Getting an elk hunt isn't easy

This article was first published in my email newsletter in September of 2024. I've added it to my website, because I think the information is useful in general, not just for the month it was published. If you'd like to keep up with the latest hunting information, including my open dates and available hunts, you can subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of this page.

I’m getting a lot of requests for elk hunts lately, and I’m having to deliver a lot of bad news. Here’s the deal:

It can be really tough to get a trophy elk, and the problem isn’t with success rate — my hunters have a 100% success rate — the problem is getting scheduled for a hunt at all. Like most established outfitters here in Texas, I’m booked four or five years out on my elk hunts.

If you’ve got patience and you’re a serious hunter, you can get your chance. I’ll talk a bit more about that in a minute.

First let me explain why it’s so hard to get scheduled for an elk hunt. 

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO BOOK AN ELK HUNT? 

The popularity of elk hunting has grown incredibly over the past four or five years, and there’s a limit to how many hunts are available.

In the Western states — states other than Texas — elk hunting tags are determined by lottery, by a draw, and there aren’t many tags to go around. Sometimes they’re limited to residents only, but even residents have a tough time. In theory, the more times you enter the draw, the better your chances, not just because of statistics, but because the states give you a ‘point’ each year that you enter the draw, and they favor people with more points.

But that’s theory. In practice — points or no points — it’s tough to get elk tags in those states. I’ve got a friend with thirty points who still hasn’t won a draw. That’s thirty years he’s been trying, with no luck!

In Texas, you can just walk up to a counter and buy a license. You don’t have to enter a lottery, you just buy a license.

But that’s only half the story. A license isn’t enough; you also need a place to hunt.

Here in Texas, most hunting land is privately owned, and the best landowners manage their elk population by limiting the number of hunters they allow each year. So even here in Texas — although it’s a lot easier than in those other Western states — it’s still not easy to book a hunt.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ELK HUNTING IN TEXAS?

The best thing about hunting elk in Texas is that you can get booked. Yes, it takes time and patience, but you’ll get a hunt a lot quicker here than elsewhere.

A second advantage is something I mentioned above: good ranch owners manage the hunting on their land to keep the pressure off their elk populations. In the Western states, most of the hunting land is public land, so there can be a lot of hunters out there with you. As a result, getting your trophy requires that you venture further and further off the roads.

And that’s something else: The private land we hunt in Texas has more useable roads, so you can get deeper into the countryside — closer to where the game can be found —before you have to start hiking.

There are a couple of negatives about elk hunting in Texas, too.

First, there’s trophy size. Yes, I’ve known of a couple of 400 inch elk that have been killed in West Texas, but they are — by far — the exception, not the rule. The elk my hunters take are generally between 300 and 350 inches (Boone & Crockett measurements), and more likely toward the 300 end of that scale.

But size doesn’t mean much if you can’t get an elk at all, and one thing we can provide in Texas is opportunity. And as I said before, my elk hunters have a 100% success rate.

The other negative about Texas elk hunting is the heat. During rut, the temperatures vary day to day and year to year, but they’re a lot warmer than the temperatures you’ll find when hunting elk in Western states. As a result, our Texas elk tend to be inactive in the middle of the day, so we do our hunting in the early hours, starting before dawn, and in the last two or three hours of sunlight at the end of the day.

Some outfitters or hunting ranches will use spotlights to hunt elk at night. I consider that unethical and completely contrary to the kind of ‘real’ hunting experience that I aim to give my hunters. Quite simply, I don’t do it.

WEST TEXAS VERSUS HILL COUNTRY

I’ve got elk ranches in both West Texas and the Hill Country.

In West Texas, I’ve got two ranches with a total of 150,000 acres. In the Hill Country, I’ve got a single ranch that’s 11-½ square miles.

Let me quickly explain something about my Hill Country ranch. Most serious elk hunters avoid the Hill Country because it’s all high fence and the elk are put-and-take — that is, they’re not native to the ranch; they’re raised elsewhere and trucked in. They don’t know the land and they’re not naturally afraid of people.

My Hill Country ranch is different. The elk here have been on this ranch for a decade or more, and the current generations are natives. These are not put-and-take elk. They’re wild.

So why would you choose one location or the other for your hunt — West Texas or Hill Country?

West Texas elk hunts are more challenging. The ranches are free range; the terrain is rugged; and the elk populations have a lot more room to roam (and, therefore, to avoid you).

The Hill Country hunts aren’t as challenging. There’s more roads, the terrain isn’t as rough, and there’s a greater density of elk. You’ll get more opportunities, and you can be more selective about the bull you choose.

Don’t get me wrong, a hunt in the Hill Country isn’t a stroll — you’ll have to do some real hiking — but it’s easier than a hunt in West Texas. If you’ve got some physical limitations or you’ve got a lot of years on those legs of yours, it might be the better choice.

SCOUTING

I mentioned earlier that elk on my West Texas ranches have a lot of land where they can roam. At the same time, I’ve got a 100% success rate. Part of that is due to good scouting. It’s still a tough hunt, but you’re a lot more likely to be successful if we know roughly where — in that 150,000 acres — the elk are hanging out.

I got my pilot’s license years ago, largely so that I could scout effectively. I can scout that West Texas land in half a day by air. On the ground, that can take a week.

HOW CAN YOU BOOK AN ELK HUNT?

I’ve made a big deal about how hard it is to book an elk hunt, especially a serious hunt that’s not on a put-and-take ranch. So how do you do it?

First of all, even though it’s hard, you’re still better off looking at Texas. You’ll have a much better chance than if you enter a Western state draw, year after year.

Second, you can adjust your expectations. You can scale back the kind of hunt you want to do — you can look for an earlier booking with a put-and-take operation, for example.

Third, you can find a new, less-experienced outfitter, who is more likely to have openings. Of course, an inexperienced outfitter is also less likely to have a track record for you to evaluate.

Fourth — and this is the option I recommend — you can establish a relationship with a good, experienced outfitter.

My elk hunts are booked so far ahead that I no longer accept deposits. It doesn’t make sense, because I don’t know what a hunt is going to cost six years down the road (today an elk hunt costs $20,000 or more).

I’ve got a waiting list, and if you contact me, I’ll add you to that list.

But let me tell you a secret, something that applies to all established outfitters, not just me. If a hunt opens up, we’ll take a look at our waiting list, and the first person we’ll call is the hunter with whom we’ve already got a relationship. Somebody we enjoy hunting with.

So if you really want to book an elk hunt, the best thing you can do is establish a good relationship with a good outfitter. When the time comes, we’ll do our best to work you in.