I'm cashing in my 12 CO pts next year on a wilderness bp hunt. Gonna start planning my next big elk hunt. I know very little @ NV or NM. Seems like getting the tags will be the hardest part. But I'm patient. I'll wait years for a great tag, heck I'm still young enough! What's your guys thoughts on which to apply for? Looking for a bp/rifle hunt in an area w better trophy potential than CO. Would be w a friend or 2. I've read & heard great things @ both states. Thanks for the advice.
Nevada or New Mexico ???
- Thread starter Trigger50
- Start date
Nevada is expensive because you have to buy a license to keep the point, no refunds. You're looking at around $170 to apply for elk if I recall correctly. They run on a squared point system. Your name is in the hat for every point you have so there is always a chance to draw. If you know you can't hunt a year you can still purchase points only without applying.
New Mexico is luck of the draw but you have four opportunities to draw a tag. If you research the units/odds and just want to hunt elk, you could draw every year although you may not hunt a premire unit most years. Tag fees vary depending on the quality of hunt.
This is just the short summary but should get you going in a direction to make a decision. Dig through both states regs to get more detailed info.
New Mexico is luck of the draw but you have four opportunities to draw a tag. If you research the units/odds and just want to hunt elk, you could draw every year although you may not hunt a premire unit most years. Tag fees vary depending on the quality of hunt.
This is just the short summary but should get you going in a direction to make a decision. Dig through both states regs to get more detailed info.
trevore
New member
In NM you have just a good a chance as anyone else in the draw. Both offer land owner tags if you have the money.
Am hunting Nevada this year and will be my second bull hunt and hopefully 1st bull. Other hunt was in Colorado. As far as which state I would hunt in, I live in Nevada so I am a bit bias however, the bulls here are huge if you can get a tag. Better chance in NM or Arizona
bow hunter
New member
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- Dec 29, 2009
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i drew a bull tag for nevada this year with 4 points!
havgunwilltravel
Active member
Why don't you cover a few basis and accumulate points in a few states. At least you are planning ahead and spreading the load so you won't have a long time between elk hunts.
Easy enough to get points in AZ, and the odds are ok for a wilderness hunt in the east on post rut dates.
Build em up in WY, straight forward online or with that paper application, now open, and in the meantime plan the odd hunt in one of the states where you can obtain tags and hunt wilderness ever year or two.
Nevada is pretty good to apply for points only as well.
Good luck
Easy enough to get points in AZ, and the odds are ok for a wilderness hunt in the east on post rut dates.
Build em up in WY, straight forward online or with that paper application, now open, and in the meantime plan the odd hunt in one of the states where you can obtain tags and hunt wilderness ever year or two.
Nevada is pretty good to apply for points only as well.
Good luck
bigeasygator
New member
Simple answer...both. If you can afford the tag and license fees apply to as many states as you can. I don't know what kind of units you're looking at, but depending on where you apply you may not draw a tag for a LONG time.
As people mentioned NM has no point system. Everyone's chances are the same year-to-year. This also means that you're unlikely to get any closer to a coveted Gila tag even after applying for say four years.
In NV, they do a bonus point squared system. This rewards people who have been applying for years but also gives a first time applicant a chance to draw a tag. Again, there's LOTS of competition for the most in demand tags. I looked at the sheep applications, and the top unit got something like 2,000 applications -- obviously not good odds. However, when you realize that 55 people with 19 points and 41 people with 18 points are applying (in addition to everyone with less points -- there's 31,000 applications right there (although someone with only 5 points drew that tag). Elk draw odds are considerably more favorable, but you can see how even 5 people with 9 or 10 points can make it a lot harder for someone with substantially less.
Anyway, that was meant to be a long-winded way of saying do your research and apply apply APPLY!!!
As people mentioned NM has no point system. Everyone's chances are the same year-to-year. This also means that you're unlikely to get any closer to a coveted Gila tag even after applying for say four years.
In NV, they do a bonus point squared system. This rewards people who have been applying for years but also gives a first time applicant a chance to draw a tag. Again, there's LOTS of competition for the most in demand tags. I looked at the sheep applications, and the top unit got something like 2,000 applications -- obviously not good odds. However, when you realize that 55 people with 19 points and 41 people with 18 points are applying (in addition to everyone with less points -- there's 31,000 applications right there (although someone with only 5 points drew that tag). Elk draw odds are considerably more favorable, but you can see how even 5 people with 9 or 10 points can make it a lot harder for someone with substantially less.
Anyway, that was meant to be a long-winded way of saying do your research and apply apply APPLY!!!
