New to elk hunting

[dave-t.]

Going on my first elk hunt in New Mexico Oct 17. I'm pretty excited, but want to make sure I'm not stuck on a mountain with usless weight or horrible gear.

Camp supplies like tents, cooking ware, lamps, heavy load packs, etc. are being taken care of by my cousin who lives in NM and has successfully bow hunted in the unit we drew for. He has a few years experience with that unit which comforting.

Clothing, and general gear is what I need advice on.

I have binos, Ruger 300wm with scope, boots, and deer hunting equipment.

So, what gear makes hunting easier and life more pleasant in the mountains of NM in Oct?

[Smokey]

The easiest way to get your elk is to shoot the bull in the back yard of Lars' cabin. That would entail very little dragging.

[Bushman]

The strongest pair of quadracept leg muscles that you can make between now and then. Elk do not like people much and if you are going to shoot one, you need to go where they go. As a flatlander, I'd hike up a mountain and it would take me half an hour. Then I'd watch a herd of elk motor up the same mountain in 5 minutes and not even look tired. Pretty amazing animals. A stair stepper machine worked great to build up leg muscles for me.

I'd have a big pack along and don't over dress yourself. Also LOTS of water. Dry as it was in CO. we did not realize that we were becoming dehydrated and it really sapped our energy. Cloths that wick away sweat like polypropylene and a wool shirt with layers like fleece are what worked for me and we hunted late season in Nov. Well fitting boots with soles that do not slip are most important. Slipping wastes lots of energy and a fall can end your hunt.

Also if you know a guy with a horse out there, you will never appreciate one horse power any more than when you have an elk down and a horse to help pack it out for you.

[Lars]

What unit did you draw? With any luck 10 or 15.

[Lars]

Smokey,

He doesn't want to hunt in my backyard any longer my trail camera caught him with his mother seems he's shrunk a little.:)


This calf has to be hours old when my cam took this.

[Hi Ball]

Bushman gave you some good advice, I will only say that walking or running in the flatland will not do you much good. You need to walk up hills and more hills with a light pack on your back at first and don't forget to carry something that weighs as much as your rifle etc.

I liked using the bleachers at the local highschool and on weekends walk up a lot of steep hills, squat some weight 3 times a week too but not real heavy, just lots of reps ok. 3 to 4 sets of 15 to 20 reps.:)

[dave-t.]

Good advice. I have a couple hills close by that I will lay some boot leather on between now annd then.

[Tracks]

While being in shape is a good thing, it's not an absolute need. In my case it's becoming a matter of age- I'm to damn old to be in great shape.
I'm OK for 68 but I can't run the hills like I use to but that doesn't keep me from hunting. Now I just move slower and stop more often.
The hunting style I use now is different but not one that works less well. I find I make a lot less noise and am more aware of whats around me than in the past

I'll admit I let a sure kill just walk away last year because I was just to darn tired to think about getting her out, but we already had one down and the extra meat wasn't that big a deal.
Times when I do make a kill I get on the radio and call for some of the young studs to do the pack or drag. In a pinch I can still cut one in half and get it to the nearest logging road. A quad and a sled gets it to camp from there.

As for how to hunt Elk, start out hunting like you would for Mulies. Elk are harder but that will get you moving thru the woods until you pick up some of the tricks. Spend a lot of time listening, Elk have their own sounds and some of them are subtle and can be mistaken for birds.
It's a learning curve. I killed the first legal Elk I ever saw, but it took until midway thru the third year to see that one. Even so I had great time every year I went.

[Smokey]

NM is one of the best states to hunt elk. One of the most difficult parts of hunting elk is getting it out of the woods after you shoot it. Horses as mentioned can be a big asset both to get you in the back country and to get an animal out. They can also be a nightmare chasing them all over the mountains when they get loose particularly with your rifle on them. It can also be a comedy of errors watching someone load an elk on a horse. I used them for years in Idaho and sometimes it isn't all that fun believe me. All said I still enjoy using horses.

For the most part we have been using Cabela's super magnum haulers with the dual wheels to bring them out. In most cases we cut them in half and do it in two trips. The haulers will handle a whole elk but it is easier to handle with half an elk loaded. Carry a small adjustable wrench to tighten up things on the hauler as bolts seem prone to work loose.

You seem to have all the equipment and a good rifle and should have a great time.

[Bushman]

Smokey, so true about those horses. Every one I know that has been around horses has a getting hurt by horses story. My buddy had a real nice horse, but it threw him off at 11,000 feet into a rock and messed up his shoulder. My WY. buddy brought me a horse to use and all I knew about horses is what I learned watching westerns on TV or at the pony ring at the fair. If you know how to ride them they will get you way back in, but I was always coming down when the horse was coming up and there was no way that I was going to shoot something with that horse along. I didn't start seeing the front half of elk until I left the horse in camp and hunted elk like I hunted deer back home.

The worst was when we were loading a bull I'd shot on to a horse and one of the tines spiked the horse in the hind end. It went wild and just missed my head with it's hind legs as it kicked and then came down with his front feet on my buddy's chest. I thought that I was going to need to watch my friend die up on that mountain. Tough guy who rode down that mountain and 1500 miles back home with a bunch of broken ribs.

We were in a wilderness area and no motorized vehicles were permitted. Honda's have headlights, horses don't. I found that if I got up real early and up the mountain in the dark that come sun up the horse guys would make wonderful elk drives whether they knew it or not.

[dave-t.]

No horses for us. The three of us going are 33, 33, and 31yrs old. All in pretty decent shape. Packing will be with heavy back packs, and hopefully no farther than absolutly needed.

I was drawn for 6c, from what I hear one of the worst units in the state. My cousin hunts this area because it is easy to get drawn, and there are a few elk in the area. After a couple years of scouting, hunting, and not giving up, he's found a couple honey holes. He's sure we'll get into elk, but if not, I can think of a few worse ways to spend a week, than camping in the mountains.

[StringJumper]

Have fun. I did not go on my first elk hunt until I was 40. I regret not starting sooner.

[Lars]

while I'm scouting my area I haul in my drinking water for my camp and different water caches out from camp where I'll be hunting. I also haul some of my food in the week before and hang it in a tree. sure lightens the load when your also packing in your guns a day or two before the hunt.

you'll also be hunting at 6500 ft elevations and higher so you may want to get there a day or two earlier to acclimate yourself.

6c has some good bulls in it. you'll have fun. make sure you post pic's when you get him. good luck.

[Smokey]

Dave-t, Lars has a good point if you are not used to the elevation it takes a while to get used to it. Takes your stamina away quickly. The area I hunt in AZ has a lot of good bulls but I hunt a more remote area we have scouted for years which is a poorer part of the 6A area for elk. We rarely see other hunters and always have a good hunt.

With the knowledge your cousin has of the area you should do well. We hunt all day, not going back to camp till dark. We have shot elk at all times during the day. You never know when they are going to moveto drink or eat.