I have been planning a father son elk hunt for a year before taking a travel assignment from Florida to New Mexico. Since coming to the state we have had great hunting success. This includes a 39 1/2 inch bull Oryx, a large black bear with hounds and with some luck we hoped to bring home two bull elk. I only have a year in New Mexico so I decided to buy some private ranch tags in unit 34 since we were not successful with the public land draw.



I went with the guide company Compass West after much research and booked a late hunt from January 11th to the 15th for two bull elk. My father flew from Tampa Florida to Santa Fe New Mexico to join me for the hunt. We spent the weekend practicing at the range out to 400 yards in various field positions. It was a windy day and at 400 yards the bullet was being pushed about 12 inches to the left. With some compensation we were getting pretty comfortable with the Remington .300 Ultra Magnum firing 200 grain TSX Barnes bullets loaded pretty hot.


Sunday morning we pack the jeep, and grab a U-Haul open trailer to carry all the coolers we were hoping to fill. We drove about 6 hours to our destination in the middle of nowhere. We had to use a paper map with instructions due to the fact that GPS was not accurate and there was no cell service. We passed a ton of cows, pronghorn antelope, and a few coyotes that were mean mugging us from the side of the highway. We finally arrived at our cabin that would be our home for the next few of days.



The cabin was modest and quaint with a wood stove heater that we kicked on immediately due to the cold weather. Our guide Jeffery met us at the cabin to discuss our strategy for the morning. Compass West has numerous ranch leases to hunt and that was the plan for the morning. These cow ranches in New Mexico are very rugged and look like raw mountain dessert terrain that someone tossed a three strand barbed wire fence with some cows on it.
Unfortunately New Mexico has been in a bad drought for a few years and it has taken a toll on the ranchers and the elk. The ranchers are having a hard time watering and feeding the cattle, and have had to down size to one cow per hundred acres to keep the business afloat. The elk have taken a nutritional hit and there antlers have become brittle and many of the elk have broken there antlers this late in the season. It's a interesting dynamic because the farmers do not like the elk eating the little food the cows have but at the same time they receive money from the outfit and the land owner tags. So everyone tolerates each other in a delicate balance.



Day 1

So we wake up at 0500 am, get dressed, and jump into Jeffery's truck and drive to the first area. It is a chilly morning and everything froze over into an icy winter wonderland. It was beautiful but very crunchy under our feet, not ideal for sneaking up on elk. This is my dad and my first time hunting elk so I told my dad he was to be the first shooter and I carried the shooting sticks and did a lot of glassing. We hiked trough an empty field towards some mountains a distance away, while glassing the whole way. My father and I were pretty green so we mimicked our guide and did our best to learn.













I have been doing a lot of mountaineering to prepare for this hunt, and my father is a very active man who hikes and hunts in new jersey so we told Jeffery to go at his pace and we will try and keep pace. We hiked up a mountain about 7,000 feet above sea level and walk the ridge looking down both sides of the mountain to find a bedded elk. All of a sudden our guide stopped us and said there were two bull elk with a few cows ahead of us. We grab our binoculars and assess the first elk of our trip. This was the first elk my father has seen in the wild and was very excited. The two elk where big bodied but where only 4x4's. My dad thought they looked good but, the guide said they were not shooters and that we can do better. We decided to sneak out and look at a different area. Jeffery explained that it is important not to bump any elk cause they will leave the ranch land never to be seen again.
We get back to the truck and drive back to the cabin for lunch and to wait for the evening to go out again. Jeffery explained to us that in the beginning of the hunt he does not like to hunt during the day because you risk bumping the elk of the ranch land onto BLM land so it is not worth the risk. The afternoon comes around and we drive to a different ranch. This particular ranch, had many ranch hands using mule ATV's to tend to the cows so the elk have become accustomed to the noise. According to our guide, the elk tolerated the ATV but the minute you got out on foot they would bolt pretty quickly.



So we jump into one of the mule ATV's that they owned and begin driving around to cover more ground. We drive up a large mountain road to around 7,000 feet where we began ridding and scouting for some time. As it got closer to dusk we began seeing some elk cresting the mountain tops. There were 5 bulls with the two biggest ones being some nice 5x5's. We jump out of the ATV and set up the sticks in a standing position and sight the biggest 5x5 at around 350 yards away. We were not sure if we should take this one or not, my dad and I thought it looked great but the guide was not certain. By the time we decided that it was nice enough for a shot he was out of range and quickly crested the mountain.




We drove around a little more and saw a few elk but none that we could get in range to. At this point it was dark and we called it a night. We drove back to the cabin for some elk tacos and a beer, and quickly passed out for the night completely exhausted. The first day was very exciting and we saw some nice elk and had a lot of fun.





Day 2

We wake up on day two, eat, drink a coffee and head to a mountain range behind the cabin. we hike a mile or so and reach our first mountain. We take some time to glass before we make our way up the mountain. We saw plenty of tracks, scat, and shed elk antlers. It was clear they were here but, we had a hard time finding them. After much glassing and hiking we spot some bulls and cows about 600 yards away. The elk where obscured by the trees, but we were able to spot a few 4x4's, but could not make out the other bulls, but figured we would try and get closer. We got to around 500 yards of the elk before they moved off the ranch land and onto BLM land. We marked the spot on our GPS, and Jeffery thought they would be back later. We decided to head back to the cabin and slip out of the area without bumping any elk. On our way back we found out why we were not spotting more elk. There was an electric company working on the power lines driving around in a mule ATV. We were all very upset by their unfortunate timing. We got back to the cabin and went to a cow pasture that contained a water source for the cattle. Our plan B was to break up the ice on the water and maybe some elk would come to the water source if we were in a time crunch we could split up and I could sit the water. Jeffrey grabbed a shed antler and my dad grabbed a log and they broke the ice as a backup plan.





We hiked back to the cabin and unloaded our gear and had sandwiches with a nice expresso coffee. My father and I love good coffee so we bought our expresso machine, and our own coffee from home. Jeffery got a good kick out of it. Jeffery was quiet and a little stand offish at first but, on day two he began opening up a bit and joking around with us. I have only been on a few guided hunts and it seems to usually take a day or so to click and find your groove with a guide. My father and I really like Jeffery, his hunting style played into our own. He did not mind putting the miles in and really wanted us to shoot a worthy elk. He was not one of those guides that wanted you to shoot the first legal animal so they could be done with you. He really wanted to get us on some nice big mature elk. Having had some bad guided experiences, I really appreciated this.



During the afternoon we decided to head back to the location with the ATV. We drove around and came to a mountain range that Jeffery said he has seen some big bulls before. So we waited and began glassing. We spotted a nice 5x5 and behind him a really pretty 6x6. We decided to make a stalk up the mountain but the elk where looking in our direction. We waited about 15 minutes till they looked away and ran for the cover of the mountain where we could make a stalk unseen. The wind was swirling really badly in the canyon so we had to shift our approach a few times.



We were in range of the 5x5, and Jeffery gave us the option to shoot the 5x5 or we could stalk around and go for the 6x6. It was a tough choice because the 5x5 was a 300 yard prone shot, but we reluctantly gave in and stalked to find the 6x6. We snuck around the 5x5 and made our way up the mountain. As we stalked we bumped a massive 6x7 350 class bull. there were about 8 good sized 6x6 bull with him and they all made their way down the mountain. My father got into a prone position and I clocked the bull at 400 yards. Unfortunately The bulls made their way to another ranch property that we did not have hunting rights to. All we could do was watch them walk out of sight. Defeated yet again we made our way down the mountain in the dark. I ran into two cactuses and almost twisted my ankle a few times. Jeffery told us to get some rest because tomorrow we cover many miles on foot in search of those giants. We had some elk spaghetti and meatballs and passed out. In a way I felt we did not earn these elk based dishes yet, but enjoyed them none the less.



Day 3

We woke up and did the morning routine and jumped in the truck. Jeffery said today was going to be about an 8 to 10 mile haul on foot so get ready. We decided to start from the side of the highway and hike toward the area where we bumped the bulls to cover all potential ground where they could have gone. We hiked a few miles and spotted 7 cow elk that where standing where we were trying to go. So we had to climb another mountain to go around and try not to bump them. We successfully evaded the cow elk and climbed what felt like a million mountains with no sight of the monsters. It was becoming mid day and my father and I knew it was crunch time and we needed to start filling some tags at this point. We kept thinking back to the nice 5x5's that we passed on and where wishing we had not. Jeffery said he understood our time crunch and decided to hunt mid day and that maybe we can find some elk bedded down and make a stalk.

After another mile of hiking Jeffery stops us in our tracks and said he sees two elk bedded down. We crouch down and quietly make our way to his spotting scope. We look in and 220 yards away there is a big body 4x4 looking right at us and to his left a nice 6x6. We were afraid to move and get busted but the 6x6 was quartered away sitting down not giving us a shot opportunity. So we decided to wait till the 6x6 got up presenting us with a shot. My dad got into a seated position with the rifle on the sticks and his elbow on a pack for stability.



We waited patiently for 35 minutes before the 6x6 finally stood up. My father was very nervous and the fatigue of holding your scope on a target took its toll cause the first shot pulled to the left and hit behind the lungs, the second shot rang out still a little far left, Jeffery quickly shouted to shot further right on the shoulder. The third shot rang out and hit the lungs and heart. Blood poured out quickly and the elk dropped where he stood.
After the elk dropped Jeffery instructed me to grab the rifle and follow him. Bulls started exploding out of the brush left and right. It seemed we found the heard of big bulls, cause there were giant elk running every which way. I tried to get my sights on a bull but could not get a shot in the chaos that erupted. Everything settled down and the elk where gone. This was fine, cause I was very excited for my dad shooting a nice 6x6.



We walked up to the fallen elk and admired the beauty of the animal, impressive antlers and immense size. We took pictures and began dismembering the bull. Jeffery had the knife duties while I held the limbs and my dad bagged them in the game bags. Jeffery instructed us to haul the quartered elk down the mountain near the road where the ATV could be accessed while he ran back to the ATV 8 miles back, so he could drive to the ATV and pick us and the elk up.





My father and I grabbed a quarter and made our way down the mountain with only falling once or twice. We put the quarters in a shaded area still covered in snow. Up the mountain we went and grabbed the other two quarters and made our way down the mountain again. We went back up the mountain for the last load of premium cuts and the elk head with hide. We took a brief break to catch our breath and have some water before bringing down the last load. I tied the elk to my pack and Jeffery showed up completely exhausted from the run.









We went down the mountain for the last time carefully trying not to get the elks antlers caught on the rocks on the way down. We got to the ATV mule and packed the elk and the gear. Jeffery instructed us to drive the ATV and he was going to hitch a ride with a fence building crew back to his truck and we will wait for him at the front gate. My dad and I are in high spirits and drove to the front gate trying not to get lost. We finally made it to the front gate and waited for Jeffery to show up with his truck. At this point it was pitch black and getting cold. We enjoyed the beautiful star filled sky with no light pollution the sky looked amazing. Jeffery finally came and picked us up and we drove back to the cabin. We let the elk cool in the 14 degree weather near the cabin and fell asleep very quick that night. We clocked around 10 miles up and down mountains terrain and came home limping that night. Unfortunately Jeffery had to leave for an ibex hunt in the Florida mountains the next day so Chris the owner would be finishing the hunt with us.



I generally don't like switching guides during a hunt, but did not have much of an option. I really enjoyed Jeffery's hard boots on the ground hunting style and persistence in getting us on some big game. I would highly recommend Jeffery as a guide if one likes to hunt hard and is not afraid to put in the miles and get your hands dirty.

Day 4

We meet Chris in the morning and head to another location to find my elk. Chris has a much different hunting style than Jeffery. He is a bit older and years of guiding elk hunters through rocky mountains have taken a toll on his joints. Chris is more of a glass more and cover less ground type of hunter. It was an interesting contrast. We normally reserved the ATV hunting portion of the hunt for the evening, but decided to try it for a morning approach. We drove around a bit and Chris shared a lot of his local knowledge of the area. He pointed out the lack of water has forced the elk to start eating cactuses for moister, and how the Hereford cattle have been climbing the mountains to feed at 7,000 feet above sea elevation which they only do when really hungry.

Chris pointed out a well and mentioned that the cost to drill the 1,600 rocky feet costs almost 100,000 dollars. We also found some Indian arrowheads made from the surrounding rock. We found some high ground and spotted some elk 60 yards from us. we slowly approach but the terrain is so thick you could not make out anything except brown bodies. The elk quickly scented us and fled the area. We hiked the rest of the morning with only a few cow elk sighting and called it a morning and went back to the cabin.



At this point I told Chris I would be happy with a respectable bull due to the time constraints. He said ok, but really did not want to target anything less than a 5x5. After lunch we take off for the evening portion of day 4. In my head I really would like success tonight. I did not want to eat an expensive private tag and at least wanted to bring some meat home.

We take off and start hiking towards another mountain and begin glassing. We spot two nice 5x5 Elk sparing a bit at the top of the mountain like a picturesque silhouette. We make our way up the mountain while trying not to bump a big mule deer that was in our line of sight. We make our way to the top of the mountain and glass all around to find the mountain empty. Our hearts sank at the thought of another busted stalk. As the sun set we were defeated once again. We made our way back to the truck and back to the cabin for some steak dinner.

Day 5

We woke up for our last day of the hunt a little nervous about the odds of a second harvest. At this point I was happy my dad got a great elk but I was trying to figure out what to say to my wife that we are only bringing home one elk. We started our trek in the pitch black with coyotes howling in the distance. Chris seemed to be in a hurry this morning because we were moving at a good pace and we where breathing heavy. I think Chris wanted to get to the base of the mountain before the sun came up.

We caught our breath and quietly made our way up the mountain as the light crested the mountain. We glassed as we went but did not see anything. We made it to the peak and Chris stopped in his tracks and dropped the sticks. I immediately put the rifle on the sticks and look in the direction he pointed. About 100 to 150 yards away was a nice big old 5x5 standing broadside. I feel the sound of the wind and the other elk made enough noise to mask our accent.

I knew this was probably my last shot to fill my tag. I tried to steady my breathing and lower my heart rate as much as possible. From a standing position I squeezed the trigger and put the .300 ultra magnum round right through both lungs, I sent another shot for good measure but was not needed. I just wanted to make sure the elk was anchored in place. I was ecstatic to see the elk drop to a nice quick clean kill. We walk up to my elk and admire the thick rack and big body. Chris aged my dad's elk at 3 years old and mine at around 5. On later examination my elk had bigger antlers just less points then my dad's. A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I was excited to bring home a year's supply of elk meat.





Chris took point with the knife, while my dad held limbs and I carried the quarters down the mountain. I took four trips down the mountain with all the quarters and didn't care about the work or pain, cause we had a well earned hard successful hunt. I get back up the mountain and proudly pack the elk head and hide out while my dad and Chris grab the gear and rifle. We hike back to the truck and come back to get the elk.





Conclusion

We head back and begin packing for home while Chris capes the elks out for transport. We packed our coolers full of meat on the U-haul trailer and clean the cabin up a bit. We packed the antlers and secured the cargo. We thanked Chris for a great hunt and made the drive back to Santa Fe. We iced the meat and hides at the nearest ice machine and made it back in 5 hours. We dropped the hide and antlers off at the taxidermist for two shoulder mounts to be made to remember this once in a life time hunt.
We got home and I made Elk burger that we earned and we celebrated we a few beers and great stories that we will remember forever. The next two days were a nonstop meat processing party. I almost filled up my 14.5 cubic foot cooler when all the dust finally settled. I highly recommend Compass West as an elk outfitter. They worked their butts off to give us a great hunt and to land some great elk in unit 34. Compass West also has great success for public land hunts through the draw if you have time to be patient and have a little luck on your side.

Excellent story and photos! I enjoyed reading it. Glad you and your father both got well earned bulls!

Fantastic report, great for you and your Dad!

You cleaning out the Zia state.

Nice job!

Congrats on a great hunt with your dad and two solid NM bulls! Thanks for taking the time to put together a hunt report.

Well done!

Nice bulls! Congrats!

Fantastic account of a great hunt. Thanks for taking the time to put it together so nicely.

Great job and a great story.

What a great way to make memories with your dad.

Glad you had a good hunt. Thanks for posting and telling a great story.

Jeremy

Thanks gentlemen. New mexico was been a blast, not just hunting, but also all the hiking and national parks. I plan to continue to hunt out west. There is something about spot and stalk that is more exciting than tree stand hunting for me personally.

Thanks for the report. Congrats on some fine elk!

Great hunt, reminds me of hunts gone by..CAn't do that anymore, so do it while you can...

Today however I could and would do a horseback hunti in that area in a heart beat..I can stillhandle that! at least for now....

If I were packing antlers and had on camo, I'd want something, maybe a hat that was blaze orange.

I agree, but we where on private land, and we were the only hunters out there.

Great report and pics! Thanks so much for sharing!

A fine fine bull. Congrats.
CB

Looks and sounds like great trip

Great job and great story! Glad you got your bulls!