Me and a buddy are in the beginning stages of planning an Elk or Mule Deer hunt for next fall. There is so much planning ahead that it takes a full committment by April.

Has anyone hunted New Mexico or Colorado?
What did you learn for the experience?
Supplies you wish you had taken, or ones you are glad you had?
What season did you hunt? Muzzleloader? Rifle?
What Units did you hunt on?
What game animals did you see?

It's cold outside and I'm just curious about other's experiences....

I have hunted in New Mexico, unit 30 for 11 years now. That area encompasses the Lincoln National forest. It's just SW of Carlsbad. The area is not known for huge bucks but there is a fair number of deer. Most every year I have hunted there I have seen some big bucks but have yet to bag one. I have shot my share of forkies and 3x3's. Besides having a flat shooting rifle, one of the most important pieces of equipment I use is a GPS. I got stuck in the mountains one year when a very dense fog rolled in, I almost walked off a bluff. We used to hunt the first rifle season but now we hunt the last rifle which this year runs from 11/11-11/14. Besides deer, we have seen mountain lions and this year we had our first runin with bears. I haven't seen elk but have seen thier tracks. I personally rather hunt here because with license (270.00), groceries, trip out there and back and misc we only spend 500.00. We rough it, tent camping. You can use ATV's but now you have to register them with the state of NM, for a 90 day tag it's 18.00. If you have any other questions just PM me and I'll answer the best I can.

Most of my frustration with planning this is the hoops to jump through with entering the drawings, permits and the whole application process.
Is there a different permit for BLM lands vs. Forest Service vs. National Park Service?

We are wanting to do a similar trip as to what you describe. Pack in, set up a base camp and hunt from there for a few days. Or rough it and camp where we are come sundown.

I've hunted in Colorado with a group for the last two years and plan to go back every year with the the good Lord willing.

We hunt Units 77,78 & 771, San Juan National Forest (around Pagosa Springs).

What we've learned? Most important thing is the weather. It will make or break the hunt. Effects when the elk & mulies come down. Also, it may be 70 degrees and t-shirt weather (1st yr.) or colding than a witches t*t and snowing (last yr.). Sure helps to have a contact up there scouting. It's a big area and you don't really want to move once camp is set up. We met a guy that moved up there from Levelland. Became friends and he's going to scout for us next year. We took 7 folks the first year and eight last yr.

We had a big canvas wall tent made. It will sleep 10. We have a bank account and each man puts in his money before we pull out (some do it monthly, some all at once). Last year it was $250 a head. That covers gas & supplies and food at camp. Everyone is responsible for his own license and alkyhall. First year we used a wood buring stove. Like to have froze at night. The wood we used didnt make coals, mesquite wont burn good there. Also, the pitch stopped up the spark arrestor. This year,we took a propane space heater and had a battery powered carbon monoxcide detector.

First yr. we all have backpacks. They get awful heavy humping it through the mountains all day. This year used fanny packs, much better. MOST IMPORTANT: be in as good a shape as you can be. It will make your hunt the most enjoyable. The altitude will kick your butt. Can't stress that enough. A pump-up sprayer is great to wash down animals after skinning.

We hunt 2nd season, first combined mule/elk season with rifle. Muzzleloading would be great if they have a season in the unit you want to hunt. We saw mulies, elk, coyotes and a bear. We have only taken one mulie buck. Last year, saw some huge mulie bucks and a couple of really good elk taken.

The only thing I really dislike is the drive. We leave early evening and drive all night, take 2 four door 4x4's. One big trailer with ATV's (a must) and an enclosed cargo trailer.

I have heard the natives don't like Texans, but we have been treated great with few exceptions.

Overall, it's a blast, especially with the right group.

We have a group that has been hunting the same area for 10 or more years It is a great place for a public hunt and like you said the weather makes it or breaks it.We go up to the end of Four mile ranch road.If you have never been up to Turkey Creek Resevior then you need to make the hike one year it is full of Shiras Moose they are a wonderful animal to watch.I can't believe how many die gard fly fishermen make the hike back there.PM me and I will give you a some peoples numbers that are from that area also.

We take Mules and Horses and it makes life a lot sweeter.We hire out to pack animals of the mountain so I will give you our Mobil #s as well and if you guys get one up high and need help you can call.

The draw is open now for NM. It closes on 04/09/07. There are no preferance points here, it is actually the luck of the draw. Since it has been in place we have never not been drawn. It has to do with the numbers of hunters allowed vs deer taken. Luckily, there are more tags in this area than hunters who apply. We know this area is not known for huge deer but they are there, just not in big numbers. When you put in for the draw, you have a choice of 3 areas so if your first pick didn't come thru you have 2 more. The system is pretty painless and very easy, the only gripe I have is that you can only put up to 4 hunters on a ticket then you have start another if you have more than 4 going although that hasn't been a problem with everybody drawing a tag. The only time you don't draw for a tag is if you hunt private property. If you have access to an ATV, take it. They are legal on all two trac roads but you are not allowed to take them off so they are not that much of an issue. This area is leased to ranchers who stock cattle so there are roads to drive on. I usually find a good area, park my ATV and hunt the canyons and draws the rest of the day.

Hunted on private land south of Chama right outside of Cuba during the late season bow hunt one year. We saw some huge mule deer, but the intensity of the weather made the hunting hard. It got down to 15 below at night and there was 18 inches of snow on the ground. We did not kill anything, but they are there. Hunted the same area in early November and only saw forks and 3 X 3s. So, you need to make sure whatever you are hutning for is in the area at the time you are going to hunt. Some of these deer are migratory depending on the weather.
Bow hunted in Colorado one September in the Weimanuche (sp) Wilderness for elk. Most of the elk we saw were about 2 inches tall, because they were at such a distance. We were not mobile enough to get amongst them. We were afoot and the country is big, big.
So my advice is to be mobile and make sure the animals are in your area at the time of the year you are going to hunt.

We go to Colorado every year elk hunting with a bow. There are many thing I look for when choosing a hunting area. First, if you see lots of people from out of state, move. Choose an area that does NOT allow ATV use. During bow season, they really spook the game and lots of people believe they can take them off the trail. The locals hate us for good reason. 90% of the people from Texas that I run into in Colorado, I hate. They have no respect for the land or the animals. If that offends you, then you are one of the 90%. Choose an area and then do a web search for that area. If you find much info, choose another area.

Here is the site for the online applications for New Mexico
https://dgfremote.gmfsh.state.nm.us/application/ We spend a lot of time in New Mexico and during hunting seasons see quite a few hunters in the Ruidoso area, never have talked to any of them but they are either hunting the Lincoln National Forest or the high dollar Mescalero Indian Reservation in that area. In Ruidoso there is a store called 2 Bears Trading Post, the owner does guided hunts don't know if he will give you any info but the phone is 505-257-8694.

That is good advice stinkbelly. We are in the process of deciding where we want to go...NM or CO.

Since it is our first trip, we have looked at drop camps, but they can get awfully expensive quick. Might be worth it for a first trip though.

I thought that New Mexico was mostly private land and that it was difficult to be drawn if you were from out of state. What areas are public land and is it difficult to get drawn?

Let me tell you a not so secret secret about New Mexico.You can contact the DNR and they will give you a list of everyone in the state that drew tags for any animal along with a phone number.You can call each and everyone on that list and ask about their tags and hunting issues.Most will be pissed but some will talk and you will eventually find the place that suite you if you try hard enough.I have done this with antelope tags for years.