New Mexico unit 50 early archery

KyArcheryHunter

KyArcheryHunter

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Apr 18, 2018
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Me and my friends where drawn for our first elk hunt out west.We are from KY and one of my was drawn in KY three years ago and me him went over in eastern KY and took a nice 6x6 with his bow. I had so much fun I have been wanting to go back but it is so hard to get drawn in Ky so I talked my buddies to put in for New Mexico and we got lucky. I have done some research and I know this is going to be hard hard hunt,but all four of us are veterans and are willing to put in the hard work for it. It looks like we will have to cover a lot ground to find the and then hunt them.I know it is dry out there this year and water will be the key, so trying to locate it will be first. Any insight from this area would be much appreciated. We have watched so many shows and YouTube videos from Randy the man Newberg to Born and raised outdoors and Cory Jacobsen . These guys have taught us so much already. It is truly amazing how much these men love to hunt and want to past it on. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE THAT GOT DRAWN GO GET THEM.
 
Hey Ky!

My cousin and I were drawn for this hunt as well. Not what I would picture as a dream hunt but beat the heck out of sitting at home!

We have already planned a couple day scouting trip around the 4th of July. Hopefully we can set some cameras. Are y'all planning to scout or just look at maps and forums? Theres seems to be plenty of information on the unit and it all seems the same.

Looks like as long as your standards aren't too high, you have a decent idea and a little luck it might be doable. Seems like locating a reliable water source for early season is key. Hopefully some folks chime in on this thread with some valuable info and a good starting place.
 
I've never hunted unit 50 before but have hunted 45 and 6C before which border it to the south. Looks tough but it's hard to say since I've never been there. Congratulations on the draw though and good luck!
 
I too am hunting 50 for early archery this year. Hunt elk in Colorado but I haven’t hunted piñon/juniper before. Cannot decide on north or south of unit. Likely going to motor through there in July and drop a couple of cameras. May have to link up! Water for sure is vital... bring a book and a cow call!
 
Just got back from a scouting trip. We hiked to the top of Pot Mtn (Cerro de la Olla) and wandered around. There was some sign but the majority of it was very old. It is very dry up there and they hadn't gotten any monsoon rains at that point. We also checked out Cerro Montoso and de la Aire with similar results. We hiked around the southern part of the unit near El Rito and saw some sign but is was sporadic and in small pockets.

Looks like we are going to have to get lucky or get some good rains and hunt over water.
 
There are plenty of elk in the PJ here in AZ, and most of the time they bugle just fine. Water is a good bet too. Access in that unit doesn't look to be an issue, I would plan to stay mobile. Just get a good map that shows all the public road and water sources and go have fun. When I had a NM tag a few years ago I had Game Planner Maps make one for me. It was very helpful.
 
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You guys have you work cut out for you. That's winter range for elk from units 51, 52, 53, and Colorado's Southern border. They usually won't move in there until they have to. Mostly high desert type terrain. There's a reason it's easy to draw. If I had the tag, and wanted to make the most of it, I would hunt the few areas with higher elevations and thick PJ's, and focus on finding water. Also use the fact that it's open country and heavily roaded to you advantage. Cover a ton of country with vehicles and optics. I wouldn't commit to hiking into an area until you find some elk to go after. Just my $0.02. Spent alot of time in 52 when I lived in NM, sometimes we would camp in 50.

Good Luck.
 
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I have hunted the border of 50 and 53 with success. There are guzzlers scattered throughout the unit along the Rio Grande rim.
 
I’ve scoured the map looking for guzzlers along the rim. I can’t find any. Are they on the 50 or 53 side?
 
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