Chama NM

[jakebrake]

I am planning a archery Elk hunt next year in Chama NM.I have been researching this for over a year now.I plan on going with Fishtail outfitters.Now has anyone Elk hunted near Chama? and has anyone got any info on Fishtail outfitters? This will be my 1st Elk hunt.Wanted to do it myself.But I figured go guided the 1st time at least.

 

[WyoElk2Hunt]

Don't know the area but your decision on getting a guide for your first elk hunt is a good one in my opinion. Best way to learn about hunting elk is a good guide.

 

[FEENIX]

I hunted the Rio Chama area (IIRC, Unit #4 ???) in the late 1990s with a friend while stationed at Kirtland AFB. The only ones we've seen were on private properties . There were monster bulls harvested in that area the year before we hunted ... taken on private properties. lightbulb

Cannot confirm it but, I was told that elk herd are not resident -- migrated from CO. Agree with WyoElk2Hunt on having a guide/outfitter.

Good luck!

Ed

 

[jakebrake]

Oh yeah I aint going to drive out there and spend all that money.Just trying to learn.Now if I lived a lot closer.I would chance it.But at 52 if I got one on the ground.That would be hell.Not to mention all the small things.I know nothing about.

 

[dirtball]

Jakebrake

I looked at their website, and their prices seem quite reasonable for that area, considering it includes a Landowner Permit.
My advice to you is get their reference list for the last 3 years of people who DID NOT KILL, and ONLY CALL those people who DID NOT kill any thing. They will give you a better picture of the outfitter than the guy who killed a monster, he will be happy even the only food was MRE's.
You need to talk to as many as you can, phone calls are CHEAP compared to the hunt, some will blame the outfitter for every thing including the weather.
Have a list of questions, but don't grill the guy, I have found that most hunters LOVE to talk about hunts they have been on, so most of the calls will be fun.
One of the questions I ask if the guy talks about how tough it was, "do you think you would have had a better hunt if you have been in better condition"?
GOOD LUCK, have fun, and remember get in the best physical condition you can, it will make all the difference.

Dave

 

[Mikema]

Jakebrake, I have hunted there a few times. There are some big bulls around there. What part around chama are you going to hunt?

 

[Treynol1]

Beautiful country. There are plenty of elk, if you know where to look. I agree the guided hunt is the way to go. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Dr. Vette]

Jakebrake

I looked at their website, and their prices seem quite reasonable for that area, considering it includes a Landowner Permit.
My advice to you is get their reference list for the last 3 years of people who DID NOT KILL, and ONLY CALL those people who DID NOT kill any thing. They will give you a better picture of the outfitter than the guy who killed a monster, he will be happy even the only food was MRE's.
You need to talk to as many as you can, phone calls are CHEAP compared to the hunt, some will blame the outfitter for every thing including the weather.
Have a list of questions, but don't grill the guy, I have found that most hunters LOVE to talk about hunts they have been on, so most of the calls will be fun.
One of the questions I ask if the guy talks about how tough it was, "do you think you would have had a better hunt if you have been in better condition"?
GOOD LUCK, have fun, and remember get in the best physical condition you can, it will make all the difference.

Dave

Highly agree.

I was in Chama last December with another outfitter, and have been to other places as well. The "non-successful" hunters can probably tell you more than those that take an elk and whose memory get clouded by the rack.

 

[captacademy]

I have hunted the Chama Area, very nice and I saw plenty of Elk. This area of NM is not known for the monster trophy elk of the Gila in the Southwestern part of the state, but it's a good hunt.

I used the outfitter, Milligan Brand Outfitting. They had a first class operation and the owner Ray and his guides were awesome! In fact, they live in the area you hunt!

 

[Dr. Vette]

I have hunted the Chama Area, very nice and I saw plenty of Elk. This area of NM is not known for the monster trophy elk of the Gila in the Southwestern part of the state, but it's a good hunt.

I used the outfitter, Milligan Brand Outfitting. They had a first class operation and the owner Ray and his guides were awesome! In fact, they live in the area you hunt!

Unfortunately my experience with them was very different from yours. See the Outfitter section of the Forums for more information.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

So Dr Vette; I only see one thing in your critique back in that Forum and that was that a number of hunters in camp didn't see any elk during your 5 day hunt due to the good weather conditions. You didn't say that the guides weren't doing their best to get you on animals, nothing was said about the camp conditions and equipment being bad, nothing good or bad about the food, etc. IMHO that was not much of a critique or reason to give the outfitter a negative review since killing an animal shouldn't be the deciding factor of whether it's a good or bad outfit. Weather conditions play a major factor on having a good or bad elk hunt, much more so than for deer or antelope from my many years of experience hunting all three animals, and your outfitter/guide sure can't do anything about the weather.

 

[Dr. Vette]

So Dr Vette; I only see one thing in your critique back in that Forum and that was that a number of hunters in camp didn't see any elk during your 5 day hunt due to the good weather conditions. You didn't say that the guides weren't doing their best to get you on animals, nothing was said about the camp conditions and equipment being bad, nothing good or bad about the food, etc. IMHO that was not much of a critique or reason to give the outfitter a negative review since killing an animal shouldn't be the deciding factor of whether it's a good or bad outfit. Weather conditions play a major factor on having a good or bad elk hunt, much more so than for deer or antelope from my many years of experience hunting all three animals, and your outfitter/guide sure can't do anything about the weather.

I tried to be nice in my previous post as many here seem to like Milligan Brand.

Camp house was dirty - vacuum was broken and had been for a while. Nice old popcorn collection on the carpet all week long.
Bathrooms hadn't been cleaned in quite a while.
Mice droppings all over our bedroom.
Food was generally tasteless and overcooked. Leftovers usually sat out for hours until the next mealtime.

Guides had no clue how to hunt elk that didn't walk down off the mountain and right in front of us. Once the elk go into the woods at first light your hunt is done until 4:00 pm when they'd set you out in hopes that something would wander out in the evening. By the end of the hunt the hunters were telling the guides how to hunt (several very, very experienced hunters in the group).

Guides drank beer from morning to night including while driving and guiding.

Ray, the owner, seems to be a nice enough guy but runs a very loose camp. He tells great stories but we didn't pay all the money just to hear stories.

I'm sure if I asked Dad and the other guys I'd get more specifics but this is what I can think of in about 3 minutes.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Thanks for your quick reply and, incidentally, I'm right down the road from you here in Allegan! I think everyone would rather hear the whole poop like you just posted, rather than to try and sugarcoat anything when we're talking a lot of hard earned money that a person is going to plunk down on a guided hunt! I've always felt that it's best to talk to the guys that have been unsuccessful on a hunt to get a full rundown of an outfitters operation. Just talking to a few that got their animal many times gives a wrong overall impression of an operation because taking a decent animal, especially if it was a person's first hunt, makes them forget the rest of their week in camp. Thanks for what sounds like an honest report, especially in regards to the drinking of alcohol at any time other than a couple at the end of the day before heading for bed. Any other time is most inappropriate in any hunting camp IMHO.

 

[Dr. Vette]

No problem.

After all the hype for this outfitter we were very disappointed in the hunt, and that includes virtually all aspects of it. We've been on hunts before where we go home without an animal but at least those running the outfit and their guides sure did try hard.