Elk guidance???

[creekrat]

So a cousin and I got a wild hair that we want to go on an elk, preferably, or antelope hunt in 2021 and we would like to do a DIY. We're both fairly experienced hunters but have never been west. We are possibly looking to find another hunter or couple of hunters that have done this and wouldn't mind sharing experience and possibly even splitting expenses on a trip.

Now what we have to offer:

If we can find the right gentlemen to sync up with we can offer a south Texas axis hunt just outside of San Antonio.

 

[bigred1]

I'm pretty sure someone is going to get up in a little while, get a cup of coffee, read your new thread and say OH HELL YEAH.

 

[creekrat]

That's what I'm hoping for...lol

The beautiful thing about the axis is there is no season or bag limit and some of the best times is to catch them in their first rut in spring or early summer but they tend to run around there all year long.

 

[cal7.62x39]

May want to check local also. Dutchess Creek Ranch in Porum has elk and red stag. Won a cow hunt there in a raffle. Amazing place. You can drive or walk in to start stalking your heard.

 

[PiedmontGuy]

Just to get your feet wet, do the Oklahoma controlled hunts in Wichita Mountains and sign up for the cow elk hunt. I had always put in for the bull hunt at Wichita and by mistake I keyed in the cow hunt number and went in January 2019. It was a GREAT hunt for me. I had never really eaten elk meat before and now I am hooked. A big bull would be great but I would be super happy just killing a cow elk every year or two and will probably got that route.
My antelope hunt was also an Oklahoma controlled hunt. You have to work out getting private land owner permission or use OLAP parcels but it was a great hunt. The meat was good too.
I listen to a podcast called 'WiredToHunt' by Mark Kenyon and although the podcast is very centered around whitetail hunting, he has several conversations about planning his DIY elk hunts as well as other western state hunts. The conversations are between him and his co-host but several times he brings in a guest who shares their tips on finding the public land places to hunt. Check out these episodes (23,44,73,107,118,236,245,247).

 

[h4everything]

Definitely start putting in for the OK special hunts.

NM can have good chances to draw. depending on the unit for success rates. Deadline to apply is 3/18

Do you Muzzle loader or bow hunt?

If you want to draw a hunt and just go your chances of draw a tag in NM for unit 9 are really good but the success rate is really low. I got a 3rd season muzzleloader hunt a couple of years ago and finally saw an elk but it sure was hard. Only saw one elk dead and after the 2nd day most of the camps were gone. Unit 15 and unit 16 A-E on in the Gila are badass but less that 3% to draw for a nonresident.

I would suggest subscribing to GoHUnt and researching the crap out of it.

Start buying points.

If you have enough money private land tags can be hand in NM for a good hunt but they are expensive

 

[doug1949]

google the colorado parks and wildlife and get their Big Game hunting brochure for 2021. Application deadline for limited license drawing is April 6th. However, over the counter licenses are available through each of the seasons for each method of take. The average success rate is 30%, so you may not fill a tag the first year. It can take some time to learn how to hunt an area before you increase your chances very much. don't be discouraged and good luck

 

[Aviator]

Myself and a few friends have hunted the over the counter hunts in southwest Colorado 5 times during the rifle hunt and once during the archery hunt. The only hunt we didn’t bring elk home with us was the archery hunt, and that was due to poor shooting on my part, not lack of elk.
We have had really good success hunting around the edges of the Weminuche Wilderness area north of Durango. Just make sure you’re prepared as it’s fairly high elevation and normally you’ll be carrying the elk out on a pack frame.
Quite a few outfitters in the area will pack your elk out if they have time, and it’s worth every penny they charge, those mountains are steep!

 

[HoLeChit]

I know you're looking for local, but if you ever wanna get crazy and go out of state looking for elk, I worked in an area in the northern backside of the Rockies in Colorado for a summer. There were more elk there than you could shake a stick at. Literally every morning on the way to work i would get help up twice for 10 minutes each just to let these massive herds cross the road. Not a bad commute though.

The same area I almost stepped on a moose calf getting to a fishing spot. I turned right back around and went back to my truck to find a new spot after that.

 

[thor447]

I know you're looking for local, but if you ever wanna get crazy and go out of state looking for elk, I worked in an area in the northern backside of the Rockies in Colorado for a summer. There were more elk there than you could shake a stick at. Literally every morning on the way to work i would get help up twice for 10 minutes each just to let these massive herds cross the road. Not a bad commute though.

The same area I almost stepped on a moose calf getting to a fishing spot. I turned right back around and went back to my truck to find a new spot after that.

Yep, specifically the areas around Estes Park, CO. They are everywhere out there. There's a golf course there that often has players having to wait for herds to cross the fairway before they can play through!