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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Late March 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 two types of hunts. In two areas we offer hunts for which we guarantee that you'll get a tag. In another area that offers a higher chance to see a trophy-class bull, we offer a hunt that requires you to draw a tag in a computerized lottery that offers low drawing odds, even for clients of resident outfitters.

Our guaranteed-tag rifle hunts take place in a zone that holds a good number of trophy-class bulls in the 300 to 380 class. Of course, those animals are outnumbered by sub-300 bulls, so if you want to maximize your chances of filling your tag, you should consider taking the first nice bull you see. The cover is fairly dense, so you won't see a lot of elk, and when you see a bull it will usually be within 200 yards and often much closer.

We apply our bowhunters and muzzleloader hunters in that zone as a first choice and the bordering unit as a second choice. The second unit has a good population of elk but fewer trophy-class bulls.

In years when drought leads to poor forage, the bigger bulls in all these units don't get as big, losing probably 10 percent of their score. In years with ideal forage the biggest bulls might score 360 to 380 or even bigger. Our outfitter has had customers kill bulls as large as 386. One day three or four years ago two archers hunting different areas both got bulls that exceeded 375 Pope and Young points.

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. It's wise not to pass on a bull on the first day if you would take that bull on the last day.

Wise hunters know that even in the best areas there are many bragging-size 5x5 and 6x6 bulls for every B&C qualifier. We are hunting strictly wild animals, not half-domesticated game preserve elk. It's often said that any wild elk is truly a better trophy than the largest high-fenced bull.

If you want to get in on bugling action, your best bets are probably the early October guided muzzleloader hunt and the latter part of the archery hunt.

Bowhunters should consider hunting early in the season, however, because hunting over water holes and wallows can be especially effective then. Also, early in the season the biggest bulls will often come to a call when later the big herd bulls usually refuse to leave their cows.

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	Price per person
Guaranteed-tag rifle elk, tentatively Oct. 12-18	$4,950 with two hunters per guide, $5,950 with one hunter per guide. (both prices include a voucher if you book in time for us to apply you for a tag)
Guaranteed-tag archery elk, tentatively Sept. 1-6 and Sept. 16-21, four hunters per guide	$2,500 if you bring your own food, $3,000 if we supply a cook and food (both prices include a guarantee that you'll get a tag in either our first or second choice area)
Guaranteed-tag muzzleloader elk, 5 days, Oct. 5-9, two hunters per guide	$4,950 with two hunters per guide, $5,950 with one hunter per guide. (both prices include a guarantee that you'll get a tag in either our first or second choice area)
Lottery-draw rifle elk, Oct. 12-16; lottery-draw muzzleloader elk, Oct. 5-9; lottery-draw archery, Sept. 17-21. Two hunters per guide.	$3,950 (lottery tag only -- low drawing odds -- no guarantee that you'll get a tag. Landowner vouchers in this area cost from $3,500 for archery up to $7,000 for rifle). A 1x1 hunt is an extra $1,500 to cover the guide's wages, gas and food.
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 your deposit. To book a lottery-draw hunt, you must send us the price of the hunting license and tag and a $500 deposit. You can authorize us to debit your credit card if you prefer. We will then apply you in the drawing each year until you draw or decide to apply the money to a guaranteed-tag hunt. To book a guaranteed-tag hunt, you must send us the price of the hunting license and tag as well as a deposit equal to 25 percent of the price of the hunt. Again, we can use your credit card if you prefer. Before we can apply you for a tag, you must sign a contract for a guided hunt with our 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, successful lottery-tag hunters and all guaranteed-tag hunters must bring their deposits up to 50 percent of the price of the hunt. At that time we will finish paying for any landowner vouchers that we have committed to buy. The final balance of your hunt price, including 7 percent sales tax, will be payable 30 days before the first day of your hunt. Sales tax is actually a bit over 7 percent, but we stick with that figure to make calculations easier, and we make up the difference.