Advice on West Texas Elk Hunt

[Seabird965]

I have been given the opportunity to go hunt for Elk out close to Marathon, Tx. I would imagine it would be like hunting elk in the flatlands on New Mexico. Basically they have offered me to come out and hunt about 15K acres. No guide just access to the raw land. From scouting on Google earth & Hunt Stand I can tell, about half of the land is flat barren bush but the other looks like good canyons & ridges with about 200-300 ft elevation change (From about 4400-4700). It looks green & full of brush & mesquite. I have been on 1 failed Elk hunt in Colorado mountains. Any advice of how to approach this. The entrance to the property is on the flat barren side, so getting to the top of the ridges means going through or around the green mesquite flat to make it on top of the ridges. There also looks like a mostly dry creek bed that run the property that maybe holding some water and there is several windmills with water trough throughout the property.

I understand they are like deer and move early morning, then bed down, and start moving again in the late afternoon. I'm planning on hunting all day but should I set still and glass or stalk around. Should I find a water tank with plenty of tracks and sit. Also should I try to get on top and glass or glass from down low. I'm going the end of November, is there any reason to do any calling (cow or Bull)

Thanks for any advice. I'm just going in blindly. There are roads throughout most of the property

 

[alexnelon]

No reason to call in my opinion.

Find your buddy’s water tanks and corn feeders and watch them around dawn and obviously check for fresh sign. If he’ll give you trail cam pictures that would help a lot. If there’s a spot that you can actually see a big chunk of the property it can’t hurt to glass.

Texas elk move hundreds of miles between areas every year (like from the Davis mountains to Oklahoma and back) so don’t be surprised if they just aren’t there.

 

[TxxAgg]

No reason to call in my opinion.

Find your buddy’s water tanks and corn feeders and watch them around dawn and obviously check for fresh sign. If he’ll give you trail cam pictures that would help a lot. If there’s a spot that you can actually see a big chunk of the property it can’t hurt to glass.

Texas elk move hundreds of miles between areas every year (like from the Davis mountains to Oklahoma and back) so don’t be surprised if they just aren’t there.

Do you mean Davis Mountains to New Mexico?

 

[alexnelon]

Do you mean Davis Mountains to New Mexico?

Nope

 

[guylaga]

I frequent that area and live part time in the Davis Mountains. I think you may be surprised about the topography if your hunting the area I think you may be in.

This time of year everything is going to starting to turn brown, they haven't had any decent rain since September, but that is normal. Getting up on a high vantage that has water in view and glassing would probably give you the highest chance of success. You didn't mention if the ranch is feeding protein/corn or not, if they are and your not above sitting on a feeder that could be a good option as well.

Now you may not like to hear this, but there very well may not be any elk on that ranch when you hunt it. It was already mentioned above, but the elk out there move around quite a bit, and the only ranch that seems to hold them long term is between Alpine and Fort Davis.

 

[TxxAgg]

Nope

I’m genuinely curious. Do you have some resources you can cite? That’s a looong way.

 

[alexnelon]

I’m genuinely curious. Do you have some resources you can cite? That’s a looong way.

TPWD has done a lot of studies on collared elk. Some of them are probably on the website.

They also have a foia-type process to get less interesting but more useful information. That’s how I get my leisure reading materials.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I’m genuinely curious. Do you have some resources you can cite? That’s a looong way.

We seen them move 30 miles , pretty regularly. They have an uncanny ability to chase moisture. Especially when circles start getting cut.

Pull 4-5 ranches together to do Mulie MLD helo surveys over couple 100k and you get a much better idea.

As mention TPWD has done a bunch of studies as well as private

 

[Sawitrightoff]

I’m genuinely curious. Do you have some resources you can cite? That’s a looong way.

Everything is bigger in TX.

 

[JGRaider]

No reason to call in my opinion.

Find your buddy’s water tanks and corn feeders and watch them around dawn and obviously check for fresh sign. If he’ll give you trail cam pictures that would help a lot. If there’s a spot that you can actually see a big chunk of the property it can’t hurt to glass.

Texas elk move hundreds of miles between areas every year (like from the Davis mountains to Oklahoma and back) so don’t be surprised if they just aren’t there.

I find that very hard to believe. You need to link your sources for us to believe something so far fetched. I've lived over 45 of my 64 years in between the Davis Mountains and Oklahoma and have never seen the first one, nor has anyone I know around here.

 

[alexnelon]

I find that very hard to believe. You need to link your sources for us to believe something so far fetched. I've lived over 45 of my 64 years in between the Davis Mountains and Oklahoma and have never seen the first one, nor has anyone I know around here.

The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute just released one report a couple of students did on two collared bulls in the panhandle. Both of those two bulls moved ~200 miles just in September. They weren’t even migrating just looking for cows.

 

[JGRaider]

That's because there are very few elk in the Panhandle, which is not the case in the Davis Mountains nowadays. You said from the Davis Mountains to Oklahoma, which is almost 500 miles. Show us the data to back up your claim.

 

[TxxAgg]

That's because there are very few elk in the Panhandle, which is not the case in the Davis Mountains nowadays. You said from the Davis Mountains to Oklahoma, which is almost 500 miles. Show us the data to back up your claim.

I’m skeptical but willing to learn.

 

[Seabird965]

No corn feeders. Property hasn't been hunted in about 5 years. The guy who offered it to me is a customer and say he generally sees elk everytime he goes out there especailly in the back closer to the mountain ridges