Jicarilla Elk Hunt

The draw for cow elk on the Jicarilla Reservation was just held and I got a Southern Unit cow tag.

This is my first time hunting there.

Can anyone offer any advice?

That is very cool. Can non-residents apply?

The bulls are off the charts. You will be amazed

Absolutely. Google "Jicarilla elk hunt", you will find their website. Fill out the form, send it in with your money.

Cow elk hunts are affordable, bull not so much. There is a minimum bid of 45k? On some their hunts.

As tlk said, the Bulls are unbelievable. I have only seen pictures, can't wait to see them in person.

Yeah, I've seen pictures and videos of the bulls. They are incredible. And they charge an incredible price. The dead ones have a happy hunter and a stoic (unsmiling) Apache guide in them.

I stopped and talked to a guy representing a Native American reservation in Arizona (or Nevada?) at the Dallas Safari Club show in January. Typical big bulls and astronomical prices. No lodging on the reservation and you cannot camp. Typical "screw you, take it or leave it" attitude delivered politely. I was interested in booking a hunt a few years ago with the Blackfeet Reservation, but the guys showed up for the first couple of hours of the show (DSC) and weren't seen again for the remainder of the show. Unfathomable culture. I still respect it. 'Just don't understand it.

Bummer, sounds like a bad experience. Thus far my interactions have been positive. I tried to screw this up, can't believe I got the tag.

Mailed in unsigned money order
They called me after the deadline and told me. Said don't worry about it. Just sign and send back. Very nice.


I called today to check on results and the lady on the phone was as excited as me.
Called a guide off their list. Was a female guide and was as nice as could be.
I screwed the date up, same week as my sons hunt. Told the guide and she said don't worry about it, we will have you out by 10 a.m. Opening day. Even told me where to camp the night before.

Do they have one tied to a tree for me or are there that many elk?

Sure hope that lasts.

Sounds very nice. I will have to give it a try. Thanks very much for the info.

I have never hunted the reservation, but have drove through it many times and worked in a few areas over the last 30 years or so. Most the Elk I see are around Cuba NM, (Seen some incredible bulls just N of town where they cross a lot)
No doubt the guide has a hotspot already tried and true, maybe by a water hole. Only advice I could give would be start making freezer space.

Don't leave a damn thing in your vehicle either, if you stay in a motel on the res. For all intense and purposes, you will be in a foreign country.

Just know as soon as you cross that Reservation you are not in NM any more. In some ways not even America. Watch your P's and Q's

Congrats on the draw!

I hunted for several years on Private Land bordering the Jic. You should have a successful hunt for a cow, there are plenty there. Many of the Elk in the area retreat to the reservation as soon as the surrounding public and BLM land gets pressure.

Beautiful country, you should enjoy it immensely. What is the date of your hunt? Depending on the date and temps the elk can move around some.

In addition to some world-class bulls you also have a good chance at seeing some heart-stopping Muleys.

Elk permits on the Jicarilla are not too out of line at $6,000 it's the mule deer permits that are kind of crazy at $17,500. The $45,000 minimum bid hunt, is for a Buck & Bull licsense, no draw highest bidder wins. There is one a year with a similar aution for mule deer $35,000 minimum bid.

I've always dreamed of hunting that place. I've never been on the reservation except for driving through. Like BOBO and Western said, don't leave a thing in your vehicle (this can be hard) and mind your Ps and Qs. We've driven all over New Mexico and lots of times you'll be on a reservation and not even know it. Don't pull over to camp or take a nap. You could be harassed by young men from the reservation

The Mescaleros near Ruidoso get 17,500.00 base price for a bull. Then there is lodging, guide fees etc.
My uncle lives in Santa Fe and he has hunt the Jicarilla Rez. He claims it is fabulous.

its a pretty cool place with some pretty good Bulls and some pretty good bucks but it's definitely overpriced compared to a lot of places. And yes shooting your cow shouldn't take more than a few hrs.

The Jicarilla is known for the quantity of its elk, rather than the quality. A 300-310 bull is probably average, and a 340 would be a top-end trophy. Hunters on other reservations, like the Mescallero, White Mountain, and Hualapai will look over much better bulls. A quick glance at pricing reflects that reality. The OP on his cow hunt will find himself in elk heaven, because he'll see hundreds of animals the very first morning. I bet he'll be blown away by the experience.

The first two bull elk I ever shot were taken nearby. The first was on the Theiss Ranch, which abuts the Jicarilla and is now owned by the Reservation. The second came off the Munday Ranch, just east of Dulce and west of Chama. Both were exciting hunts with bulls screaming everywhere.

Where the Jicarilla really shines is its mule deer hunting. The Reservation may be the single best place in the world for a B&C buck, and again, the pricing reflects this reality.

While he's enjoying his cow hunt, the OP may have the added benefit of seeing and photographing some gagger 200+-pt. bucks.

I've never heard of this, thanks for sharing! The cow elk and bear hunt prices look like a bargain to me, especially if you believe their website that success rates on cows "approach 100%."

I have no doubt they are almost 100%, I think it would be because of the hunter if it is less than. Opportunity probably 110%. Compared to BLM or other public properties, they get little pressure.

Where I hunt in Colorado, there was a Pueblo family that would leave the res and come up there to hunt, said they even had a time hunting res land, and iirc, they have a legal right to hunt big game anytime they want as a perk. BTW, they also told me "never leave and animal hanging when on a res".

I had a deer stolen out of the back of my truck once when a friend of mine stopped for grub in Espanola NM. (Pueblo res I think) At the time, Both he and I where in LE, we parked between 3 sheriffs vehicles and the sobs still stole the buck, of course no one saw a thing. We where inside less than 10 minutes

I hunted the Jicarilla last year and it was without a doubt a near perfect experience.

We stayed in the motel on the res and had zero problems of any kind. Every tribal member was nice and welcoming. Of course, we were polite and respectful also.

3 hunters and our average bull was 320", which is above average. The guides are key...get the best guides and you will have a tremendous opportunity. Mine was 321" (7x6) and we had a 5x5 monster over 300" and another 334" 6x6.

You will tag out on a cow in less than 2 hours. Literally thousands of elk.

I have never killed an elk so I am sure you are right, I will be in heaven.

I have heard that the Rez is a sovereign nation and to be careful . I will definitely do that.

I will be sure to take pictures and pass along.

Here are a few pics....

Those are some nice racks! From the Jicarilla?

Thank you! We are proud.

Yes, we hunted the Jicarilla last September in the first gun session. It was the bow and gun week...2 of our group brought bows, but we all connected with rifles. These are all reservation elk...not from the park. We saw a few 350"+ from the park. One pushed 400".

We have another group that got tags for the bow only session this year. One of the guys took a 208" mulie from the reservation two years ago. He is going for bull elk with a bow this year.

It's pricy, but I think it's a good as it gets for that price range. $7k for a 320" bull is good in my book. And, we saw 35-40 mature bulls over the week. I've never hiked that much in my life....but it was worth it!

I will be back for sure. Bull elk with bow is on my bucket list.

The tag price is great. How much is the Apache guide?

That's a good question, a Wyoming private land hunt is $4500 to $6500 plus the license, at $1071 for special license and $591 for a regular. With some of the more expensive outfitters there isn't a huge difference in cost from hunting the Jicarilla.

People cull 8X8 there!
Beautiful country.
Be sure you eat at EL BRUNO'S in Cuba. Great Mexican food and a bunch of it!

Federal government always has last say with them, but they don't intervene much... Assuming they pay their BLM lease fees lol.

Just watch your P's and Q's and you won't have any issues. When it comes to monster elk the Reservations have it figured out. I'd bring a camera for sure. You are likely to see some studs

I have eaten there a few times. I travel through there on business regularly. Great place.

The guide was 200 a day.

One of few places where elk quantity doesn't poorly reflect on muley quantity and quality.

200 a day plus the tag sounds like a steal.

On my last elk hunt, my guide told me the Indian (Mescalero) reservation hunts in NM are very expensive (5-10k plus). He also said they treat you poorly and just want your money. Another hunter in my group told me he hunted with them once and his Indian guide was smoking a cigarette. He asked the guide if the smell would alert the elk and the guide ignored him and continued to smoke during the hunt. I got the feeling that the hunts were poorly run but the elk herd was awesome. I hunted south of the reservation land and it is well posted to stay off their property. If caught, you will be in jail. They are very protective of their elk herd, but, I don't believe they really treat hunters with respect. I am just relaying what was talked about around the camp fire and do not have actual hunt experience with the Indian reservation. So take it for what its worth. JMHO.

Whatever problems the Mescalero have has little to do with the Jacarilla. I don't have direct experience with either, but had Indians from different bands as clients, here in MN. My experience is, that they vary considerably form band to band, even within the same tribe. The Jacarilla were the first to offer reservation hunts and have been at it for over 50 years.

I realize the OP was on the Jicarilla hunts...I was just relaying camp talk about the Mescalero's and stated so in my post.
Didn't try to change the subject...was just commenting an opinion. I know that each hunt can have different experiences
with different outfitters.