Has anyone done this hunt lately and have a positive rec. on your guide? I'm applying, but need a guide and the one used some years ago is not guiding anymore.

http://dmvoutfitters.com/
I hunted in NM with Dave Martinez and he know very well the area.

Did you draw a tag ? The draw odds are terrible on this unit but the elk hunting is awesome. If you draw a tag I am sure the outfiiters will be calling you. Density is high and should not be alot of hunting pressure as the tag numbers are low.

The odds just went way up for a hunter wanting to hunt the Valles Caldera for elk. They changed the rules this year and you can only buy ONE lottery chance per each hunt code. In the past a person could buy up to 20 chances per hunt code. They also lowered the ticket price as well. More info can be found in the NM Game Dept. Proclamation or by checking the Valles Caldera web site.

I live 12 miles from the VC and have worked and visited there quite a lot over the past 10 years and don't think a guide is necessary UNLESS you have never hunted elk before. If that is the case then a guide would be good. The NM Game and Fish Dept has a list of registered guides in New Mexico and if you hire a guide, make absolutely sure you hire a registered one and not a renegade.

The elk quantity is still there, but the quality, size, has gone down considerably over the past half dozen years. You can expect to take a bull in the 290 to 320 inch range now days. Some bigger ones are still there but not in the quantity as in years gone by. Hope this helps?

Larry Sellers
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