NM has mandatory harvest reporting whether you kill or not. If you don’t submit the report you will not draw the next year. Colorado should do the same.
I have brought bulls from Idaho and Utah back thru Colorado. Spent several days fishing in Colorado on my way home. Nobody seemed the least bit interested. Don’t recall ever seeing a CWD checkpoint in Colorado. I bring all the long bones home as well for the marrow. Power wash the skull if it’s...
Preference points in Montana are not the same as in Wyoming but I assume you know that. Pretty sure you have to apply in Montana 2024 or you will lose that preference point you just bought. Montana Bonus points carry over year to year and go on sale in July.
Really impressed by the Sevr 1.5 this year. I had previous bulls with both the Iron Will solid and the QAD exodus. Used the Sevr this year in NM and it punched right thru the near shoulder and broke the skin behind the far shoulder. I was worried about a quartering to shot with a mechanical. Not...
I have always been DIY up until this year. I drew a NM tag I probably won’t ever draw again. I was worried about going with a guide because I like doing things my way. Ended up being a great experience. He was a part time guide and the real benefit was him being familiar with the unit and access...
September comes back around way too slow. I missed just low on a giant in NM this year and every time I close my eyes I see that red nock pass just under him. Gonna haunt me for the rest of my life. What’s worse is when I think I hear a distant bugle when the closest elk are 300 miles from me😁
Find a few units that look promising and go spend time there in the off-season. The more you learn the area the better your odds. I have spent a lot of time in the unit I hunt and still haven’t killed one. I see lots of elk but legal bulls are few and far between. I seem to be able to kill them...
My unit changed from OTC to zero point draw. Most of the people I see are the same every year. There are so many available tags that I don’t think it makes much difference.
I don’t have any advice other than that happened to me several times last week. Some are ready and some are not. I was fortunate enough to have multiple bulls talking at the same time. Just moved on until we found one that was willing to come in. Sounds like you did all you could.