Trophy elk hunt in New Mexico, archery, muzzleloader or rifle, Hunts.Net can guarantee you a tag if you book by March 15


Rich LaRocco 801-709-9280 phone or text
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March 28 application deadline

Plan now to hunt trophy bull elk this fall in New Mexico

New Mexico offers some of the best elk hunting in the West because the state limits the number of hunters. Many bulls get old enough to grow bragging-size racks because all hunters, even residents and landowners, must draw a permit in the annual tag lottery or acquire one of the limited landowner vouchers.

Now Hunts.Net has made arrangements so that you can plan to hunt trophy bulls in the Land of Enchantment this fall without worrying about whether you'll get a tag.

Every year the state's well-managed game management units produce several bulls large enough to qualify for entry in the Boone and Crockett record books. And there are hundreds of mature 5x5 and 6x6 bulls taken for every record-book qualifier.

Hunter success varies from year to year. The outfitter we use has averaged about 85 percent hunter success on rifle hunts for the past 25 years. Muzzleloader success is comparable during rut hunts, but drops to about 50 percent during post-rut hunts. Most bowhunters get close-range shooting opportunities, but probably about half of them miss or make bad hits.

Factors affecting success include hunter conditioning, shooting skills and trophy standards as well as weather, animal and hunter movements, and just plain luck.

Hunting quality is superior to what hunters find in most other areas of the West. Hunter density is much lower and the numbers of mature bulls are far higher than in most of the West.

Click on photos to see larger images

We offer hunts in three kinds of game units:

X) A zone where there are both trophy-class bulls and a good elk population;

Y) A zone with a good population but with very few trophy-class bulls; and

Z) A zone with trophy-class bulls but a lower elk population.

A trophy-class bull is considered to be a bull that scores 300 to 380 Boone and Crockett points. There are bulls in the 340-plus category killed every year in X and Z zones. In years when drought leads to poor forage, the bigger bulls are often in the 340 to 350 range, but in years with ideal forage the biggest bulls might score 360 to 380 or even bigger. We have had customers kill bulls as large as 386.

If you book a hunt in an X zone, be advised that your chances of drawing a tag are low (about 1 in 6 for rifle tags, 1 in 4 for muzzleloader tags and 1 in 3 for bow tags). We do not guarantee that you'll get a tag if you want us to apply you for an X zone. If you don't draw but want to hunt an X zone, we often can find a transferable landowner voucher for you, but they are expensive, going for $3,000 or more for archery and more than that for gun.

If you book a hunt in a Y or Z zone, the price listed in the table at the right includes a guarantee that you'll get a tag.

Regardless of where you hunt, we advise hunters to set realistic trophy goals. Don't let a bull walk away if you might later regret passing it up. That usually means you should not pass on a trophy that is bigger than your best.

Even in the best areas there are many bragging-size 5x5 and 6x6 bulls for every B&C qualifier. These are wild animals, not half-domesticated game preserve elk, so hunters who want to maximize their chances of filling their tag should not pass up mature animals.

If you want to get in on bugling action, your best bets are probably the Oct. 6-10 guided muzzleloader hunt and the Sept. 16-22 archery hunt.

Please feel free to call us so that we can help you decide which hunt offers you the best chance of achieving your hunting goals.

License cost	Lodging/meals

Hunt EK4731XYZ
Hunt, date, hunters per guide	Price per person
Z zone: Rifle elk, Oct. 13-17, two hunters per guide	$4,950 (includes guarantee that you'll get a tag)
Y or Z zone: Archery elk, Sept. 16-22, four hunters per guide	$2,500 (includes guarantee that you'll get a tag)
Y or Z zone: Muzzleloader elk, 5 days, Oct. 6-10, two hunters per guide	$4,950 (includes guarantee that you'll get a tag)
X zone: Rifle elk, Oct. 13-17; muzzleloader elk, Oct. 6-10; archery, Sept. 18-22. Two hunters per guide	$3,950 (lottery tag only -- low drawing odds -- no guarantee that you'll get a tag)
To guarantee yourself a tag, you must book in time for us to include you in the annual permit drawing. If you don't draw a permit, we will use a landowner voucher to get your tag. The hunt price includes the landowner voucher but not the state tag fee. The tag costs $555 in a Y or Z zone and $780 in an X zone.	Guided hunts include lodging in a rental house, cabin or tent quarters. We offer a discount to hunting groups that supply their own lodging and meals. Call for details.
Mule deer for bowhunters	Terrain
Mule deer and black bear are available on some archery hunts at no extra charge. Let us know if you're interested, and we'll enter you in the drawing for a tag. We cannot guarantee access to deer tags, but your odds are good of getting one of the deer tags allocated to outfitter customers.	Mountainous terrain but not nearly as steep and rugged as most Western mountains. Hunters are advised to get into good physical condition before the hunt. The better you can hike the more country you'll be able to cover to maximize their chances of success.
**Elk tag guarantee and terms
Here's how our tag guarantee works: Upon receiving your hunt contract, sign it and send it back to us with a $500 deposit and the money for the elk hunting license or a credit card authorization for the license application. We will send you a contract for a guided hunt with a licensed outfitter who has specialized in New Mexico elk hunts for more than 25 years. He will enter you in the drawing for one of the special tags allocated by the state for customers of outfitters. Where possible, he will apply for a first, second and third choice hunt number to maximize your chances.	When the results of the drawing are announced in July, you'll need to bring your total deposit up to 50 percent of the price of the hunt. At that time the outfitter will use his landowner vouchers to buy tags for any hunters who did not draw a tag for a hunt in a Y or Z zone. The final balance of your hunt price, including 7 percent sales tax, will be payable 30 days before the first day of your hunt.