Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting What's your favorite State & Unit for Elk

I'd have to say New Mexico, Unit 16B, Killed some awesome bulls there over the years.

Colorado, or I wouldn't live here.

My favorite unit is where I live, because I can come home every night from hunting, take a shower, and sleep in a bed. Plus, no problem keeping the meat fresh.

NW Colorado I have a friend that has a private ranch north of Craig and near Baggs, WY. He has lots of deer and elk. We stay at the ranch house and walk out and start hunting. I got a nice 5 X 5 last year.

New Mexico....only because I have not drawn a Utah or Arizona tag....

I have only hunted CO and NM. NM,from 1964-1974.Colorado since then. Not much of a comparison,but I kill elk in CO about every year.I was probably just a little too young to understand it all in NM back then though.I did kill a few elk there.

Assuming you know where to start looking,I don't think finding them is any harder no matter where you go.Probably your financial situation and whether you can afford NR tags and the possibilty of buying/drawing a tag or not has more to do with it. Also whether you ar ehunting public or private land.

I'm not going to devulge honey holes or units though.

Colorado, because I can get a tag every year. Hunt private land in GMU 23. In New Mexico (where I live), I have drawn only three tags in 20 years.

Before I retired, I used to put in for tags in three-five states every year, but can't afford to either apply in or hunt that many states any more. One year, I had four hunts in four different states. My employers were understanding, but my wife thought that it was a little over the top.

Elkmaster:

Colorado has the most elk and it's easy to get a license there. But one might have a better chance at getting a big trophy in Montana, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, or Arizona.

My favorite place to hunt elk is in west-central Colorado.

KC

There are no big bulls left in Montana. The wolves ate them all. Colorado is certainly the top state for elk hunting!!

+10

Montana, it's why I left Colorado over 40 years ago.

And I like shooting a little bull.

And all the elk in Az were on summer vacation in Montana visiting relatives when the wolf blitz hit... we got none left here either... a tragedy for sure.

Kent

I've only hunted within Colorado. I've hunted 10 different units.

Many years ago 49 was great. I was too young to appreciate how good it was then. It's not as good today.

76 and 61 are good units today but you will wait near a decade to collect enough preference points for an early season bull tag in either one.

Colorado. As that's where my aunt's big ranch is located..... Lot's of animals. I believe it is unit 18.

BN

New Mexico....New Mexico and New Mexico. They are my three top rated states...Unit 55. As close to heaven as I will get while I'm down here!

Killed lots of elk in Idaho Unit 36 until the wolves moved in. I have not found a good bull unit since I moved.

Elkmen, It's sad what's happened in Idaho & western Montana. I
stopped hunting both about 3 Years ago.

NM until this year! No more do they give NR a chance to hunt, best I can tell. However, treated me well over the years, B&C black bear, 36" oryx, 84" antelope, two elk in two applications at 330 and 350 ish. No still not giving up the unit but past posts would show it to be north of Ruidoso!

Yet to get the sheep tag! Come on NM give it up!

Guess, NM no longer allows and for certain does not want NR hunters! Thanks for the memories!

I ain't telling......



Casey

Elkmaster, I did my last bull hunt there in 07, was successful but have been hunting cows in SE Idaho the last couple of years. Going into Riggins this year on a backpack hunt. Local intell has a hot spot identified. We will see!

The problem is conditions are always changing --- yesterday's hot spot might be dead next season. I got a tag in MT in 2003 that was the best I've ever seen. I glassed over 100 Bulls in 17 days --- nearly all 6 pointers -- some 5s. Conditions were perfect ---- VERY low number of tags, extreme mud, snow, chain-up-all-4 conditions. I never saw another Bull hunter (saw a couple Cow hunters). I knew the country very well as I'd chased cows (beef) over most of it.

The very next year good ol' MT Fish and Game started upping the tag numbers to the point that you'd be lucky to see a raghorn in there today.

Nope --- I never took the safety off. I was after a 350 minimum or nothing and not ONE of those I glassed made the grade. They were there, but I just (finally) ran out of time.