dream elk hunt

Arizona is my go to elk state, without question. Lots of elk, big bulls, plenty of rugged, remote country to get away from everyone else, limited number of participants.
 
I grew-up up in Washington state and that is where my archery elk hunting journey began and I will never hunt for elk there again. I hit the lotto and moved to AZ in 2012 and have been fortunate to hunt elk here and it truly is magical. I was fortunate to draw an archery New Mexico tag this year and still can't believe I will be chasing monsters in less than a month and I get to have my dad there with me. I booked a wilderness horseback elk hunt in Wyoming for 2028 (yeah, they're booked out that far) with a highly regarded outfitter and that will cost me over $10k. To me, elk hunting is life and I'm willing to pay a premium to experience elk hunting that not many people will ever get the chance to. Spending the money doesn't bother me because it's a passion and I can't imagine not going elk hunting every year, even if I have to pay a premium. So, I guess you can say I have multiple "dream" elk hunts on my list and that list will continue to grow.
 
Once in a lifetime elk hunt?

That’s easy. Gila elk tag. Pony up the $15-20k for the landowner tag and another 7-9k for an outfitter.
 
If you’re looking for landowner type tags and dream type hunts... Nevada/New Mexico LO tags, White Mountain Apache Reservation in AZ, or Deseret in Utah.

Horseback hunt sounds like British Columbia.

New Mexico draw is always an option, there’s always a chance, just a small one.

And play all the super tag raffles.
 
NM landowner tag is attainable for next year and not insanely priced in some areas. Otherwise, you may want to grab a snickers, it's gonna be a while waiting for Utah, colorado or Az.
 
Not necessarily. As a nonresident, I seem to draw a trophy bull tag down there every 4 to 6 years.
Always guys that defy the odds, but for every guy that defys, there are guys that require max points to draw. Statisticaly speaking it will be a long wait for a trophy bull hunt in AZ as a non-res. There are always the lucky guys tho. Can't win if you don't play.
 
Never said I was looking for cheap , Just a area with good shot opportunity/ elk population and pretty country . The bob marshal for instance is pretty but even the outfitters there tell you you have a 20%chance of shooting.
The Bob is spectacular. However, 20% opportunity sounds dang inflated based on my experience and other hunters in that part of the state. Our camp of 8 hunters saw 1 elk last fall from 9/14-9/21/21. Weather was cool except one day of snow/sleet/hail/rain. We also only saw around a dozen mulies this entire time. The land was eerily void of animals. Why? Most believe that the wolves have killed and hazed them out of the area. There is also significant grizzly, black bear, and mt. lion pressure. The worst part is there used to be so many elk in the Bob they transplanted them to other areas. The outfitter I went with showed us one of the old corrals they used to round the elk up into back in the day.

The Bob is a huge wilderness area and you gotta be in the right place at the right time no matter where you go. Some parts of it are likely better than others depending on the migration routes. However, if you're expecting to see herds of animals like in other parts of MT and other states, I think you will be disappointed.
 
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