Anyone wanna discuss a cow elk hunt?

[Rich M]

2 older guys want to go on a cow elk hunt - late season, management, whatever you want to call it.

Any suggestions on where to go for guided hunt?

Should we just get some points and DIY?

 

[paxamus]

My first elk hunt was a guided cow elk hunt with these guys

Southwest Big Game Brokerage

www.southwestbiggamebrokerage.com

It was in New Mexico and they will guide you as much of as little as you want. Great guys and a super fun intro into elk hunting. I cannot say enough about Keith (owner) and Justin (one of the guides). Keith is easy to talk to about your hunt- give him a call- incredibly nice guy. I actually want to take my daughter with me on one!

He doesn’t publish the cow elk prices- call him- they were lower than I thought they would be


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[mtnbiker208]

tag and drag out of western wyoming they do cow elk hunts on the refuge.

 

[brsnow]

Great info

 

[wytx]

I would not do a refuge cow elk hunt, what a zoo.
Cow tags are a random draw and reduced price for many in Wyoming.
It seems that guided cow hunts are not as cheap and they used to be. Ask lots of questions, are they weather dependent, resident elk etc.

 

[Wapiti1]

Milligan Brand or Compass West in NM are both good outfits.

Jeremy

 

[Rich M]

Thanks guys.

I did some looking and the prices have indeed gone up. Everything else has too, so seems appropriate.

 

[Ralphie]

I’d be very cautious about tag n drag. My experience with them was with a buffalo hunt though it was more about their overall operation than a specific hunt.

 

[jolemons]

www.turneroutfitting.com

Vermejo Park Ranch

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[Werty]

Personally, I would apply for a general tag or bull tag that can be used for a cow " depending on the state". If you don't draw, most states you can apply later for a cow tag or by one OTC. As to DIY or guided that is up to your preference and checkbook. If getting an animal is the main priority then go guided. If it is not, have an adventure and go DIY. Good luck

 

[John Herrera]

The more I read, the more questions I come up with. I am just going to bite the bullet and pay for a guided cow elk hunt on private land. Easy to get. I need to get my feet wet as I "think" I have all my gear for a DIY hunt in the future. Good info guys.

 

[paxamus]

The more I read, the more questions I come up with. I am just going to bite the bullet and pay for a guided cow elk hunt on private land. Easy to get. I need to get my feet wet as I "think" I have all my gear for a DIY hunt in the future. Good info guys.

Give the guys I referenced earlier in the thread a call. Great guys and a fun hunt


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[John Herrera]

Give the guys I referenced earlier in the thread a call. Great guys and a fun hunt


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You bet.

 

[trophyhill]

Milligan Brand or Compass West in NM are both good outfits.

Jeremy

If you go Milligan Brand, ask for Ralph Martinez or Melvin Madrid

 

[GatorMike]

If you go Milligan Brand, ask for Ralph Martinez or Melvin Madrid

How did you like hunting at Milligan Brand in Chama? Success rate?

 

[trophyhill]

How did you like hunting at Milligan Brand in Chama? Success rate?

2 of the guides were also safety guys at the company i worked with and both had great success rates. Melvin Madrid and Ralph Martinez. A year i did not draw Ralph got me a landowner rifle tag and i killed the first morning. Thank God because it was in December with 2 feet of snow on the ground and zero degree temps outside of Chama. He knew where the elk were.

 

[GatorMike]

2 of the guides were also safety guys at the company i worked with and both had great success rates. Melvin Madrid and Ralph Martinez. A year i did not draw Ralph got me a landowner rifle tag and i killed the first morning. Thank God because it was in December with 2 feet of snow on the ground and zero degree temps outside of Chama. He knew where the elk were.

Ray Milligan is a snake oil salesman...we went Sept 2022 and when we called Ray in 2021 and asked what was the best week...he gave us the 2nd week of September....when we got there ALL of his guides said they do not do very well the 2nd week and that Ray was just "trying to sell hunts." Ray is ALWAYS drunk walking through camp while bragging about how wealthy he is which is very annoying for the hunters to hear over and over. He said he has 100,000 acres to hunt and of the 4 spots we hunted 3 of them were maybe 50-80 acre parcels with rancher fences dividing them. One of the neighboring ranchers actually drove his 4x4 50 yards from me while I was on an evening hunt sitting by a water hole..and did the same thing to another hunter. I texted my guide and he saw this happen through his binoculars and told me to get up and move to where another hunter was (mainly cause the parcel was so small there was not alot of areas for us to spread out.) Ray will falsify his success/opportunity rate and many hunters in camp witnessed him writing on his dry erase board that a hunter got a 4x3 elk when what he killed was a 1x1 spike. He does this so when other hunters come to camp they think there is high success when there is not. This unethical outfitter is only out for your money and could care less about how disgusting the camp is (flies all over the food, spiders and other bugs in the showers, filthy bedding. I feel bad for his staff as they ALL talk poorly about Ray when he is not around but because there are not a lot of jobs in Chama.....they are nice to his face. i would 100% save your money and not hunt with this lying outfitter

 

[GatorMike]

How did you like hunting at Milligan Brand in Chama? Success rate?

Hunted with Melvin...great guy.... but Ray Milligan is a snake oil salesman...we went Sept 2022 and when we called Ray in 2021 and asked what was the best week...he gave us the 2nd week of September....when we got there ALL of his guides said they do not do very well the 2nd week and that Ray was just "trying to sell hunts." Ray is ALWAYS drunk walking through camp while bragging about how wealthy he is which is very annoying for the hunters to hear over and over. He said he has 100,000 acres to hunt and of the 4 spots we hunted 3 of them were maybe 50-80 acre parcels with rancher fences dividing them. One of the neighboring ranchers actually drove his 4x4 50 yards from me while I was on an evening hunt sitting by a water hole..and did the same thing to another hunter. I texted my guide and he saw this happen through his binoculars and told me to get up and move to where another hunter was (mainly cause the parcel was so small there was not alot of areas for us to spread out.) Ray will falsify his success/opportunity rate and many hunters in camp witnessed him writing on his dry erase board that a hunter got a 4x3 elk when what he killed was a 1x1 spike. He does this so when other hunters come to camp they think there is high success when there is not. This unethical outfitter is only out for your money and could care less about how disgusting the camp is (flies all over the food, spiders and other bugs in the showers, filthy bedding. I feel bad for his staff as they ALL talk poorly about Ray when he is not around but because there are not a lot of jobs in Chama.....they are nice to his face. i would 100% save your money and not hunt with this lying outfitter

 

[Wapiti1]

Hunted with Melvin...great guy.... but Ray Milligan is a snake oil salesman...we went Sept 2022 and when we called Ray in 2021 and asked what was the best week...he gave us the 2nd week of September....when we got there ALL of his guides said they do not do very well the 2nd week and that Ray was just "trying to sell hunts." Ray is ALWAYS drunk walking through camp while bragging about how wealthy he is which is very annoying for the hunters to hear over and over. He said he has 100,000 acres to hunt and of the 4 spots we hunted 3 of them were maybe 50-80 acre parcels with rancher fences dividing them. One of the neighboring ranchers actually drove his 4x4 50 yards from me while I was on an evening hunt sitting by a water hole..and did the same thing to another hunter. I texted my guide and he saw this happen through his binoculars and told me to get up and move to where another hunter was (mainly cause the parcel was so small there was not alot of areas for us to spread out.) Ray will falsify his success/opportunity rate and many hunters in camp witnessed him writing on his dry erase board that a hunter got a 4x3 elk when what he killed was a 1x1 spike. He does this so when other hunters come to camp they think there is high success when there is not. This unethical outfitter is only out for your money and could care less about how disgusting the camp is (flies all over the food, spiders and other bugs in the showers, filthy bedding. I feel bad for his staff as they ALL talk poorly about Ray when he is not around but because there are not a lot of jobs in Chama.....they are nice to his face. i would 100% save your money and not hunt with this lying outfitter

Thanks for the rundown. My experience is dated and apparently things have changed. Sorry to hear.

Jeremy

 

[GatorMike]

Thanks for the rundown. My experience is dated and apparently things have changed. Sorry to hear.

Jeremy

Yes....wish I would have known before wasting thousands.