Hello all,
My brother-in-law and I were fortunate enough to draw two rifle elk tags in north-central New Mexico this year for October 21-25. We've been chasing wapiti in southern Colorado for the last several years and this will be our first time chasing them anywhere else. I would appreciate any advice you may have on locating elk in this new-to-us area. The unit is within the Santa Fe National Forest.
The unit tops out around 9,000 feet. I'd say most of the huntable area is at an elevation between 7,000 feet and 8,400 feet. The area we are used to hunting in Colorado is generally higher. Last year, for example, when hunting Colorado in November, we camped at 9,000 feet and hunted up to 10,000-10,200. When we've hunted that area in September, we wouldn't find elk much below 10,600 or even higher, depending on dates and the weather. So, I know this New Mexico unit has lower elevations, I just don't have a point of reference for where to expect the elk to be in late October. I know snow and weather are going to play a role in this, but I'm trying to get an idea of where to focus my e-scouting efforts now.
So, I have a few questions:
If you know of online resources that can help me research #2 and #3 in particular, I'd be very grateful if you'd point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance!
My brother-in-law and I were fortunate enough to draw two rifle elk tags in north-central New Mexico this year for October 21-25. We've been chasing wapiti in southern Colorado for the last several years and this will be our first time chasing them anywhere else. I would appreciate any advice you may have on locating elk in this new-to-us area. The unit is within the Santa Fe National Forest.
The unit tops out around 9,000 feet. I'd say most of the huntable area is at an elevation between 7,000 feet and 8,400 feet. The area we are used to hunting in Colorado is generally higher. Last year, for example, when hunting Colorado in November, we camped at 9,000 feet and hunted up to 10,000-10,200. When we've hunted that area in September, we wouldn't find elk much below 10,600 or even higher, depending on dates and the weather. So, I know this New Mexico unit has lower elevations, I just don't have a point of reference for where to expect the elk to be in late October. I know snow and weather are going to play a role in this, but I'm trying to get an idea of where to focus my e-scouting efforts now.
So, I have a few questions:
- If you've hunted the area before or are familiar with it, at what elevations would you expect to find elk in mid-to-late October? (We've got bull tags, but I'll start with finding any).
- Relatedly, what are elk eating in this area that time of year, and where do you find it? (This unit appears quite a bit "rockier" than the area I'm used to, so I'm guessing the forage is different).
- Do you know where I can find a map of summer and winter ranges and migration corridors for New Mexico? (Colorado has this on their cpw website but I can't find similar information for New Mexico. The closest I've found are "Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States" publications put out by the USGS relatively recently, which are helpful but not quite as helpful as I'd like.)
If you know of online resources that can help me research #2 and #3 in particular, I'd be very grateful if you'd point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance!