Hello, My buddy and I have the opportunity to each purchase a unit 34 landowner tag for the 2014 rifle season. The ranch is 13,000 acres but we were told the elk hang out above 8000 ft during the rifle season which consists of about 7000 acres. I was told there was decent numbers of 250"-280" bulls there with a few over 300". What should we expect to pay for these tags with accommodations on the property for 8 days (3 days before season to scout and 5 days hunting? The property is near Pinion. Thanks for any help. Kevin

Guided,or just the authorization plus food/lodging?

A 34 RO authorization usually brings $2500/3000 and up.

SLM, It's going to be semi-guided I believe. It was explained to me that there are a few family members at the lodge to show you around to scout and point you in the right direction. They would also be available to assist with retrieving your elk and quartering for the walk in cooler. The lodging is included with kitchen. You bring your own food and cook it. Thanks Kevin

Will your tags be ranch only, or are you able to hunt all of Unit 34? I hunted quite a bit around Pinon back around 2000 - 2004 for deer, our elk hunting now is nearer to Sacramento. Shoot me a PM if you want to talk specifics off line.

Where in upstate NY are you? We are originally from outside of Buffalo.

Trying to remember an area around Pinion that would have 8000 ft. of elevation. Seems like where I have been was more like 4500.

Razz, That sounds great! I will send you out a pm with my phone number. I live between Rochester and Syracuse on Seneca lake near Watkins Glenn. I believe the tag is for the ranch only but not sure about that. I will call today and find out.

SSB, I really hope it's closer to what you said. I am going by a guy that I met about 6 monthes ago that has hunted this ranch in the past. I just read the email he sent and he said it was also near Cloudcroft? Do you know anything about this area? Thank you very much guys. Kevin

The country west of Pinon and just east of Timberon is a bit over 8K. Access to this country is near Pinon but Pinon is in the 5000 to 6000 range -

You can get all the elevation you can handle around Cloudcroft....beautifull area! If you have never been down that way, coming from NY you will be amazed. I was!

SSB, I sent a pm.

GregW, I spoke with my friend this afternoon. He mentioned the property was near Timberon! He had not mentioned that before. He told me if you come through one part of the ranch it's near Cloudcroft. He also mentioned Pinion but the ranch is closer to the other two towns. Thanks everyone. Kevin

woods1126,
A "ranch tag" only authorizes you to hunt on the ranch, not the public area surrounding, though still in #34. As you may know, there are NO non-resident rifle elk tags available on public lands. That law went into effect 2 years ago if I recall.

I would estimate that the 5 day hunt with "accomodations" could go to $5,000 each. That is in addition to your bull tag. Don't forget to get USGS topographic maps that cover the entire property. You may need 2 or 3 to piece together. Get them at 1:24,000 scale to show good topographic features.
Topozone, out of Montana will take USGS maps and re-configure them and make you one complete map. Make sure you get the maps either in waterproof paper or spray them.

Huh?? Non residents can not apply for antlerless tags in the draw, but they can apply for bull tags. Also, landowner tags -bull or antlerless - are allowed for non-residents, both ranch only and unit wide.

Yeah, you are right on the non-resident elk clarification. There are a limited number of either sex tags plus the high quality bull tags at $780 for the draw.
My point to make was that there are no non-resident cow only tags available on public land.
As for a Ranch tag being valid Unit wide, we were told by the local warden that Ranch tags were only valid on the ranch they were purchased for.

Yes on the ranch only, maybe I didn't word it clearly, must stay on the ranch

Yeah, but the reality is that you will be able to hunt not only the deeded, but also the BLM, USFS and/or NM State Trust land that is leased. Not supposed to be that way, but that's the way that it is.

Wow! I did not realize that. Does the leased land have to be adjacent to the private?

It has to be within what the rancher considers to be "his" ranch. When I say that it's not supposed to be that way, I mean that it doesn't match up to the letter of the regs. If you run across a CO that's having a bad day or who has a hard on for the rancher, you might be cited.

Gotcha! Thanks for clearing that up for me.

I would not want to get caught with a RO lic on public land.

Depends on the accomodations.... RO bull tags can go from $1,500 to easily over $2,500. Just depends on demand. Closer to the hunt, the lower the price can go oftentimes. Accomodations can be $50 per day for a beat up trailer to couple of $hundreds for a nicer lodge. Didn't see you specify which.

The Sacramentos are decent country. I think you'll find bigger bulls over in the Gila or up in northern NM.

That's for sure. No need for a long distance statutory rodeo.
The bottom line to this is that you must know what you can and cannot do before you leave the original ranch property.

Thanks for all the info guys. I found out it is a Ranch Only tag. Also in addition to the hunt days we can go 3 days early to scout. Accommodations are in a nice lodge that has private bedrooms and very nice kitchen. I was quoted $2200 for the tag and lodging. Also a few family members are there to show you around the ranch and help get your elk out with one of their utvs. I hope this all works out as I have always wanted to go on an elk hunt. Thank you very much again guys. Kevin

I drew a tag four years ago for 34 and got a 330" bull, outside of Cloudcroft. It was beautiful country and a great hunt. With the exception of bulls I saw on the reservation, my bull was the largest seen while hunting. I did see many bulls around 300" and would go back.

Before the hunt, the going rate for LO tags was $5k. Once I arrived and a day or two before the season started, those tags dropped to $500. The outfitter said it was common practice for the land owners to drop them just before the season and if you are flexible enough, that is the way to go.

If the outfitter/ranch owner is reputable, he will gladly provide you with references from previous clients and possibly photos of trophies taken in recent years. I would also want to see his outfitter license and insurance certs. From what you have posted, the price doesn't sound out of line.

While it is true that prices on RO tags drop as the season deadline gets close, bull tags rarely drop to $500 in one shot. Go take a look on Craigslist and you'll be lucky to find any that low unless in really crappy areas with little chance of success.

Traveling as far as you are, I would do my research, contact previous clients and make an informed decision BEFORE jumping in. There is no rush and plenty of other outfitters are out there to include those in CO. Good luck and hope you find what you are looking for.

Thanks gman and Jrs3. I received an email about the ranch and the hunting area. I'm going to talk to my buddy again tomorrow again. I will keep you posted on my progress. Kevin

If you get a chance, visit the club house or hunter's meseum at the reservation. They have a large collection of elk heads taken over the years and is worth checking out. Many 400"+ trophies. The best was a full mounted 6x6 running down a hill and simulating a bugle with his head cocked back. Beautiful and impressive.

Sounds awesome JRS3. Thanks Kevin

Better ranches do their own outfitting so they go RO. They cost considerably more then $2200. I used to see an outfit advertising a DIY hunt on their ranch for about that price down in the surveyor canyon area. The hunting down in that corner is hit and miss lately. Check references and get everything spelled out.