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New Mexico Elk Hunt

Well I just found out I drew a unit 15 archery elk tag. I will be hunting Sept 8th on. I have only put in for New Mexico 2 times and both times I drew an archery Gila tag. Lucky I guess. In the 1990's I put in for NM and Arizona and drew both. I hunted not far from the town of Reserve NM then hunted near Alpine Arizona. Back to back archery elk hunts. Arizona was amazing. A satellite bull was 320" to 340". Not sure what to expect in unit 15. Anyone that has had the tag please chime in.

Plenty of 300 type, if you hold out for more then that you may go home with a tag but big ones are around just not around every corner.

The rifle hunts.....I mean the muzzleloader hunts have done some major damage to the quality, it's not so much a primitive unit anymore

There was a lot of elk there in 2002 , saw some big bulls but had cow tags ( we checked the box for any leftovers tags). Pulled out early because of 911. Saw a lot of bulls.

While muzzle loaders are a far cry from what they were, I've heard 15's worst enemy is the amount of LO tags issued.

That too but these ML'ers are tack drivers in a primitive unit, many bulls get killed because of it that wouldn't normally get killed despite how many tags are out there. The elk numbers and % of bulls are good despite the number of tags, I would bet that a lot more bulls would reach trophy status if it were truly a primitive unit, it would go from lots of 300's to plenty of 320-340's. My own unprofessional opinion :)

I would venture to guess, bulls are screaming in October if it's anything like 34.

I agree, 15 could be a jaw dropping unit if they didn't hammer'm. First cut some of hte LO welfare then either lower tag numbers or handicap the muzzle loaders... at least no scopes.

The last time I was in 15 was 4 years ago. I saw elk everywhere, big bulls too. Unfortunately I only had a third choice deer tag. I have never seen so many elk in 5 days anywhere. On my last day while driving back up from the AZ Border I saw at least 20 bulls cross the highway in front of me at different areas with another 50+ cows. Had to cut the speed way down or I didn’t think I was going to make it out of there without wrecking my truck.

I’ve also hunted 15 a few years before that and saw very few elk with only one shot opportunity in a week. There are still good numbers but it could be so much better with better management.

Didn't the Gila fires a few years ago affect the herd in 15? From what I heard, that year 15 was overrun with elk. Still a chance at a good bull any year.

I wouldn't say 15 is over run with elk. It's a good unit, quality has definitely gone down. It's not the 15 From 8-10 years ago. Still a good unit though . Also the fires did not effect it.

We need rain!!! very bad!!

I hunted the early season 3 years ago and had a great hunt. My brother hunted the early season 2 years ago and had a tough hunt. No bugling and too much water. I hunted the second hunt last year and had a fantastic hunt. Last year at this time the entire unit was so dry it looked like the surface of the moon. By July 4, it started raining and everything got back to normal. I think the population is better than it's been in about 10 years and I saw 3 bulls in the 340+ range and had pictures of a few more. I have the early hunt again this year. Unless you find a monster early that you really want, you probably shouldn't pass on a 300" bull. That first hunt can be tough but the last 3 or 4 days of the early hunt they start to get vocal. I think it is better today than it was 10 years ago but not close to what it was 20 years ago. JMHO

There have been many years in the past where it has been a dry spring and drier early summer and then the monsoon rains seem to get things back to "normal".

What sets this year apart is the warmer than normal winter with very little snow-pack. Depending on who you talk to and what source their information is from, monsoon rain this year is supposed to be 40% to 60% above normal.

Hunted 15 middle bow season waaay back in 2003. Thought that was a great hunt and saw a few whoppers....one still hurts to think about how I spooked it instead of arrowed it.

Back in there 2nd bow season this year so looking forward to seeing if I haver an equally great hunt. Pretty special tag in awesome country that is near impossible to draw, plan on enjoying every minute no matter what.

Hunted 15 last year and I would agree with most of what has been said. Lots of 300" bulls but saw a few 320-340 as season progressed. Easy access will screw up a hunt or two as pretty much all bulls are relatively easy to get to. If you find a big one you will have company as there are lots of outfitters that pretty much know all the bulls. Keep hunting midday-everyone seemed to give up after 9 AM. My best encounters were midday once the bulls got into their bedrooms. PM if you like.

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