New Mexico unit 16A first rifle

[Joey1919]

"Congratulations! The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is pleased to announce that you were successful in drawing a 2022-2023 hunting license for the following hunt code: ELK-1-242."

I think that means I drew unit 16A first rifle. I'm not really used to this because I apply for about 8 states and as many species every year and never draw anything.

My question is, Do I have what I think I have? Should I be looking for a guide? I hunt out west but never New Mexico. The only time I've ever been on a guided big game hunt is when it was required by law.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

I had that tag a few years ago. No need for a guide. Pick a spot on the map and get there 5-7 days early and just scout until you find the bull you want. That’s the right way to treat this kind of tag. Bulls are everywhere and water is scarce.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Here we go with the flood the successful nm applicants rubbing it in.

 

[Joey1919]

Thank you sir, I would love to pick your brain about the hunt and the area in general if you ever have time I will PM my number

 

[Joey1919]

I'm from Georgia

 

[Gila]

If you want to make that tag count on a big bull of a lifetime, then you will need to get familiar with the area or hire a guide. Might be difficult to book with a good outfitter for this fall but definitely worth looking into in MHO. You won’t be able to be in there until the 13th of Oct so you will have only a couple of days to scout. Your hunt is the 4th hunting season, so the elk will be pushed back in a ways and the rut will be winding down. You will need to know where the bulls go during that time of year. There are factors like food and the water situation however 16A is a big area. It could be done DIY by a non-res who is going on their first hunt here, but the odds of scoring a big bull go down. There are quite a few elk there, but it is a trophy unit for sure. You have a week to find a trophy bull DIY and it can be done but the probability isn’t the best.

 

[wapitibob]

You can scout 16A any time you want.

 

[SCHUNTER73]

Good luck!

 

[BBob]

You can scout 16A any time you want.

Technically on State Trust land and WMA's I believe you can only enter 7 days WMA or 14 days State Trust prior to your hunt and not allowed to enter if a hunt you do not have a tag that is going on (damned if I can remember right now if this applies to any land in 16A). All hunts used to have scouting periods prior to the hunt but those were never enforced or followed (most didn't even know they existed). I also haven't seen a reference to scouting periods other than the trust and WMA land in the regs for quite some time. I believe the scouting periods for all hunts used to be listed in the regs under each species. I could dig out some old paper regs to jog my memory.

 

[Gila]

Technically on State Trust land and WMA's I believe you can only enter 7 days WMA or 14 days State Trust prior to your hunt and not allowed to enter if a hunt you do not have a tag that is going on (damned if I can remember right now if this applies to any land in 16A). All hunts used to have scouting periods prior to the hunt but those were never enforced or followed (most didn't even know they existed). I also haven't seen a reference to scouting periods other than the trust and WMA land in the regs for quite some time. I believe the scouting periods for all hunts used to be listed in the regs under each species. I could dig out some old paper regs to jog my memory.

That sounds about right....also there is a scouting restriction for unit wide LO tags, don’t remember how many days. A person is shooting them selves in the foot to scout while there is a hunting season going on. I don’t know how the law reads if you carry a weapon out there without a tag but interfering with a hunt is a serious offense in New Mexico. Bottom line is that it isn’t ethical to be pushing elk around when hunters are out there. Especially when you have a HD - HQ tag only to have someone chase your trophy bull over to the next unit. Each to his/her own within the law, but in MO be ethical, respect the resource, respect other hunters and respect the tag.

 

[Joey1919]

You can scout 16A any time you want.

I wouldn't mind showing up a week ahead of the hunt,

 

[wapitibob]

I wouldn't mind showing up a week ahead of the hunt,

You can do that, you’re on forest land. The game dept lease with the land office allows you access 14 days prior on State land. You can access forest land any time you want. Same thing if you have a “unit wide” tag. And you can carry a weapon; there’s this thing called the Constitution and the 2nd Amendment. Go scout and have a fun hunt.

 

[Gila]

On state lands must wait until 14 days before your hunt to scout, that is true. However, you cannot access an area if a hunt is in progress. For unit wide land owner tags, the scouting period is only a couple or few days before the hunt that you have a tag for. However there are very few of those tags available around the Gila and are almost always bought up by outfitters for trophy bull hunts. Those tags seem to sell for about 15-25K depending on the bids.

Some of the NFs in NM have area firearm restrictions. I don’t think the Gila does, but I haven’t checked lately. There will be an elk hunt going on in 16A that ends on the 12th. So you have a couple of days (13-14) to scout before your hunt starts. You can get more productive scouting done on the 13-14th than if you took an entire week while another hunt is going on. The reason is that the best areas to hunt will be occupied during the peak shooting hours. 16A is a trophy bull unit thus not many bull tags are allocated. That is why the odds are so low to draw a first rifle tag.

The probability of a non-resident harvesting a mature bull who isn’t familiar with the area is somewhat low...Add in lack of elk hunting experience in other Western states and the odds go lower still. Non-res applicants that put into the draw for 16A are typically looking for a dream hunt for a trophy class bull. There are other units in NM that have higher numbers of elk (higher success rates) and have much better draw odds. Five days of hunting is not very much time to get a shot at a trophy bull even in 16A. Tagging out when coming down from peak rut is more difficult than when they bugle their heads off during the rut. Going with an outfitter certainly would bump up the odds to hang a rack on the wall.

A non-res DIYer can get the job done and they often do. Congrats on drawing the tag!

 

[Joey1919]

---

On state lands must wait until 14 days before your hunt to scout, that is true. However, you cannot access an area if a hunt is in progress. For unit wide land owner tags, the scouting period is only a couple or few days before the hunt that you have a tag for. However there are very few of those tags available around the Gila and are almost always bought up by outfitters for trophy bull hunts. Those tags seem to sell for about 15-25K depending on the bids.

Some of the NFs in NM have area firearm restrictions. I don’t think the Gila does, but I haven’t checked lately. There will be an elk hunt going on in 16A that ends on the 12th. So you have a couple of days (13-14) to scout before your hunt starts. You can get more productive scouting done on the 13-14th than if you took an entire week while another hunt is going on. The reason is that the best areas to hunt will be occupied during the peak shooting hours. 16A is a trophy bull unit thus not many bull tags are allocated. That is why the odds are so low to draw a first rifle tag.

The probability of a non-resident harvesting a mature bull who isn’t familiar with the area is somewhat low...Add in lack of elk hunting experience in other Western states and the odds go lower still. Non-res applicants that put into the draw for 16A are typically looking for a dream hunt for a trophy class bull. There are other units in NM that have higher numbers of elk (higher success rates) and have much better draw odds. Five days of hunting is not very much time to get a shot at a trophy bull even in 16A. Tagging out when coming down from peak rut is more difficult than when they bugle their heads off during the rut. Going with an outfitter certainly would bump up the odds to hang a rack on the wall.

A non-res DIYer can get the job done and they often do. Congrats on drawing the tag!

That's good info and I appreciate your opinion. I have spoken with a couple outfitters already. If anyone has any recommendations I'm all ears. I don't need food, camp or transportation, just some local knowledge. I guess I'm looking for a semi-guided or guide-only hunt. Both outfitters I spoke with were willing to do that but the price was still $4500-6000. That may be the going rate but seems high to me.

 

[Onarampage247]

I have bow hunted in there, I drew the neighboring unit 16B. Rifle i sway easier to pull off solo. Just get in there glass or listen for bulls. I wouldn't call much, just listen get the wind right and move on the bull you want. If you want a really huge bull get a guide. I know a local guy that lives in 16A, he is a good buddy. He is good, they charge for there time and lodging. But he can judge a bull on the hoof quickly and has the local knowledge of where those big guys like to hang out. That's what you are really paying for the local knowledge of the land and the herd bulls you are looking for. Here one he guided, not my bull I was just messing around with the bad boy 370 class.

 

[awcopeland]

16A is ~95% National Forest. Here's a link to the Gila NF's firearms rules/regulations:

Gila National Forest - Recreation

Gila National Forest - Recreation

www.fs.usda.gov

Also, the NMDGF rule book says NOTHING in terms of how many days you can scout on National Forest Land. It refers to State Trust Land and Wildlife Management Areas, but you can scout year round on National Forest. You can decide how early you want to come out and scout/get acclimated to the geography.

Feel free to PM if you want some help with DIY resources that are a lot cheaper than a guide (Not that there is anything wrong with a guide. It depends what you want out of this tag).

 

[Hounds45]

If you still looking for a guide send me a message we can get you taken care of!

 

[Short Track]

I hunted 16A. It's not what the internet says it is. I saw very few Elk, and the entire area is void of wildlife. Saw 1 or 2 deer the entire hunt. Saw a few wolves. Saw a herd of cows, but no bull with the cows. We saw 2 Elk hanging in various camps. 6x6's. No Gila monsters.

If you find a guide, they are not scouting in advance, because they probably live 3 hours away. There is 1 outfitter who lives in Reserve. Sure there are Elk there, but not in the abundance people say there are.

 

[waterfowl3]

I guess things have changed since 2000? When I had the tag there were bulls everywhere. The bulls were fired up and screaming sept 1.

 

[montana1979]

"Congratulations! The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is pleased to announce that you were successful in drawing a 2022-2023 hunting license for the following hunt code: ELK-1-242."

I think that means I drew unit 16A first rifle. I'm not really used to this because I apply for about 8 states and as many species every year and never draw anything.

My question is, Do I have what I think I have? Should I be looking for a guide? I hunt out west but never New Mexico. The only time I've ever been on a guided big game hunt is when it was required by law.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have tag in the unit this year as well. love to kick some ideas around. 4064807184