Dreaming of Elk and would like to know, if you had your choice where would you go and why.

For me it isn't so much a question of where I want to go, but more a question of which state wants to have me!  I play the limited draw tags in as many places as I can.Drawing the right tag can make all the difference.  

If you're talking over the counter, that is a whole seperate discussion and narrows the choices considerably.

Whip,

let's go with that, Where can you go for Elk without having to draw a tag. Where would be the best place to live, that you don't need to draw a tag.

Arizona Units 9 & 10 seem to be Hot (takes 12+ points) New Mexico Units 15 & 17 Good bulls Available no points system. Use a Outfitter for the Draw and odds are not to bad. Utah has great Elk Hunting. I do not know the top units but I am sure someone on here does. I hunted a private Ranch called the Deseret Land & Live Stock back a couple years ago. Harvested a monster Bull. All the Western Elk States have good units and trophy units. Depends what you are looking for. I think the Wyoming Draw is already over for this year along with AZ. Good Luck in your pursuit. And good luck to all in pursuit of the magnificent Wapiti.  Randy

idaho is fun - lots of big elk and lots of public land       5

Wyoming Unit 7...I'd live there, hunt there if my wife would go. I have tried to draw the unit for 5 years and cow hunted there last year. I saw more big bulls on that hunt than in 11 years combined in OTC units and other limited draw units in CO and WY.

Longstick64 not that I have the answers, but are you looking to move to a state that easy to get a license in, or are you looking to get a nonresident tag over the counter or?? It's probably just me, but I was confused by your two posts and which direction they were going.

Terry K.

Terry,

Long term goal here, planning to finally get away from the Big City and my preference is to settle down in an area I can live and hunt. Elk is the choice. And after the hassle it can be to hunt in New York at times, I prefer to be able to do so, easier.

How do you go about getting in the drawing system?

Come Elk season, I live about 60 miles East of the state I would like to be in. I would take good look at Wyoming. A lot of different areas and types of terrain to hunt a lot of differnt critters in. Montana and Idaho wouldn't be far behind in my book.

The guys from each of those states will do a much better job of filling you in than I can.

Here in South Dakota we make do with 4 month deer season with white tails and muleys over the counter taqs. Antelope also. Elk, many years to get a license.

I'll let others who have better knowledge take over from here.

Terry K.

I have hunted elk more than twenty seasons but only hunted 2 states, CO and NM so that is all I can speak of.  They are both great states for elk hunting.  SW Colorado is where I grew up and has some great elk hunting and some of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  As far as quality bulls I would have to say NM is pretty tough to beat, but it is all draw.

As someone who has lived in Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Utah, and hunted many other western states I will give you my two cents.  Many of us "flatlanders" are spoiled by long seasons.  We may be only able to hunt 1 or 2 species but we have long seasons for archery hunting.  Out west, rifle seasons tend to take priority.  For example where I lived in Wyoming, archery season for elk was the whole month of September, but rifle deer season started Sept 15th so that kind of ruined the whole month to yourself as a bowhunter.  So there are factors other than just what species are available.  

If I could move back out west and had to make the choice strictly based on hunting I would probably go with Montana. OTC for residents, multiple species to hunt, tons of public land, and the longest contiguous archery season (to my knowledge) of any western state.  Idaho or Wyoming would be a tie for a close second.

Nathan

Rules for resident vs non resident vary from state to state. The one NR rule that really annoys me to no end is Wyoming. NR cannot hunt wilderness areas without a guide or resident accompanying them.

I am fully capable and comfortable hunting wilderness areas on my own. If I can do it easily in other states, why should WY be any different. Whats more, you can hike, camp, fish, explore or watch birds in the wilderness areas, but not hunt. Total BS. Those wilderness areas are public land. Keeping NR hunters out but any other activity in to me is discrimnatory to hunters.

I would love to hunt a couple of the WY wilderness areas, but my days of hiring outfitters for elk hunts are over.

Arizona dead line was Feb 8th, yup, just ended.  

For a resident, it sounds like Nate is giving sound advice, and about the same as I would have come up with.  AZ and NM have some of the best hunting around, but even residents have to draw tags, especially in the better units, and the seasons are short.  
Big difference between wanting to draw a tag as a NR versus finding a place to live and hunt every year.  
For a NR, my strategy has been to put in for as many draws as I can, and hope to get a good tag every year or two.  Colorado OTC is a back up plan.  

For those that are researching out of state hunting there is an excellent thread going on the PBS website.  Check out the Cyber Campfire - Knowledge Through Experience forum.  A real wealth of information!  You don't need to be a PBS member to view the forum.  (But while you are there check out what PBS is all about!)

I'd say that my backyard would be a decent place to hunt elk...



...except for the fact that last year the game department quit issuing archery tags for this area.

If you are planning on moving and becoming a resident, I think you would be hard pressed to beat Oregon.  OTC tags for deer and elk and lots of public land.  You'll have to work for your animals, but you would in every other state as well.  Plus, there aren't too many places where you can go skiing in the morning and be at the beach with your Mrs. sipping a nice adult beverage watching the sunset in the evening.  Being from Oregon, I might be slightly biased though!        :cool: