NM Archery Elk Advice Needed

[Netherman]

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).

 

[HuntandFly]

I also drew a Gila unit that isn’t in the 16 series. I have done some archery hunting in the area during both 1st and 2nd archery. PM me and we can chat there

 

[575 ELK]

Glassing is good especially if you are looking for a trophy bull it will save you the pain of crossing a big canyon only to find out you’re not going to shoot that bull. In some places in NM you can see for miles. Bulls will be bugling in the rut, watch for cows when you’re getting close. . Water is always a key factor especially as dry has its been already this year. Elk know where the water is everyday !

 

[Mojave]

Find water, call, scout, glass, hopefully you will kill one. I don't know why people ask for elk how to, when every hunt is different.

 

[trophyhill]

Without knowing where you're hunting, id prepare for it being dry, which means have lots of water at the truck, and if your packing in, take lots of water. I'd show up a few days early to scout if time is limited. Especially if you have to hump water into the backcountry.

Id make a couple trips in with water as you're scouting. This is assuming you know where your packing in if that's what you're doing. If you are truck camping then water is a non issue.

I would consider truck camping if you've never stepped foot in the unit. Being mobile could be a huge advantage vs packing in.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

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.

Can't help with the rest, but offer a POV on the scouting trip. Since you've never been there before, an earlier trip to learn the landscape and roads could offer some time to get back home and do more targeted e-scouting and planning. Just food for thought.

 

[Wheels]

Monsoon season is during the archery hunts, prepare for heavy rain and lightning each afternoon. May be a dry year, but you can get caught, so have the right equipment. Watch the roads too, drainages turn into rivers with trees and rocks rolling.

 

[GunsAreFun]

Bring all the water you’re going to need for the trip in the truck. Some units in NM literally have no businesses where your can replenish your water. In our unit last year, we only found one water source on public land that wasn’t a livestock tank, and that was a wet year! It rained almost daily for weeks leading up to and during the trip and still all the basins were dry!

 

[Lineman167]

Bring the best glass you can afford. My guide had swaros and I had a cheap set of vortex and it was night and day what he could see. As for water it was wet and in the 50s the first 2 days of early archery when I went and the elk were goin nuts. 5 days later it got hot and they went quiet. Hope for a good monsoon. But plan for taking in some water. Also they can be anywhere and everywhere. Up high or down low.

 

[RuggedYogi]

Monsoon season is during the archery hunts, prepare for heavy rain and lightning each afternoon. May be a dry year, but you can get caught, so have the right equipment. Watch the roads too, drainages turn into rivers with trees and rocks rolling.

Archery hunts are during the tail end of the monsoon season. Definitely have the right equipment just in case, but I wouldn’t expect rain and thunderstorms every afternoon.

 

[Netherman]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Sounds like packing the glass will be worth the weight. Good to know on the rain. I haven't had to deal with rain much in my western hunting career so far. Honestly, I've been walking back the rain gear the last few years. Started with a jacket/pants combo, then went to just a jacket, the last two years I've been going with a softshell. I'll plan on bringing a tarp for glassing and rain shelter probably bring a hardshell jacket and skip the pants unless I get some recommendations otherwise.

Not a ton of roads so I'm planning to spike in a few days at a time. Setup camp somewhere with a view and move as needed. Based on what I'm hearing on water I'm thinking I'll try and get there a few days early and do my scouting with extra water to stash if I find something worth coming back to. I'll also have a stash at the truck plus the ability to pull frozen water jugs from the cooler if I get desperate.

Find water, call, scout, glass, hopefully you will kill one. I don't know why people ask for elk how to, when every hunt is different.

I get that elk are elk and that hunting us hunting. I think my "what's special about NM" comes from the difficulty of drawing a tag. Friend and I have been applying for 8 years and this is the first tag we've drawn. Statistically speaking (with current creep) we'll only get the chance to hunt here 4 times in our lives so I don't want to squander the opportunity.

 

[Mojave]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Sounds like packing the glass will be worth the weight. Good to know on the rain. I haven't had to deal with rain much in my western hunting career so far. Honestly, I've been walking back the rain gear the last few years. Started with a jacket/pants combo, then went to just a jacket, the last two years I've been going with a softshell. I'll plan on bringing a tarp for glassing and rain shelter probably bring a hardshell jacket and skip the pants unless I get some recommendations otherwise.

Not a ton of roads so I'm planning to spike in a few days at a time. Setup camp somewhere with a view and move as needed. Based on what I'm hearing on water I'm thinking I'll try and get there a few days early and do my scouting with extra water to stash if I find something worth coming back to. I'll also have a stash at the truck plus the ability to pull frozen water jugs from the cooler if I get desperate.


I get that elk are elk and that hunting us hunting. I think my "what's special about NM" comes from the difficulty of drawing a tag. Friend and I have been applying for 8 years and this is the first tag we've drawn. Statistically speaking (with current creep) we'll only get the chance to hunt here 4 times in our lives so I don't want to squander the opportunity.

Most residents won't draw more than 1 bull tag every 8 or 10 years if they are lucky. That is for a regular mid-quality tag. Not the tag you drew.

I'd personally hire a guide. Unless you have millions of hours of vacation to put into this pursuit.

 

[trophyhill]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Sounds like packing the glass will be worth the weight. Good to know on the rain. I haven't had to deal with rain much in my western hunting career so far. Honestly, I've been walking back the rain gear the last few years. Started with a jacket/pants combo, then went to just a jacket, the last two years I've been going with a softshell. I'll plan on bringing a tarp for glassing and rain shelter probably bring a hardshell jacket and skip the pants unless I get some recommendations otherwise.

Not a ton of roads so I'm planning to spike in a few days at a time. Setup camp somewhere with a view and move as needed. Based on what I'm hearing on water I'm thinking I'll try and get there a few days early and do my scouting with extra water to stash if I find something worth coming back to. I'll also have a stash at the truck plus the ability to pull frozen water jugs from the cooler if I get desperate.


I get that elk are elk and that hunting us hunting. I think my "what's special about NM" comes from the difficulty of drawing a tag. Friend and I have been applying for 8 years and this is the first tag we've drawn. Statistically speaking (with current creep) we'll only get the chance to hunt here 4 times in our lives so I don't want to squander the opportunity.

I typically take a rain jacket and I have a tarp in my pack that only takes a minute to deploy with my trekking poles if it gets too rainy. Heck I've even left the rain jacket at the truck and only used my tarp as well on occasion. If you have an InReach, you can have someone at home watching the weather radar to give updates too if rain is a concern. Not all years have what I would call a monsoon either. My buddy had a hunt in the Gila about a half dozen years ago and that was a monsoon! Many vehicles were stuck and had to go back later to get trucks and campers out. So be prepared for rain and your vehicle just in case. Id rather be caught out without rain gear than not having what it takes to keep your truck on the road in such conditions.

 

[Netherman]

Most residents won't draw more than 1 bull tag every 8 or 10 years if they are lucky. That is for a regular mid-quality tag. Not the tag you drew.

I'd personally hire a guide. Unless you have millions of hours of vacation to put into this pursuit.

I definitely beat the odds on this one and was counting my friend's draw odds in with mine to say I'll hunt here 3-4 times. When I told him I got the tag he said "Not sure if I'm invited, but I'm going". It will be a similar situation if he draws a great tag. Maybe I'm not as Gila adjacent or mid-quality as I think, since this unit is easier than 8-10 years for a resident. Mostly trying to give a reference area for the weather/habitat questions.

Guides aren't my jam and truthfully not in my budget unless I want to head west less often. Researching the area and creating hunt plans is also something I enjoy. They keep me involved beyond what my vacation time allows and really help the work days go by... This is the best tag I've ever drawn and I want to do my best to be prepared and have a good hunt. Asking on here is me trying to find the "Wish I'd have know" "Should have done" "Should have brought" type items that I might overlook.

 

[Gerbdog]

Got dumped on in the Gila a couple years ago in archery, and it can come up out of nowhere and absolutely soak you to the bone. We were in the last 100 yards of a stalk and the sky just opened up and completely soaked us down. Stalk did not end in a dead elk, just ended in a soggy hike back to camp. Did that most days of the hunt in the afternoon.

 

[Agc05]

One lesson I learned while hunting in NM: on each hunt take twice as much water as you think you need. Also, chap stick and saline solution for your sinus' are your friend. I was not prepared for the low humidity and did not take enough water on my first hunt. Did not make that mistake again.

 

[575 ELK]

One lesson I learned while hunting in NM: on each hunt take twice as much water as you think you need. Also, chap stick and saline solution for your sinus' are your friend. I was not prepared for the low humidity and did not take enough water on my first hunt. Did not make that mistake again.

Yes sir water and chapstick !! Some years it will rain every afternoon, sometimes it will flat pour down big at night, thunder and lightning and some years “no rain at all” If it’s raining everyday have a cover on your pack or it will get soaked and so will everything in it !! If you don’t have a cover put a small towel in a big baggie and an extra pair of socks in a baggie too. I’ve seen guys that didn’t have quality rain gear get absolutely soaked, water running down their face, drenched to the base layer and nothing to dry off with, boots soaked, socks soaked but that towel and dry socks will be worth taking if it’s raining hard all day.

 

[trophyhill]

Got dumped on in the Gila a couple years ago in archery, and it can come up out of nowhere and absolutely soak you to the bone. We were in the last 100 yards of a stalk and the sky just opened up and completely soaked us down. Stalk did not end in a dead elk, just ended in a soggy hike back to camp. Did that most days of the hunt in the afternoon.

Yeah just goes to show you have to be ready for anything. I always have everything needed. At the very least it's in the truck. It's never too far to go get it if needed. I usually have 2 of everything for the most part. I don't pack 2 of everything in obviously but I have a backup plan.

 

[WRO]

Just depends on the unit, 12 is glassable, 10 not so much for example. Water is a big deal, but if the monsoons hit it’ll change everything. Too much water actually makes it harder as the elk get super spread out.

Good luck

 

[Mojave]

I hunted a light blue chip unit in the Gila in 2018. I spent a few days driving around I had put enough miles on it that I thought I had a clue. It was the late season and all I saw was other hunters and bears that were already closed.

Not only did I not find any elk, I never saw anyone else with an elk. I was not prepared to work that hard. I did 8-10 miles a day (my phones GPS told me that, I have no idea how I'd measure it on my own).

I worked water, found sanctuary sites, played all the elk games from ELK 101, Eastmans books and everything else. I think if I'd had horses and slept in the backcountry it might have made a difference, because you could get away from the road hunters.

I got lucky and drew that tag as a resident my first year of residency. There were 90 tags that year in the 2nd late season.

My coworkers husband has had two Gila adjacent or Gila proper tags in the 5 years I worked on WSMR. He has wounded and lost 3 bulls with archery equipment.