5 Day Elk Hunting Trip in New Mexico Units 34 & 36
Shared Trip
Active hunting
Fiveday guided rifle elk hunt in New Mexico unitsExpert guide Alton Morgan provides lodging and tracking servicesHigh success rate for harvesting mature bulls guaranteed
Picture this: five days in some of New Mexico's most coveted elk country, where mature bulls echo their bugles across rugged canyons and thick timber. This isn't your run-of-the-mill hunting package – it's a focused, one-on-one guided experience in Unit 34 or Unit 36, two areas that serious elk hunters dream about. For $5,000, you get five full days with seasoned guide Alton Morgan, lodging sorted, and access to prime private land where the pressure is light and the elk are plenty. You'll need to secure your own private land tag, but everything else is handled. This is hunting the way it should be – personal, professional, and productive.
This hunt is built for the hunter who wants results without the circus. One hunter, one guide, five days of pure focus. Alton Morgan has been working these units for years, and he knows where the elk move, feed, and bed down. Morning starts early with a pre-dawn drive to glassing points where you'll scan the landscape as the sun comes up. The terrain here is classic New Mexico – a mix of ponderosa pine forests, oak brush draws, and open parks where elk love to feed. You'll cover ground on foot, but this isn't a backpack hunt. Each evening you return to comfortable lodging to rest up for the next day's action. The high success rate speaks for itself – this isn't about hoping to get lucky, it's about putting yourself in the right place at the right time with someone who knows the country inside and out. Prime hunting dates book up fast because word gets around when something works this well.
Units 34 and 36 offer some of the most diverse elk habitat in the Southwest. You'll be hunting elevations ranging from 6,000 to over 9,000 feet, which means the elk have options for moving based on weather, pressure, and feed. Early mornings focus on glassing from strategic vantage points where you can cover multiple basins and canyon systems. Once elk are spotted, the real work begins – reading the wind, planning approach routes, and positioning for ethical shot opportunities. The terrain can be steep and challenging, but Alton knows every ridge and draw. He'll teach you to read elk sign – fresh rubs on aspen trees, wallows still muddy from recent use, and tracks that tell the story of where the herd moved overnight. Rifle hunting here means shots can vary from 100 yards in thick timber to 400+ yards across open parks. Most hunters bring a versatile setup – something in the .300 magnum family with quality optics works well. The private land access means you're not competing with other hunters, giving elk more natural movement patterns and better opportunities for clean shots.
Rocky Mountain Elk in Units 34 and 36 are the real deal – mature bulls that have survived multiple seasons and learned to use the rugged terrain to their advantage. Bulls here commonly field dress between 450-600 pounds, with mature animals carrying impressive six-point racks that stretch 350+ inches. September and October are prime time as the rut kicks into high gear. Bulls are vocal, aggressive, and making mistakes they wouldn't normally make. You'll hear them bugling at first light, often answering each other across distant ridges. These elk have adapted to the high desert environment, moving between water sources and feeding areas on predictable patterns that Alton has studied for years. What makes hunting here special is the combination of huntable numbers and trophy quality. The private land access means these elk aren't constantly pressured, so they maintain more natural behaviors. Bulls will often feed in the open during legal shooting hours rather than going completely nocturnal like their heavily hunted cousins. The terrain also works in your favor – elk naturally funnel through specific draws and saddles when moving between bedding and feeding areas, creating opportunities for ambush-style hunting that plays to the rifle hunter's strengths.
Five days with a top-rated guide in premier elk country for $5,000 is the kind of value that doesn't last long on the market. Alton Morgan's track record speaks for itself, and hunters who've experienced this level of personalized service keep coming back season after season. The private land tag requirement might seem like extra work, but it's what keeps the hunting quality high and the success rates impressive. Contact Alton directly to discuss available dates and tag procurement – the best weeks fill up as soon as tags are drawn. This isn't just another guided hunt; it's your chance to experience New Mexico elk hunting at its finest with someone who knows how to make it happen. Don't wait until the prime dates are gone – serious elk hunters know that opportunities like this are worth securing early.
Rocky Mountain elk are impressive animals - mature bulls can weigh 700+ pounds and stand five feet at the shoulder. In Units 34 and 36, you'll find them moving between oak brush draws and higher pine country, following water sources and feed. Early season they're vocal during the rut, making them easier to locate, but by rifle season they've quieted down and gotten spookier. What makes elk hunting special is the challenge - they're smart, have incredible noses, and live in tough country that'll test your legs. The meat is outstanding too, much leaner than beef with a clean, rich flavor. Here's a tip that's served me well: focus on north-facing slopes in the morning. Elk bed there to stay cool, and you can often catch them moving to water mid-morning when other hunters have given up.
New Mexico