New Mexico unit 15 help
 

We drew a second season bow tag for unit 15 in New Mexico this year, I was wandering if someone would share some info on where to start, I was out there several years ago and cant remember where we was. Im not looking for anyones honey holes.Just a general location to start from and a good area to camp in and hunt from around the camp.Thanks

Try just north east of the town reserve. You will need to pound trails and get back past the road hunters but there are some great bulls in that unit, we scored on 3 bulls over 300 on the late muzzleloader season last year, saw some giants but just couldn't connect.

I hunted Unit 15, 2nd muzzleloader back in 1998. I hunted with Mick Chapel of NM Prof. Big Game Inc. (His home/ranch lies along the west side of 32 just south of Forrest Road 80B.)

That late into season (Oct 16-20 if memory serves me right) my guide asked me if I wanted "a bull" or a "Gila monster"? (I want to say my guide told me the bull I got was actually in the Apache Nat. For. but don't quote me on that.) I told him a monster so he said, "Well then we'll hunt higher and won't see as many elk as everyone else because the monsters have left and gone back up into seclusion." (He was right, we didn't see alot of elk and everyone had killed earlier and saw many more elk than we did but I more than made up for it on the last morning of the 5 day hunt with the 368" Gila monster pictured below!) The guide I had was from a family of "legendary guides" that were from Reserve, I think his name was Michael Delao. He was only 20 but already had some 380"+ on his resume and his brother Carlos was notorious for 380"+ with several over 400"s.

Several on that hunt hunted east of 32, I never did. We stayed between 32 and the state line. I killed my bull in the Spur Lake vicinity. ( http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/recr...ents/gmu15.pdf ) The time of year you are going you should still be hearing and seeing alot of big screamin bulls. Cover LOTS of ground and don't be afraid to move. Area 15 is a HUGE area and outside of AZ some of the largest bulls in the country reside in this unit. When I hunted it Unit 15 was a primitive weapon only unit and Mick told me it had not had a rifle fired in it in over 2 decades. I don't know if that's still the case today but if so the monsters should still be available for those willing to do the hard work it takes. Hunting BIG bulls is tough work, even on a big guided hunt like I did. I paid extra and had my guide "one on one" instead of 2 hunters per guide, I killed my bull around 8am but we didn't get the bull back to the ranch before dark!!! :o

Elk hunting during the rut is like hunting spring turkeys, it's more woodsmanship and knowing when NOT to move and call than anything else. It's only made worse than turkeys because big bulls have that deer nose and their nerves are AMAZING. I was floored by how fast and far the elk would run when bumped or spook. They'd head over the mountain and "might" slow down a 2-3 mountains over. :cry:

Waterholes and wallows are also options for that time of year as well, especially as dry as it has been this year. Good luck and let us know how you do. One of these days I'm goin back out there! :party0005: