New Member from New Mexico with a 2015 tag

[raxafarian]

I've been lurking here since I drew my tag this year and decided to jump right in!

I'm an east coast guy and grew up deer hunting in PA. I moved to NM at the end of 2014. This elk hunting you guys speak of has me all confused???

I didn't draw my first year here but did snag a MB rifle tag for unit 34 for 2015. I've passed through the area a few times but have started trying to figure it out in terms of elk. I have 24k topo maps and purchased the topo with private lands marked on it. I also have the national forest map and the MVUM map (motor vehicle use). I've been down twice in the past month. The first time was mainly driving forest roads and getting a feel for everything. This past weekend I spent two days walking around in two different areas. I think I'm drawn to areas that are probably better suited for deer and not elk? I keep finding myself in the thick stuff and not the wide open vistas I've seen described where you glass for elk for hours and then stalk a likely one. Maybe that's not what unit 34 is like?

A few questions... I won't ask for anyone's honey hole but would certainly welcome any general suggestions. Elevation to look at?

1. Everyone I talk to (or read about) says "get off the road". By the time I get done marking my maps with roads, atv trails, motorcycle trails, and hiking trails I'm not finding any/many places in the unit to really get away. Am I being too picky? How many people will be using the atv trails? I found a pretty nice looking spot saturday and then found that I was only 200 yards from a fire road (after walking in 2 miles from the other direction).

2. Am I correct in understanding the E-plus landowner list? If private land is marked "unit-wide" then it's open to hunt on? Anyone have any problems with landowners when doing so? It looks like the list is updated every fall so I'm using the current list for casual planning.

3. Do most people camp and hunt out of their camps? My 72 year old father is going to fly out and give me a hand (along with my brother). He ice fishes every day in the winter and still climbs trees in archery season so he gets around well but camping is out. We'll be renting a house/cabin in or near Cloudcroft.

4. Are there feral pigs in unit 34? My father doesn't really want to wander around the woods without a rifle so I found that non residents can hunt feral pigs without a license. I could also buy him a NR bear tag if the bears are still awake (and the season isn't closed).

I HAD to buy a new rifle (you understand ). I was going to use my 30-06 but just traded an elephant gun I had no use for (458 win mag) for a 300 WSM. I also decided to give a vortex scope a try after looking through some Leopold VX-R's and VX-3's. I ended up with a vortex diamondback HP 3-12x42 and after an initial sighting in trip I'm thinking of replacing my older leupold vx-ii's on some of my other rifles.

I guess that's it for now. I'm sure I'll have more questions but thanks for the great forum. Lots of great info here!

[raxafarian]

I meant to post these... found this area yesterday and I think it looks "elky" but who knows...

IMG_2903.jpg (304.86 KiB) Viewed 6482 times

IMG_2912.jpg (305.22 KiB) Viewed 6482 times

[ElkNut1]

What about those spots made you feel they were elky? Looks like a 4 wheel trail there too?
Welcome to the Forum!

ElkNut1

[raxafarian]

What about those spots made you feel they were elky? Looks like a 4 wheel trail there too?
Welcome to the Forum!

ElkNut1

I'm guessing! There were a bunch of trails with elk tracks and sign at the bottom part which was slightly wet. I could see sitting 3/4 the way up the hillside and cover the entire area but I'm certainly new to this and could be going about it all wrong?

There is an old trail that looks like it was used for some lumbering/thinning years ago. It's not supposed to be open but I guess some 4 wheelers sneak in from time to time.

[cantgetdrawn]

Congrats on your tag, 34 is a hard draw. The majority of the unit holds elk.

You didn't say whether you got the 1st hunt or 2nd, it might make a difference in terms of weather. Last year in-between the 1st rifle elk and a muzzleload deer hunt both in unit 36 I drove over and hunted barbary sheep in 34 since half the unit was changed to OTC for barbary. That might be an option for your father, but barbary is a hard hunt and 34 in that region is rugged.

I saw more elk than sheep, in fact I saw the biggest bull I've ever seen on the hoof while glassing for Barbary. I watched him bedded down for about 2 hours so I am fairly sure he would score around 370-380ish.

This advice was posted on another forum and I will echo it because I saw a lot of elk there. Hunt in the pinon-junipers west of forest road 90 down to FR 570 and west of there. It can be steep but if it is cool enough I think that's where the elk will be, they were last year. If it's still hot then maybe try up top. Like I said there are elk in most of the unit, so most places will be ok. Anywhere bordering the Mescalero Apache reservation should be good too.

As far as the E-plus land, there are good landowners and bad. Most follow the rule and let people on even if they don't advertise you can be there. Most post their property since they still can keep deer hunters and others off.

No problem staying in cloudcroft. I've heard of some hogs in 34 but I think they were on the east side of the unit down low and have become nocturnal.

Good Luck

[jheintze]

I can give you info on the elk in Unit 34. PM Me

[Trophyhill]

You wont get the long view vistas you would in the high country of Colorado. The elevation just isnt there. Too, you are never more than a mile or two from a road in 34. If you get over toward Duncan you will be able to see further in those rolling hills and more open country. If I were rifle hunting the higher elevation of this unit (about 8500') I'd seriously consider using open sites. If hunting.the lowere stuff around Duncan I'd use a scope. Its a good unit as far as opportunities go but dont expect to see many over 300 although there certainly are a few. Elk in this unit get slaughtered every year during ML season and are very wary by the time rifle season rolls around. Good luck.

[raxafarian]

Thanks for the replies.

I have to switch gears to bass fishing mode and will probably head back down to Cloudcroft in July to continue scouting.

thanks,
Ken

[BaldBeaver]

I live in Alamogordo, and know the area well. If you would like to talk later in the week, drop me a PM with your info. I can get you into some areas that should yield you some decent opportunities at success.

[Trophyhill]

Thanks for the replies.

I have to switch gears to bass fishing mode and will probably head back down to Cloudcroft in July to continue scouting.

thanks,
Ken

We've been tearing them up at Conchas and Sumner Lakes for the last month. I'm waiting for the walleye bite to start

[raxafarian]

Walleye are good eating!
We had a good time bass fishing in Maine for two weeks. My largest was 4 1/2 lbs.

I'm back in scouting mode and I'm typing this from just outside Mayhill. Saw about 20 cows last night just around dusk. No bulls. Came across a real nice local older couple while driving down a fire road and he shared some of his past hunting successes and told me where I was looking has been good but this year has no water. He had me follow them to a few spots and he pointed out some areas that were narrow strips of public land where you could access around and behind some private land. I'll check out a few of those areas on foot tomorrow.

Found a bunch of greasy mud today and almost got stuck a few times. Ended up at a cattle fence where somebody had posted a very severely worded no trespassing beyond this point sign even though the motor vehicle use map (and forest service map) showed that road going through.

Yesterday's sightings: 23 elk, 7 deer, 2 skunks, and 5 turkeys.

[Mike_Parson]

I was going to spend last weekend scouting the area too, but the wife saw the 60% chance of rain and changed those plans.... shes not the wet weather kind of camper. instead we stayed home and i worked on some reloads for my rifle for deer season and we, my 16 yr old daughter and I, wasted an awesome 3 hours at the range shooting all the guns. She even made me take out the old 50. cal ML so she can break in shooting that. she heard there might be some left over youth cow permits in 34 for late Dec and she wants one. she also had to prove to me she could handle the ML. she shot a 4 inch group at 100 yards and had never shot it before.... the grin in her face was priceless as she felt she had proven to me she could do it. Anyways, to get back on topic, its great that you saw something up there and that the couple was nice and showed you a few things. I have not been successful at seeing anything animal wise but i have seen lots of sign and promising places. I will be hunting the first archery season and then i will be helping a friend by calling in the second archery season. shoot me a PM and maybe we can share some info on what we have found. I am totally not above helping anyone. this is also my first time to ever hunt elk and i defenatly know what you are feeling.

[raxafarian]

Mike:
There was a little rain but definitely not a washout. I ended up seeing 3 bulls sitting on a hillside above a canyon at about 600 yards. Here's a crappy pic taken thru one side of my binoculars



It's great your daughter wants to hunt and hang with the old man!

[Mike_Parson]

thats a sweet sign there !!!!!