Unit 51 NM 1st rifle Elk

[rgrx1276]

Well it appears I got lucky and drew an elk tag in this unit. I haven't been able to hunt in years due to a deployment in 2005 and working in Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel since.
Came home last year and went back to school and I'm taking a break this fall.

My plan is to head out 3 weeks prior to the season opener, acclimate, and see if I can find some animals, but looking at the unit- the place is HUGE. Any ideas as to where to start?

I had an outfitter give me a general idea, but was wondering if any of the forum members have any ideas on the unit they would care to divulge.

I have killed elk before- a couple good bulls in AZ and another bull in CO and a couple cow elk in UT and AZ, and I do understand what it's going to take to get one out by myself.

Have all the gear I could ever want, and will camp out in some bit of comfort with a Kifaru type 5 man tipi and a wood stove, eat real food, and just enjoy my time in some beautiful country.

Thank you for your help!

 

[rgrx1276]

dang! no one here has hunted 51? Well I'm kinda planning on Canjilon lake area to start. Want to fish a bit as well. any lures that are must have for back country trout?

 

[NMhunter92]

Check with the forest service if you want to stay at Canjilon Lake. They have been renovating the area and last I checked it was closed. Check out Hopewell Lake area. You will be dealing with a lot of road hunters. They should still be going rut crazy too!!!!

 

[LaGriz]

rgrx1276,
Send me a PM. I'm real busy but can find the time to give you some input. I will be hunting 2nd archery in unit 51. Conjilon Lakes area is tore up with beetle killed trees. It was off limits 2 years ago, not sure if the FS opened it up yet or not. FYI, Trout Lakes also gets hammered by bow hunters. Not sure about during rifle season, but suspect so. I would have a plan that includes hunter pressure working in your favor. Try and locate a spot that pressured elk will escape too. Need a quality 4X4 as the roads get pretty bad with any kind of weather. Don't underestimate your chances at a branch-antlered bull. IMHO you have a pretty decent tag! 51 has a fair number of elk, that probably don't get to live too long. Don't think you should turn down a rag horn 6X5 or 5X5. Thanks for your service! LaGriz

 

[rgrx1276]

LaGriz,

Thank you for the reply and I'll send a PM to ya... Had a learning curve years ago about elk, and where they disappear to after the first day happens. Watched many a bull and cows disappear through a pass to some of the thickest, steepest terrain known in central Colorado. Was waiting in the pass and knocked over the first 5 point that ran past me.

Thing is, all of 51 up north looks the same at least on google earth. Was planning on looking for an escape point towards private ground. I figure that's where they will head to when the shooting starts... Could be wrong though... Will be driving a GMC 2500 4x4 in good shape, and will put down the first legal animal I come across.
Thank you again for the reply.

 

[rgrx1276]

Gilaelkhunt, Thank you for the info, will contact the FS before I head in.

 

[NMhunter92]

Recreation area to reopen in northern New Mexico forest

Looks like canjilon is gonna be open.

 

[Tberg]

There were a couple good burns last year in the NE part of the unit. Might be worth a look.

 

[rgrx1276]

There were a couple good burns last year in the NE part of the unit. Might be worth a look.

Thanks for the update

 

[88man]

I heard a few guys saying crime is very bad in the area and stories of camps being raided while they were out hunting

 

[rgrx1276]

Update on this post. Went in 2 weeks early on a DIY to camp, sightsee and scout. Started out on the south end and saw some sign and heard a couple bulls in the evening that put a smile on my face. Never could find them so I started looking around on the north side up near hwy 64. Saw some sign there but no bulls out in some of the limited openings. Before I went, I was thinking long shots and had my 308 set up with a drop cam on my nightforce 2.5-10x32 and a 165gr bullet at 2740 fps.
Anyway, ended back up where I started, checking out tanks as I backpacked around, 6-9 miles worth of humping daily. Really got this old flatlander back into shape and I was having as blast.
The night before the opener, a hunter showed up where I was planning on hunting in the AM and blew his call for 45 minutes and I guess scared the heck out the 3 bulls I saw, as I never heard them call that night or the next 3 nights before I left to head home.

Opening morning comes and I set up on an escape route- didn’t see any thing so after 3 hours of daylight I start moving where I thought the bulls might be holed up. I did manage to move one out but couldn't get a shot.

I moved to check a couple tanks that were holding water from about 300 yards out from where they would head to in the evening, and after I found a place to watch I saw cows bust out of the cedars and head away from me. I didn’t think it was me as the wind was blowing 20-30 miles an hour gusts and into my face. I did a bit of investigating and found someone had parked a 4 wheeler about 200 yards from a tank that was being visited after dark. I went back to a spot to see if I could intercept them IF they came back and no dice. About 6 PM I heard a bull call and decided to see if I could get to him before dark, and I took off jogging/running through the cedar and juniper bushes that had been cut down. I made the 3/4 mile strait line in about 15 minutes through all that mess. Catching my breath I was easing through the blowdowns and cut trees and there were 2 cows. As I looked past them,I saw the bull. The cows took off and I shot the bull offhand at 139 yards as he was still standing still. He hit the ground and I jacked another cartridge into my rifle thinking I would give him another one when he stood up. He didn’t and I got to thinking “did I miss”??... SH*T..!

I’m looking around for a blood trail and happened to look a bit further up the hill and there he was. I was so thankful he never moved and I didn’t miss. What a gift!
4 hours later and I had him quartered, bagged and in my camp. I sure appreciate the PM’s as to where to hunt and what to expect. They were a big help.

Best regards,
Rgrx

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Good report and great bull! Beautiful country to hunt there in Northern NM.

 

[Shrek]

Congratulations ! Sounds like a great time with all the scouting. It’s kind of a letdown if you walk in cold and shoot one right away. Putting in the work and figuring out the options makes it a lot sweeter when you connect.

 

[tlowell02]

Congrats! That's a great bull for that unit.

 

[FlyGuy]

Great Bull! Sounds like a perfect solo hunt!

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

 

[mixed bag]

Shot my bull in NM on the 6th.Got to my unit 2 days early finding mostly mule deer but an area of fresh elk sign.No talking from the elk at all during my scouting.Saturday morning got into a bull with cows 10-15 minutes after shooting light.Went to circle in front of them but ran into them heading up and over.Quick 80 yards shot and my bull was down.Two more bulls then started carrying on as I was breaking mine down.Didnt see another Hunter anywhere within miles of where I was.NM hands down has the worst forest service roads I've ever seen.I was pretty much the only one crazy enough to drive my truck on the 4x4 marked roads so that helped.Everyone else was hunting off the nice gravel roads about 10 miles away in either direction

 

[KHNC]

That is a very nice bull! congrats! Also, you may want to do yourself, and everyone else , a huge favor and edit your post to exclude the unit number. Otherwise, by next year, tons of googler freeloaders will be trying get a $$unit tag and hunt the "south end" to find the elk. And TYFYS.

 

[katdaddy2013]

Awesome job rgrx1276, great bull.

 

[SoDakGuy]

Congrats on an awesome bull! Hard work and persistence pays off.

 

[LaGriz]

Awesome result rgrx1276, congrats great bull!

I hope my PMs helped to some degree. While reading your report I can't help wondering if the tank you were describing was the same one I told you about. I had not hunted that part of the unit since 2000. It is likely that the elk are still utilizing the same locations. I can tell by the tone of your story, you had a good experience and I'm glad for you.


My archery hunt in 51 was beyond a bust.
At the end of the 1st day of hunting (9/15) I managed to take a spill and hurt myself pretty good. Dislocated my Rt. shoulder only to later learn that I also broke a bone (bank-art fracture of the glenoid ) too. Had surgery on Oct 1st and I'm only just now getting back to work. Limited duty (desk work only) while I continue the rehab. Don't know if this will cost me my job or not.

I would like to thank my hunting partner for his stellar efforts in getting me to the ER in Espanola, rigging down our tent camp, driving me the 1200+ miles home, and unloading my gear. His hunt was also ruined when I injured myself. One lapse of concentration costs us both a precious hunting season as we are both older guys. My buddy never once brow beat me or complained about the adventure ending so abruptly. In addition, we both had $ out of pocket for this 10 day hunt that ended after one day. I paid for all the fuel and for a motel on the return trip and cut him a check for his cost to the outfitter. However, we are still out the cost of the NR high demand tag. Ouch!
I'm told I will most likely be able to shoot a bow again, but not to expect a 100% return of ROM or full use.

LaGriz