NM Archery Elk Advice Needed

[Unicorn hntr]

I won the lottery and drew a NM archery tag in a Gila outskirts unit. I've never hunted NM before and am looking for some advice as I start my hunt planning. I'm sure I'll have more, but my initial questions are:

How much should glassing be in my plan for an archery rut hunt? I've archery hunted elk in CO and MT before and always in thick timber where glassing isn't overly helpful. Looking at the unit I think glassing would be more effective here than places I have been previously.

Would it be better to take a long weekend scouting trip this summer or show up a few days early for the hunt? I've got limited vacation time and young kids at home so doing both would be unlikely. I'm leaning towards showing up a few days early since it would give me a bit more time to find the elk "right now" vs an earlier trip that would mainly help me know the roads and general landscape but not necessarily where the elk will be in September.

How much should I focus on water? Is that as huge as I suspect in the more arid climate of NM or is it not too different than MT and CO since I'll be near the divide? Is packing days worth of water a common thing?

Are there any uniquely NM things I should keep in mind? Wondering about bugs and crawlies. I've been looking at a rincon with half nest to replace my bivy/tarp setup to gain a bit of multi direction wind protection. Would that be a good fit in NM or would I really want the pack/gear protection that comes with a full nest?

Any other advice or gear suggestions for this hunt are welcome as well. I think I'm mostly set in the gear department other than maybe a shelter and 15x binos (been toying with buying these for a while now).

Early season or rut

 

[fap1800]

Call the district office. I called the Revere office last week for the officer’s contact information for the unit I drew. Called and he picked right up. You can prolly get a good deal of your questions answered. Break out the map and identify some spots you think might be good and ask about those. 9 times outta 10 they’ll give you a few spots they know hold elk.


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