Bow hunt trophy elk in the famous Gila area of southwestern New Mexico

This hunt is in some of the finest trophy elk country anywhere. It takes place in the various subunits of Units 15 and 16 in southwestern New Mexico, an area known as the Gila. The state limits the number of hunters through a license drawing. Consequently, these units provide excellent hunting for big bulls. This area has produced many of the largest bulls listed in the Pope and Young Club record book.

Most of the area has enough roads that you hunt by accessing the country by four-wheel-drive, then you can hunt by foot. The outfitter uses horses in two units. Typically you'll take a lunch in the field, eating dinners and breakfasts at camp. You'll have the option of staying in a ranch bunkhouse or the outfitter's home. Sometimes he'll run a tent camp in some areas.

Drawing odds vary from year to year and from hunt to hunt. Usually the last bow hunt and the first rifle hunt are in higher demand, but the outfitter does about the same on big bulls on any of his hunts. Drawing odds are much better for customers who book first because the state reserves 12% of all tags for customers of outfitters. Hunters fly into Albuquerque. The archery hunting is very good during the rut in September.

Update 1/26/07

Outfitter: "The first week of bow season in 2006 was a tough week because it rained. Sitting water was pretty much out of the question. Hunting was slower the first week than what we have had.  There was water in every draw, lots of green grass. On the average we did well, and the last hunt it picked up as things dried up. The elk scattered because water was available over the entire area, so they went into some areas they don't usually hit much.  Also the antler growth was down because of the dry spring and dry early summer. This year we have snow on the ground, and the ground is wet, and so I predict that this spring and early summer we'll have plenty of green grass, and it will put some groceries down. We killed some 360s and a 370, but nothing bigger due to limited forage. Over the past 10 years our average bull has been around 300 on all of our hunts, but we usually get some real bombers, and that didn't happen in 2006. I would say that our bowhunters typically have a 90% opportunity at a mature six-point bull. But our area is known for producing some monsters, such as a 400-plus we got in 2005, and so we get some guys who look for 350 inch bulls or nothing, and they drop our success down."