2014 DIY New Mexico Elk Hunt - The Land of Enchantment

[NoWiser]

Well, as promised in my 2013 elk hunting story, I'd be back for more in 2014. This year's season took my dad and I to New Mexico - The Land of Enchantment. New Mexico, as many know, is like the Holy Grail for elk hunters. It is here you will find lots of elk, big elk, few hunters, and tons of public land. Of course, this equates to ridiculously low draw odds. But, with no preference or bonus point system in place, anyone has a chance to draw a tag any year. My dad and I put our applications in late last winter and, to our disbelief, drew one of the best tags in the state a few short months later. This was a hunt a guy can lose a lot of sleep over! The summer was spent researching, making contact with previous hunters, and printing out custom maps. Physical fitness was also a priority and the local sledding hill and gym became my second home on mornings before work. Before we knew it, September had arrived, and we were off! My cousin would also be joining us on the trip to both help out, when needed, and hunt for bears.

Our trip started after work on Friday, September 5th. We left the metro area and pointed the truck to the SW with a fishhouse in tow. It would be our home for the next two weeks. The drive to our first scouting destination (our season didn't open until the 11th) was over 26 hours long and, aside from almost running out of gas twice and one flat tire, was rather uneventful. New Mexico is a beautiful state. I had always pictured it as a barren desert but it seemed the entire way through it we were never out of sight of a mountain.

We arrived to our hunting unit at about 5:00 on Saturday evening just in time for a complete downpour of rain. Luckily it only lasted a few minutes as we were making the climb up into the mountains. Our primary spot that we planned on camping in had 4 big camper trailers parked in it so we moved on to our backup spot, where we found 4 more camps. A deer hunter happened to come out of the woods when we pulled up so we went to chat with him. He enthusiastically claimed "there are elk EVERYWHERE!" and quickly led us with his ATV to a great camping spot down the trail a ways. He kindly filled us in an everything he had seen in the last week and pointed out some spots to hunt on the map. A nicer guy we couldn't have asked to meet this early in our trip. Suffering from some major sleep deprivation we crashed for the night.

The next morning we decided to hike up the mountain to some burned areas I had scouted on Google Earth. It also happened to be the area our new friend recommended. On the way we could hear a group of bulls bugling up a storm on top of the mountain. From the sounds of it there were at least a half dozen and they were not happy with each other. It was a great feeling to hear bugles again.

The bugling was coming from the upper left of this picture:

We hiked through the burn but did not see any elk or any fresh sign. There was a tank (a dirt pond created to hold water) that I wanted to check out but we never made it that far. The tough terrain and lack of fresh sign made us decide that it wasn't worth the hike. It would also take about 3 hours to get from camp to this tank between the hike and atv ride and we were not willing to give up that much of our hunting day for one spot. So, we climbed up a ridge and hiked our way back, glassing along the way.

Back at camp we ate a quick lunch and I took a quick nap before my cousin and I hiked up the mountain a ways to find a spring that I had marked from my scouting. It looked good and we put a camera on it. The three of us then headed down the road a few miles and looked for some more springs I had marked but the trip turned out to be a bust. We drove around that end of the unit a bit at dusk to familiarize ourselves with it and then headed back to our shack. We were not entirely impressed with the area. The mountains were steep, much of them were burned, and there were camps set up everywhere, including one 1/2 mile from our tent that was being used by an outfitter who has a very bad reputation in the area for being hard on DIY hunters by blocking access to roads, scaring "their bulls" away from other hunters to save for their clients, and other shady activity. We decided that the next day we'd head all the way to the other end of the unit where we had some good information. We'd spend a day or two there and then decide what the plan was for opening day. Monday morning we pulled the camera to find this

and left camp.

The 40 mile drive to the other side of the unit took just over 3 hours on the rough "roads". We arrived in time to put a couple of cameras up on some tanks and familiarize ourselves with the area. We ate supper listening to bugles off to our north and crashed, still tired from the drive down there.

The next morning our plan was to split up and listen for bugling. This would be the easiest way to determine where the elk were in the area. Dad went south on the atv and my cousin and I went north with the truck. As we drove we could hear a fair amount of bugling off to the SW in the big grassy flats. We climbed a ridge and, as it got light, could start to pick out the shapes of elk off in the distance with our binoculars. The lighter it got the more amazed we were. There were elk absolutely everywhere! We tucked ourselves into some rocks and watched, in complete awe, as 200-300 elk filed past us and made their way up the mountain. In this herd was at least 20 what I would consider big bulls and a few absolute monsters. One came out that was a true giant. I have no idea how to score elk but there is no doubt this guy was pushing 400". I was kicking myself for not bringing a camera! Unfortunately it was the first and the last time we would see him. By mid morning the entire herd had filtered back up the mountain. We hiked down to the road to find my dad, who was excited as all heck because he saw a nice bull as he pulled up. It was hard to keep a straight face when we had to tell him that we saw 20 nice bulls and a few hundred elk. We just hoped they would do the same thing the next day so that he could get a chance to witness it.

As long as the elk were safely up the mountain we decided to check out the route they had taken. About a mile from the road there was a canyon they had to cross and we wanted to see where they did it at. It didn't take long for us to find a trail beaten 10" into the ground where they all seemed to cross. We marked it on the GPS and crossed our fingers this was a pattern they'd repeat because, if so, we'd have a perfect ambush point for our opening morning less than 48 hours away.

The rest of the day was spent mostly relaxing and enjoying the mountains. Evening was spent eating supper and listening to bugles echo off in the distance from the same area they had the night before.....perfect!

Our camp

Wednesday morning we arose well before sunrise to make it out to the same vantage point we used the day before. It was a relief to see that all of the elk seemed to be right where they were the morning before. We listened to their bugles and watched them slowly make their way in our direction. Then, to our horror, we watched an atv putt right down the road where they were about to cross. It was a hunting guide for a neighboring unit we had met the day before. He seemed like a heck of a nice guy but he was about to unknowingly spook all of our elk off! A decent 5X5 with a dozen cows darted across the road right in front of him and we were sure it was ruined. Then he darted back across, rounded up 6 more cows, and was on his way. The guide parked the atv and walked right at the big herd, completely unaware of our presence and that he was about to foil our plan! Fortunately he ended up in an area where the elk could not see or hear him and the big herd started pouring across the road. I snapped pictures and Dad tried to count them. He got to 150 before he gave up, but figures it was approximately half of them.

We watched as they crossed in the same spot and made their way up the mountain just as they had did the day before. This couldn't have been more perfect! We grabbed some breakfast and then headed back to their canyon crossing where we fashioned a ground blind. This was going to be too easy. Heck, if they crossed slowly enough, we'd probably have our two bulls before noon opening day! Something told me it would not quite work out like that but it was worth a try. The rest of the day dragged on and sleep did not come easy that night. We had a plan that should put us within 15 yards of 250 head of elk come opening morning.......

[BRULEDRIFTER]

[sticknstring]

Two MN wolf tags & a 1st year NM elk tag - time to pass that horseshoe around! Awesome pics so far!

[NoWiser]

Two MN wolf tags & a 1st year NM elk tag - time to pass that horseshoe around! Awesome pics so far!

Don't forget the moose tags we drew for the last two MN hunts!

I never win anything, ever, but I seem to have decent luck when it comes to hunting tag lotteries. I guess I'll take that over a church festival quilt any day. Scoot told me last winter that I'd draw NM. With 2% odds I just shook my head. Wouldn't you know it, he was right!

No wolf tag this year for me. I was a bit surprised when I saw the results!

[Scoot]

Scoot told me last winter that I'd draw NM. With 2% odds I just shook my head. Wouldn't you know it, he was right!

I have no idea why I was so convinced you'd draw, but I just had a feeling you would. Maybe it was because I knew I wouldn't ever draw that tag and that you are still pretty wet behind the ears with elk hunting-- combining those two things tells me you'd draw for sure!!! I'm glad you did and I can't wait to hear how this whole thing turns out.

Regarding that prediction above-- keep in mind, Jim, that I told you if you drew this tag I'd throw away my WY tag and come call, haul, and spot for you in NM. How'd I do on that promise??? The lesson to learn there- never listent to me as I'm too full of bull to be relied upon.

Great stuff so far and I can't wait to see how opening morning turns out. This has all the makings for the shortest elk write up ever!!! Day 1 double tag out before noon? I hope so!!!

[sportfish]

Great read , and can't wait to hear the rest !

[pumper317]

Awesome start... Now I sit and wait, much like you sat around the first couple days in NM waiting for the season to start! Look forward to the rest, thanks for sharing!

[BartmanMN]

Dang, that's a lot of elk in that herd with nice bulls. Exciting.

[triggertrav]

great start! i am hooked for the rest....

[Hoyt4]

Very cool start to the story. It's amazing when you get into a herd like that and it gets loud and so much going on fights ,saltilite bulls trying to take cows away while the herd bull is fighting. Very fun to watch and try and see everything in one place.

[mrklean]

great read cant wait to hear the rest.

[Wes Ellis]

Thanks for sharing!!

[Powerstroke]

Those are some amazing photos of elk. I can't believe how many bulls are in that photo.

[NoWiser]

Opening morning dawned clear and cool with temps in the upper 30's. We were up in plenty of time to eat a good breakfast, but none of us had an appetite. We were just too anxious to get the hunt underway. We rolled out with the truck and parked it in the exact same place we had the previous two mornings. We wanted to keep everything the same with the hope that the elk would follow suit.

Uncasing the bows we started the hike through the dew-soaked grass until we finally hit an elk trail that would take us to the canyon, where we would descend and follow it up to our blind. My cousin split off about 200 yards shy of our destination, where he had a nice spot tucked away in the rocks, to observe the morning's hunt. Elk were already bugling like mad on the base of the mountain as he wished us luck and we parted ways. Soon we were crouched in the blind, shivering from the chilly air and our anticipation. As the sun slowly crested the mountain to our east, the bugling at the base of the mountain continued. There were bulls spread out everywhere and I really, really wanted to go chase them. But, we had a plan and I was going to stick to it. I knew the bulk of the elk should be out feeding in the flats and that before long they'd be headed back to the mountain, right into the trap that we'd set for them.

Here is a picture from our blind, looking uphill towards where they should come from.

Here is a picture looking down from the blind. Behind us is the canyon and in the distance is the mountain where the elk would go during the day.

Before the morning hunt my dad and I had talked it over. He wanted me to have first shot at a bull, being I did the bulk of the planning and research for the trip. I, on the other hand, wanted him to take the first shot. We finally settled on an agreement and it was decided that he would be in the shooter position but, if I saw a bull that I really wanted, I'd get the shot. Given all of the bulls I'd seen the previous two mornings, it was going to have to be a big one. Dad would be less picky. Being he would likely be taking first shot, he sat to my left, which put him in a better position to shoot. I could still shoot from where I was but it would require me to get above the brush a bit more, not a big deal.

Here is a picture of my dad and I in the blind, from my cousin's vantage point.

Soon the sun was shining down on us and the air was warming up. We could hear bugling slowly getting closer to us, just as we expected. But, we had a problem. We were sitting on an east facing slope. As long as the thermals were going down there is no way the elk could smell us. It would sweep our scent down the hill and into the canyon, far from the elk. But, the elk were coming later than we'd hoped and our hillside was warming up fast causing the winds to swirl. There was nothing we could do at this point but hope for the best. The elk were getting close and even a cloud coming over at the right moment could save us. We had to wait it out.

Suddenly, as the elk should have been cresting the hill above us, ready to head down in front of the blind, we heard this extremely loud barking. I know that elk bark when they are alarmed but I'd never heard it before and never imagined it could sound like it did. I automatically assumed it was a coyote or wolf. We hunkered down and soon it stopped.

Suddenly, we could hear the telltale sound of hooves on rock. The herd was getting close! The first cows appeared in front of us but not where they were supposed to! They were 80 yards too far north! If they descended the hill there, we'd have no shot. But, they wanted to cross the canyon in the same place so they angled towards us. Cow, cow, cow, cow, BULL!!! A huge 6 point came down in the middle of the herd. He was a monster!

Here is a picture of the 6 point, as he was walking to us, that we passed at 35 yards. It's blurry due to the camera lens fogging up.

I whispered to my dad that I'd gladly shoot him when a true giant stepped out. My jaw dropped. I got a quick glance at his antlers but knew better than to focus on them. He looked like about a 7X9. He dwarfed the 6 point. My attention immediately focused on him, though the 6 point was now at 35 yards and broadside. This bull was in the back of the herd making sure the cows were where he wanted them. He was headed towards us, but slowly. I handed my rangefinder to my dad and clipped the release onto my loop. I figured he was at about 50 yards and my dad says "80". Dang these are big animals!! Slowly he made his way towards us. 71, 66, 63, 58, 49. 49 yards....I was 100% comfortable with this shot on a relaxed animal. I'd practiced all summer at ranges well beyond this with my broadheads. I rose to my knees and came to full draw. Surprisingly I wasn't the least bit nervous and was steady as I've ever been. The bull was quartering to me behind a bush. He needed to take another step, which he soon did, putting him completely broadside. I focused on a spot immediately behind his shoulder, took a couple of controlled breaths, and released......

Gotta go help install a great big window, will finish up the morning's hunt in a bit.

[eyedr]

What??

[Scoot]

Yer killin' me...

[pumper317]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

That should be illegal. I sure hope this has a happy ending! I don't even know you, but I have a love/ hate thing going on.

[smalliehunter]

For real! Talk about a cliff hanger. Never posted in here before but I sure do love these stories.

[DonBo]

SCOOT! This is all your fault. You taught him these horrible tactics. I blame you!!!!

[monstermoose78]

I agreed with Donbo on this.

[HooknHorns]

Can some one tell me why I can't see some of these pics from my phone. This stinks for me

[NoWiser]

....and watched in horror as my arrow hit a twig from the groundblind and sailed harmlessly four feet to the left of the bull!! I hadn't knelt up high enough to clear the bush! No doubt I had just missed the biggest bull I'd ever get a shot at in my life. But, I was relieved to know that it was a clean miss and the bull came away without a scratch. Wounding that bull would have ruined the entire rest of my trip. We would later talk to a guide who had watched the events unfold through his binoculars. He had been chasing that bull for a few years and said it would easily score in the mid 380s. The 6 point that was with it would have been in the mid to upper 350s, according to him. Now, I've never shot an elk before and the score was the last thing I was concerned about, but it reaffirmed that I had missed a giant.

So, after watching the arrow shatter into the rocks beyond the bull, we waited for a bit longer to make sure no more elk were coming. Only about 1/10th of the elk we had seen the previous day crossed in this spot. We met up with my cousin who had a nice bull walking around right below him for quite a while. He had watched the whole thing unfold. We headed back to camp to grab some lunch and plan the rest of the day's hunt.

My dad and I walking back to the truck after the 1st morning's hunt.

[DonBo]

Ahhhhhhhhhh, bummer

[HooknHorns]

All right I'm rolling with you now. I hope you redeem yourself later. That bear looked like a good one and the elk numbers look unbelievable. Awesome

[HooknHorns]

Jim I'm curious if and what gear you upgraded from the trip to wyoming. I don't see a tent in camp this year.

[NoWiser]

Hook, we stayed in the fishhouse this trip. It was a very roaded unit so backpacking away from one road would only take you closer to the next.

As for new gear, I had a pair of Kuiu gaiters that I absolutely loved. I also wore a lighter weight pair of pants (C4E Highline pants). I acquired a used C4E Assault shirt and Element Jacket for a great price over summer and was happy with both. The last thing I got was a First Lite Llano shirt. By far my favorite were the gaiters. They kept my pants and boots dry in the wet grass and as soon as it dried up I'd throw them in my pack.

Those were about my only upgrades. I'm happy with them all and don't foresee any purchases before next year aside from possibly a new bino harness.

[jerkin'm]

Sounds like a double In short order! Holy elk!

[HooknHorns]

I too pick up a llano 170 long sleeve. I also picked up a 145 weight from kuius new line up and loved that shirt for warm weather. When it got chilly I layered them together. For pants I had a pair of sitkas mountain pants and Kuiu attack pants. I favored kuiu pants. They both make good gear. I did wear my c4e rain coat every day, either as a wind break or to keep dry. How did the fish house take the rough trails. Did you get hung up at all?

[jerkbait]

SCOOT! This is all your fault. You taught him these horrible tactics. I blame you!!!!

Yeah, what he said.

[NoWiser]

How did the fish house take the rough trails. Did you get hung up at all?

It was pretty brutal. We had chains for the tires and were real close to needing them on the way out, after we got a bunch of rain. For most of the areas on the mountain roads 5 mph was about the max speed we could go without worrying about destroying it. We decided next time we do a trip like this we'll be bringing a heavy duty trailer with big tires and a wall tent. It was nice to stay in but will not be making a trip like that with us again. On the way out of the mountains I think it took us something like 3 hours to go 12 miles.