diaphram call and the elk stopped. I double lunged him, way out there, with an arrow.

All this talk about elk hunting is getting me excited to go again!
 
Bumping this one to the top. Elk season is growing near......

Great info guys, thanks!
 
My first bowhunting elk hunt was and still is one of the highlights of my life. I got the opportunity to have a 30 minute confrontational bugle conversation with a bull. He was across a valley on another hill top. By the time he made his way to me, he was 10 yards from my position. He was snorting, huffing, foaming at the mount mad as hell. I was hiding behind a pretty big bush watching this unfold. I was amazed he was able to locate me so closely. Honestly, it was intimidating seeing how mad and threatening he was. I had placed my shooting partner 20 yards down hill and in front of me. He took the shot - perfect broadside, but his string broke as he fired. Fortunately, he was so close that the arrow spined him and he dropped right there. Another arrow finished him. What a thrill...!!!!

We were about 5 miles in when the work began. It took us 28 hrs to pack the meat down to base camp, then to the processor and then make our way back to bivy camp. I was completely wasted that next morning before we went back out. And yet, it was one of my greatest feelings of being alive. I'll never forget that morning!



Fighting chronic lyme disease now and had hopped to be well enough to repeat the experience by this year...maybe next year. BUT I still have those memories that I truly cherish - probably even more now. I hope you have the same great hunting experience.

BTW, my Kifaru pack and Hanwag boots were golden - just wish I was using them this year!
 
Guess there is nothing wrong with getting in shape if you can. I use to be young and could run through the mountains all day without a hiccup.

Now I'm old, 67, have COPD and have to pack my nitro pills. I still hunt elk (8500-10000 ft). I still smoke and I wont give up my coffee. So I have to take it much slower now.

Odd thing is, now, since I move a lot slower, take lots of breaks to catch my breath or to keep from getting too winded, I found I see a lot more critters then I use too. I use horses and a ATV, but I don't hunt off them. When I get a critter down, I gut it and then get the horse or atv to fetch it.

Again nothing wrong with being young and in shape, but slow down, you'll see more critters and will be able to take in God's creation much better.
 
On binos, I prefer less magnification (and very good glass.) I usually take 6x32s now rather than 10x42 or 8x42, but your eyes will dictate. Whatever you take, take the best glass you can afford, binos are crucial.

Be in good shape.

Be comfortable taking shots from various shooting positions.

Opinions vary, but take as much gun and bullet as needed to put the animal down cleanly. My elk hunt - and african hunts - were with a trusted 300WM running 180-gr TTSX, they do the trick. Elk are tough animals, hit him good, hit him hard, then be ready to work your ass off.

Congrats on the tag, I love elk hunting in NM.
 
Thank you guys again for all the great advice in here. 5 & 1/2 weeks to go. I have a new rifle being built, due to be done this week. I got my topo maps and have spent hours on google maps picking areas to scout. I'm heading up the next few weekends to do some scouting. Been reading as much as possible on the habits of elk and think I've found some great spots.

I picked up a Wyoming II saw but could still use a decent skinning knife recommendation. Something under $100.00

Also, does anyone have a meat processor in ABQ they recommend. I found Grean Valley Meats on google but would love some first hand input.

Thanks again all.
 
Thank you guys again for all the great advice in here. 5 & 1/2 weeks to go. I have a new rifle being built, due to be done this week. I got my topo maps and have spent hours on google maps picking areas to scout. I'm heading up the next few weekends to do some scouting. Been reading as much as possible on the habits of elk and think I've found some great spots.

I picked up a Wyoming II saw but could still use a decent skinning knife recommendation. Something under $100.00



Also, does anyone have a meat processor in ABQ they recommend. I found Grean Valley Meats on google but would love some first hand input.

Thanks again all.

A lot of guys really like the Havalon Knives. The blades are replaceable to no worries concerning sharpening. They're also really light so for backpacking they're great. 2 years ago my wife bought me a Knives of Alaska kit that contained 3 knives and a hatchet. The KOA Muskrat is my favorite skinning knife I've ever used. Get the no slip handle The knife just works. I've used it on a deer or 2 and skinned a hog with it. Anyone who has skinned a hog can vouch that they're no fun. It's a great little knife. If I could do it over again I would get the Muskrat and Alpha Wolf combo with the leather holster. This year I'll be taking my Muskrat and Bush knife.