I may have an opportunity to hunt New Mexico Unit 5A for elk. Anybody hunted this unit or have information on elk hunting within it?

Dave

If I am not mistaken that is the area right up next to the Jicarria indian reservation. I could get out my old tags, but I think that is the area we hunted in New Mexico.

We hunted a ranch that is right up against the indian reservation and there are plenty of elk down there.

While it is around 7000 feet elevation, it is not particularly steep country. There are mountains to be sure, but they are sort of gradual, not like Idaho, for instance.

The area has lots of cedars and plenty of sage brush, but is pretty open.

We saw all sorts of game, from deer, to elk, to wild turkeys, to coyotes, to mountain lions.

Gosh, I wish I could remember for sure, but it seems that 5A is the area we hunted.

I have been there twice. The first time was three years ago and it was hot and dry. The elk bugled all night but at daylight they stopped. We hunted hard but could not put any good bulls in our sights. On the fourth day I belly crawled up to a nice raghorn bull and busted him right at daylight.

Last year was a good deal better. When we got there it was raining and the bulls were bugling like crazy. A half hour after daylight the first morning I got on a nice 6X6 that has about 20 cows and was bugling his head off. We got within about 250 yards and one shot from my 300 WBY put him on the ground. A couple days later my dad also collected a nice 6X6 bull. We had quite a load of meat in that pickup.

New Mexico is sort of a sleeper, a lot of people do not realize how much game they have. We are going to try something different this fall. We are going over near Raton next month for an antelope hunt. Shot my 25-06 today, getting tuned up.

Good luck in New Mexico, it has lots of game to offer.

R F