NM Unit 36 Hunt Dates

[TBarron]

I came across a good deal on a landowner tag in Unit 36 on a 10k acre ranch. The guy kinda owes me one... I can either hunt Sept 20-24, Oct 1-5, 5-9. If I hunt the first option there is a group of 4 other bow hunters there, but they are older and heard that they don’t hunt that hard. Oct 1-5 I can have the ranch to myself and then 5-9 I can hunt the ranch plus it’s a unit wide tag. The oct dates are in muzzleloader season, but I still plan on bow hunting, since I don’t own one and primarily bow hunt. I feel like each dates has some upside/downside. All things considered (rut timing, other hunters, gun pressure) what dates would you pick for this unit?


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[matman]

The September dates will be a great time to go. Depending on the ranch layout 10k acres is a lot of space for 5 hunters total, but again that depends on the layout of the ranch and how much area elk actually inhabit. If September is a no I would hunt the first dates in October. That will be a really good time and you should still be able to get close.


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[TBarron]

Thanks. I was learning hard towards the sept or early oct dates. When do you typically see rut hitting hard in that unit?


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[Cornbore]

Was there last year from a week before muzzleloader thru that season. Week before was great, during season was good. If one season was unit wide I would probably take those dates unless this is a killer ranch then I would go with early October.

 

[Jeckhart85]

+1 on September

 

[crankbait321]

Haven't hunted 36 but have hunted 34 several times and would prefer the late September hunt. One thing to consider would be quality of the ranch hunt. If the ranch holds good numbers of elk then go for it. If not then definitely the unit wide tag would be better.

 

[TBarron]

Would I completely miss the rut if I hunted Oct 7th-11th?


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[realunlucky]

Would I completely miss the rut if I hunted Oct 7th-11th?


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Yep. If you consider Sept 20/21 prime time your almost twenty days after that by Oct 7

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[TBarron]

Thanks for the insight. That’s what I was afraid of


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