Elk sheds in New Mexico

[Scubarusty]

I have just moved to NM from FL. Can anyone provide information on when to start looking for sheds in New Mexico. Any other tips on how to choose right location, etc. would be appreciated.

thanks,
Rusty

 

[deershed]

Welcome to the boards!! I can't tell you much about locations to search.I only looked for elk sheds up-state Pa.and don't believe NM would be anything like that.I hear NM has some monster bulls though.
I can tell you they travel much more then whitetails.A couple miles to an elk would only be a short walk so you areas to cover would be much bigger.
I would do a search online to see what areas have elk then go from there.Or contact the DNR or what ever wildlife agency NM has and see if they can help you.
Good luck and keep us posted!!

 

[Scubarusty]

Originally posted by deershed@Feb 4 2004, 05:05 PM
Welcome to the boards!! I can't tell you much about locations to search.I only looked for elk sheds up-state Pa.and don't believe NM would be anything like that.I hear NM has some monster bulls though.
I can tell you they travel much more then whitetails.A couple miles to an elk would only be a short walk so you areas to cover would be much bigger.
I would do a search online to see what areas have elk then go from there.Or contact the DNR or what ever wildlife agency NM has and see if they can help you.
Good luck and keep us posted!!

Thank you for your reply. I'll post our successes.....

 

[CouesFanatic]

Hey Scubarusty. I am over here in Arizona. If I were you I would try to find a place where the elk bed when they are wintering. I know of a dropoff in AZ where they winter and they all go to bed on. If you could find a place like this in NM it would be good. Bedding areas are best for shed beacues they spend most their time there. (IMO) So let me know if their dopping I really want to know when to get out. The timing there should be just about the same here. Good Luck.

 

[NewMexElkoholic]

I moved to Albuquerque about 8 years ago and I really love shed hunting here. It is quite competetive since the sheds are worth money, so lots of folks are out there working the mountains. What little I have learned is:

be prepared to cover a lot of country. I figure I walk 25-50 miles of rough country for every nice fresh set of large elk antlers I pick up. Since I only go on weekends in April/may, I only get 1 or 2 nice sets a year. Fresh, matched sets are my primary goal. I'll find some old ones and singles also.

Go to the roughest, remotest wintering elk area you can find on public land. Anywhere that four wheelers can get to is already picked over.

Once you find a honey hole, don't tell anyone about it. Even though things change from year to year depending on snow depth.

If you find a nice fresh shed, the other one is usually close by. keep searching in the immediate vicinity, usually within a couple hundred yards or less for big antlers. The best place to find a shed is near the one you just found.

Enjoy the shed hunting as a way to scout new country, maybe to hunt on later in the year, or Turkeys as you go. I usually start late march. Earlier, it is still cold. Big bulls seem to drop earlier, raghorns later. Big sheds are easier to find. I have a few spike sheds.... they are the hardest to find, but I still prefer the big 6 pointers.

Undisturbed elk may take the easiest path. So ridgelines, and less commonly, drainage bottoms are good places to look. God awful steep slopes have produced less for me, and they wear me out, so I stick mostly to the ridgelines. Within a couple miles of some source of water is even better.

The main key is figure out where the elk are in february, March and April. It does not matter where they go the rest of the year.

And you have to beat the other 5000 people looking for sheds to the spot.

Good luck! Enjoy and protect our public lands!

Steve

 

[The Buck Stopper]

Welcome to JHO Steve! That sounds like a solid game plan for finding sheds. Yes, the sheds are worth money, do you sell them? Good luck this year!

 

[Scubarusty]

Originally posted by CouesFanatic@Feb 7 2004, 12:20 AM
Hey Scubarusty. I am over here in Arizona. If I were you I would try to find a place where the elk bed when they are wintering. I know of a dropoff in AZ where they winter and they all go to bed on. If you could find a place like this in NM it would be good. Bedding areas are best for shed beacues they spend most their time there. (IMO) So let me know if their dopping I really want to know when to get out. The timing there should be just about the same here. Good Luck.

Thanks for the information, I'll let you know when the first sheds are found. The locals are telling me that the beginning of March is when the sheds start falling. I have been scouting areas looking for remote trails and bedding areas. I'll keep you posted.

Steve, thank you too for your direction. I followed a group of cows and calves for about 2 hours along a very rough and steep trail. I saw no bulls and managed not to spook the animals... There is water close to this area, a ridge line above and flat open areas below. It souds like I should keep looking in this area. Am I correct even though I have seen no bulls?
thanks,
Rusty

 

[CouesFanatic]

Hey Scubarusty,

Have you found any sheds yet?

From what I've seen the bulls are real hard to find out of the rut. Where I shed hunt there are big canyons where the bulls stay in. We always see cow elk but no bulls. I wouldn't be too worried about seeing no bulls.