Contributors to this thread:
I am curious and felt this is the best place to ask this question. Hunt costs are starting to get out of my price range for certain species. So I am looking into management hunts for elk mule deer etc. Curious if anyone on here knows a good spot to look for these hunts. I have found a few but not many of these. Anyone have any suggestions on outfitters or places to look for such hunts.
I generally think of “management hunts” to be in controlled environments, think ranch hunts. In my experience true management hunts for those type of western big game species are going to be kinda hard to come by, and probably won’t be exactly “management hunts”. Maybe ask/search for “non-trophy” hunts as well. Just my thoughts.
—Jim
Jim,
That's a good point and thanks for the advice. I will look into that
I don't think many places manage elk and mulies the same way they do for whitetails. So those opportunities are going to be much farther and few between. You might be able to find a cow hunt.
But the great thing about both elk and mulies is there is tons of public land opportunity. If you will figure out the point game and pick a state you can diy a great hunt.
There's some non trophy elk and deer hunts in Colorado on some of the RFW places but they come at a cost.
I wish I could do DIY, however I have not been blessed with a hunting family or friends, so my knowledge and experience level for that is in my opinion not really an option. I would have no clue what to do with an elk or mule deer miles from the road to get it back.
So learn how... starting with a deer closer to home.
And FWIW, learning to hunt public land on private land? Not gonna happen.
You don’t learn to hit a 95 MPH heater in the tee-ball league.
Read everything you can, talk to smart people, hang out with Old Dudes who know their stuff, maybe even hook up with some experienced guys as hunting partners, but whatever else, get out their and don’t be afraid to come home with a tag in your pocket. This is Hunting; failure is the cost of your education. Enjoy it. It won’t hurt you.
There are a few ranches in NM that book management hunts for mule deer. Nothing better then 145". They try to sell hunts on the NM page on Facebook.
Shawn Go with what treeman said
There may be some opportunities out there for you
The over the counter diy hunts are out there. Certainly not like they used to be Some of them do involve a learning curve which sucks because that takes time Which most of us don't have
Private land access with a do it yourself component would be the best if you can find it. Still going to cost some money but in some cases that may be reasonable
I'll keep my eye open for you
Bghunter- you can do diy! Spend a year doing research, make sure your in the best shape possible, spend the money you would spend on an outfitter on gear you need and just go for it. Tons of resources and helpful guys on this site. Don’t sell yourself short.
What about cow elk hunts Many outfitters have them, just not advertised all that much
Instead of paying someone to get you a trophy animal why don’t you work hard and do the work yourself!!! Anyone can open a wallet, takes a real hunter to diy it
Thanks for the helpful ideas and suggestions.
