Where to go

[fwafwow]

Ok so my dad and I with some of our friends are planning a OTC drop camp hunt for the 2023 season and I’m looking for good places to go that some of y’all have been to or recommend. I’ve been told about some places on other sites and some people told me some places to stay clear of. Just trying to get some info some folks that may spend more time doing the same thing. I greatly appreciate you all in advance.

Welcome to RS. I think you have received some good advice on this thread, and you might get more.

Everyone makes mistakes, especially on the internet. One of my earliest posts on a gun platform had the veteran members accusing me of being either a reporter or an undercover ATF agent. What matters to many is how you react after making the mistake. FWIW I'd cut back on being defensive and maybe try to post something with a bit more specificity, as has been mentioned, and perhaps an apology.

Reading your OP, I'm not sure what you expected as "good places" especially since you didn't mention a state. A subsequent post said you weren't asking for camp coordinates. Were you hoping for a unit or handful of units? As a new guy you can legitimately claim not to have known the custom here, but insulting people won't get you anywhere. (Well, insulting people enough will definitely lead you somewhere, but you won't be getting any more advice.)

Note - if you want a shot at redemption without having to do any of the above, a strong meme game will get you some street cred, especially if you read and pass the soon-to-be-released pop quiz for this thread - https://www.rokslide.com/forums/thr...e-story-of-my-once-in-a-lifetime-buck.250337/

 

[Gila]

Man, what a tough crowd! Actually going drop camp for an OTC tag is a smart idea. Get dropped off in the middle of elk country! That would be a good time for sure. I don’t know which states have over the counter tags for what these days. I know it is constantly changing. But some states have 100% draw odds for certain units so it is like buying an OTC tag, just have to enter a draw for those hunts. New Mexico doesn’t have OTC for general elk hunts but they do have land owner tags for sale. There are some units in New Mexico that have fair draw odds for non-residents and have good elk hunting. We do not have preference points for the draw. Everyone has the same chances every year.

I think some of the reasons why people round these here parts take umbrage is because it takes a lot of upfront cash and strategy to come up with an application plan for elk hunting. It is time consuming to go to the various state F&G websites and trying to figure it all out for next season hunt. And then there are the residents who buy OTC tags and hunt the same units year after year. Having a crowd show up during your hunt really sucks swamp water. I think you will find what you are looking for. It will just take some effort to come up with a plan.

 

[BRTreedogs]

You haven't mentioned a state, year, weapon, capability.
You literally did ask for spots, you did not ask for outfitters specifically.
All the draws are done for 2022. There are very very few otc tags left.
Every good outfitter with a good area is probably booked up.
Spend the winter doing your own research and try again next year asking more targeted questions.

 

[eaglemountainman]

Thank you all for the help. Y’all must be Biden supporters. I guess the part that I said I’m not looking for your spots or anything was hard to understand. If it helps I can put it on paper in crayon so you may can understand that easier. I guess those who are acting like kids about it must have never asked for advice from anyone who has done an out of state hunt or even been on a hunt in a place they don’t hunt.

You have to understand that there is naturally a bit of skepticism, when someone with barely 5 posts comes on the forum and asks for such info, thereby eliminating any leg work, effort or research on their own part. Instead of asking for a handout golden nugget, start looking at maps and state Fish and Wildlife agencies for area harvest data. Call some wildlife biologists.....

Maybe if you'd been around for a while and contributed some help and info of your own, the members here might be a bit more forthcoming. As it is, nobody here even knows if they'll ever see your screen name again.

 

[Recurve Man]

NM unit 15 land owner Rifle tag. Awesome hunt.

 

[Billy Goat]

Welcome to RS. I think you have received some good advice on this thread, and you might get more.

Everyone makes mistakes, especially on the internet. One of my earliest posts on a gun platform had the veteran members accusing me of being either a reporter or an undercover ATF agent. What matters to many is how you react after making the mistake. FWIW I'd cut back on being defensive and maybe try to post something with a bit more specificity, as has been mentioned, and perhaps an apology.

Reading your OP, I'm not sure what you expected as "good places" especially since you didn't mention a state. A subsequent post said you weren't asking for camp coordinates. Were you hoping for a unit or handful of units? As a new guy you can legitimately claim not to have known the custom here, but insulting people won't get you anywhere. (Well, insulting people enough will definitely lead you somewhere, but you won't be getting any more advice.)

Note - if you want a shot at redemption without having to do any of the above, a strong meme game will get you some street cred, especially if you read and pass the soon-to-be-released pop quiz for this thread - https://www.rokslide.com/forums/thr...e-story-of-my-once-in-a-lifetime-buck.250337/

Wait....

Wasn't a Bowtech guy a part of that thread?

Don't think he was from Arkansas tho.

 

[Jaquomo]

The best elk drop camp the first week can be a camping trip by the third week of the season. And unless you are on private land, the drop camp may be in a basin shared by the notorious Amish guys, or worse, a BRO platoon, crawling over the hills like bugling ants.

Pick a state, research some stats from the website, maybe call a few outfitters (and former clients, successful and not) load up the old meatwagon and come West and hunt. DIY can be a good experience too, and at least you won't be locked into one place for a week. Then come back on here and maybe ask some specifics without insulting hunters who've spend decades trying to figure out the answers to the questions you're asking.

 

[svivian]

 

[Gila]

NM unit 15 land owner Rifle tag. Awesome hunt.

Ah....There is a little problem with your recommendation. NM GMU 15 is a primitive weapons only elk unit. However there are some excellent elk rifle hunts in the Gila. Land owner authorizations go for about 10K. Think about how much time and money it takes to gear up for DIY hunts and for non-residents to travel West with their own camps, $7500-$15,000 looks better and better...

Just so happens that OP didn’t know enough about elk hunting or this forum to ask the right questions...Where have we seen this before?

 

[wytx]

OP, look into states that have OTC licenses or outfitter draws, Wyoming is out for you.
NM, Colorado maybe Montana.
Outfitters book up early in OTC states, make some calls to outfitters that offer drop camps
Google drop camp outfitters and many come up, them make calls and do your research.

A simple search on all these forums will also bring up lots of threads.

Good luck, you'll need it.

 

[luckydraw2014]

Yall missed

Ok so my dad and I with some of our friends are planning a OTC drop camp hunt for the 2023 season and I’m looking for good places to go that some of y’all have been to or recommend. I’ve been told about some places on other sites and some people told me some places to stay clear of. Just trying to get some info some folks that may spend more time doing the same thing. I greatly appreciate you all in advance.

Hey Bowtech, you forgot to mention what are you going after..LOL. Before you get roasted on this forum I would suggest using the search bar for drop camps recommendations.

 

[wytx]

Well, he posted in the elk section so....

 

[Indian Summer]

You are going to get roasted.

Not necessarily. People can message him. He didn’t say post units or coordinates.

People telling people they can’t ask a damn question is getting a little old!

Anybody who knows anything surely has a spot or two they used to hunt but don’t go to anymore. Somewhere that would be a place to learn for a rookie after you found somewhere that suits you better.

Half the people making smartass comments don’t know shit and aren’t worth asking anyway. Do unto others! Does anyone here know the RMEF slogan? Pass it on!

How valuable is an OTC spot anyway? I don’t hunt any OTC areas or states or I’d help.

 

[Donjuan]

Drop camp? Look up J Bar H Outfitters

 

[sneaky]

Cody Carr Hunting Adventures in Western MT will have openings in 2023

 

[IdahoElk]

Go here

 

[BigCam47]

NW Iowa Unit 11. Huge bull elk!

 

[Phaseolus]

I’m actually impressed with the level of restraint shown from the WKR thus far…. You guys are getting soft!

Hey kid, I know you didn’t know. I’ve explained this to countless others before. What you just did was the equivalent of walking into a nice fancy cocktail party, grabbing the microphone, and asking all the women what color their underwear they had on.

There are elk in every single OTC unit. That’s why they are OTC. Just pick one and go. I promise that “picking the right spot” will not be what makes the difference in having a successful hunt or not. I know it seems like that way now, but it will make more sense on the other side. Just decide on a unit and go. Bike your asses off. You’ll Find 2 dozen drainages that don’t have elk but sooner or later youll stumble into some if you hunt hard enough. Then next year when someone posts the same question you did you can decide for yourself if you want to tell them (on an open forum) which drainage to hunt or not…


“What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit.“

Chief Seattle

Personally I just look at the underwear to make that determination

 

[Bowtech327]

I appreciate all the help from those who have sent me a message. Like said before, I am not looking for anyone to give me the address to where they park or anything. I guess I should have been more specific on that. I’m looking more for some help as to who to contact or go about finding out info about a hunt I’m trying to get to do with my dad before he can’t physically go anymore. Again, thanks to those who actually have helped. To the ones that just pointed and laughed or was a jerk about it, I’m sorry I got under your skin.

 

[Rich M]

The guys on here tend to attack anyone who asks for useable advice. Supposedly, if they post a location, it immediately becomes overhunterd and useless.

Add the newbie status…. Many folks sign up ask a couple questions and then vanish, never contributing to the pool of knowledge on here, or even posting a funny meme. Even less will respond and report on what they did. Gives all newbies who ask ? a bad name.

OTC will be a thing of the past in 5-10 yrs, so do your research, talk to outfitters, check out the facebook comments regarding the outfitters and roll the dice.

Good luck to you.