How to Add New Mexico to your Elk Hunting

iHunt

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Jun 23, 2016
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149
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Minnesota
Looking for experience on hunting New Mexico, especially trophy units. Since the application and the results are posted late, after many of the other states deadlines, do you guys find that you only get to hunt New Mexico if you are willing to A) not go elk hunting in a draw unit of another state one year in hopes to draw NM instead? B) Willing to go on two elk hunts in one year? Or C) return a tag you drew after being successful in NM?

Does anyone have advice on what years to apply for NM, such as "Apply for NM on years you hunt X State since you can refund your tag" or "If you dont draw NM, you can do XYZ after the draw results"

Thanks in advance!
 
I skip NM when I know with a fair degree of certainty I will draw a tag in a limited extra unit in other states. However in the years that most of my draws are longer odds then I put NM in as well. In all honestly too many tags hasn't been an issue for me and I often just apply and figure if more then one comes in I will figure a way to hunt them ..
 
I like your thinking, but I usually dont have the vacation time to hunt two tags, one of the easiest ways I could see it working out is if I could turn my MT archery hunt into a rifle hunt and go later in the year. Maybe I will just wait to throw NM in until I reach a point that I have the vacation to do two 9 day hunts.

With GoHunt, I always will have high odds of drawing tags unless I purposely choose higher units, which is why I don't know when I would apply for NM... Is there landowner or guide tags in NM? If so, I could treat that as the one state I would go to on a guided hunt.
 
When I know I will have another tag, I shoot for the moon in NM. If I end up drawing NM and I can only go on one hunt, NM is good enough for me to justify tossing the other tag in the trash. That has not been an issue yet. If I have long odds at other tags, I'll adjust my NM choices accordingly. For someone who got into the points game late, New Mexico is a no brainer. My first year applying I drew one of the best tags in the state. The memories from that hunt alone are worth paying application fees in that state for the rest of my life, even if I never draw it again.
 
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