Book Your Adventure 1-800-346-8747
Book Your Adventure 1-800-346-8747

2025 Guaranteed-Tag Elk Hunts – Prime Spots Still Available!

Travis Baker
|  
Location: New MexicoUtah

Spring has finally arrived in the Nebraska Panhandle, bringing warmer weather and gobbling turkeys! We’re about halfway through the 2025 draw application season, and New Mexico recently posted results. If you weren’t lucky enough to draw any elk tags this year (I wasn’t either!), don’t worry—WTA has you covered!

We still have a variety of elk hunts available for this Fall, and every one of them includes a guaranteed tag for non-residents. Whether you’re after the thrill of a September archery hunt during the rut or prefer a late-season rifle adventure, we’ve got something for you. Bonus: several of these hunts have been discounted, so give us a call today to take advantage of these outstanding elk hunting opportunities!

Premier Private Land Elk Hunt in Utah

October 26–31

$1,500 Savings!

Northern Utah is the mecca for trophy elk hunting and this 36,000-acre private ranch may be near the top of the list. WTA has offered this hunt for years and the reports are always outstanding! This area has a tremendous population of elk and is surrounded by other well-managed hunting properties. Hunts are conducted 1×1 by spot and stalk and calling in the bulls. The lodging is very nice and the terrain is extremely gentle.

Southern New Mexico Private Land Rifle Elk Hunt

November 1–5, November 8–12, December 6–10

$2,000 Savings!

Southern New Mexico offers some of the finest elk hunting in the West and this outfitter has been hosting hunters for many years with great success. These private properties are home to a very healthy population of elk with great genetics. The properties are lightly hunted, often taking only a few hunters at a time. Comfortable accommodations are all part of the experience. The area is home to an abundance of elk, especially later in the season!

New Mexico Archery Elk Hunt

September 8–14 or September 16–22

$1,000 Savings!

These seven-day 1×1 guided trophy archery elk hunts include a unit wide landowner tag, allowing you and your guide to hunt the entire unit in search of a trophy bull! This western New Mexico unit stretches to the Arizona state line and the genetics in this part of the state are as good as it gets. The terrain here consists of rolling hills of pinion juniper with an abundance of rye fields. This hunt is suited to anyone’s physical capabilities.

Western New Mexico Trophy Elk Hunt

Rifle: October 18–22

This trophy elk hunt takes place in the Zuni Mountains of western New Mexico. The area is diverse and not too physically demanding, offering a mix of hunting terrain from pinion juniper, ponderosa pines, and canyon country. The unit is home to a healthy number of elk with some trophy quality. This outfitter and his guides have been hunting the unit for many years and know the country well. Your landowner tag allows you to hunt the entire unit 1×1.

Southern New Mexico Archery Elk Hunt

Archery: September 9–14
Muzzleloader: October 18–22
Rifle: October 25–29

This trophy New Mexico elk hunt takes place on over 10,000 private acres of excellent habitat in unit 34. The property is home to a healthy population of elk with some great genetics. This is not a physically demanding hunt—you and your guide will access the property on Polaris Rangers or 4×4 vehicles and then on foot. WTA currently has a couple of archery, muzzleloader, and rifle hunts still open on this amazing property! Accommodations are provided in a comfortable ranch house located right on the property.

Call one of our consultants at 1-800-346-8747 or click the button below to learn more about these elk hunting opportunities and more!

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Drawing a sheep tag with 1-in-5,300 odds is amazing. Drawing a mountain goat tag the next year? That’s lottery luck. That’s why it didn’t seem real when my WTA consultant, Jordan Roche, called me two years in a row with that news!

I’d been working with Jordan at WTA TAGS for about five years, letting him manage my hunting applications in multiple states while I focused on staying in shape for whatever hunts might come through. When he called about the Tok Range Dall sheep tag (the only non-resident permit out of 10 total), I knew it was special.

After the excitement of drawing my tag settled in, it was time to find the right outfitter to make my hunt a success. WTA recommended one of their top partners for that area and handled every detail. My outfitter made it clear: this would be a backpack hunt in some of Alaska’s toughest sheep country. At 64, with two hip replacements, I can’t run anymore. But I can hike. So that’s how I prepared—I hiked mile after mile with a weighted pack, knowing the Tok doesn’t care about age or medical history.

We went in a day and a half before the season opened and spotted a band of 14 rams, including one heavy-horned giant that immediately caught our attention. Then Alaska did what Alaska does best. Weather rolled in, the rams vanished, and we spent the three days scouring valleys and ridges to find them again.

When we finally relocated them, we had to break camp and make a major move. After a full day’s work, we spotted six rams bedding down as evening fell. The next morning, we made our play.

The wind that day was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It sounded like a freight train roaring up the mountain; gusting, dying, gusting again. At 320 yards, I had to time my shot during the lulls. My first shot went wide in the wind. The second shot dropped him—a beautiful 39″ ram. Honestly, I didn’t care about the number. That’s not why I hunt. I’m in it for the experience and a good animal. This ram was both.

The pack-out was its own adventure. We crossed the glacier-fed Tok River multiple times before Matt showed up with a Korean War-era military vehicle that could go just about anywhere. After nine days in the mountains, that slow, bumpy ride was a step up from travelling another 10 miles on foot. This was a trip I’ll never forget.

When Jordan called me in February 2025 to tell me I’d drawn a mountain goat tag, I actually laughed. “Figure out something for next year,” I told him, knowing the odds of a three-peat were one in a million. But first, it was time to prepare for my goat hunt.

I flew into Homer at the end of August, expecting to start hunting on Tuesday. By Monday evening, my outfitter, Paul, was warning me about the incoming weather. “We might not get you in until Friday,” he said. He wasn’t kidding. We sat through three days of howling wind, driving rain, and zero visibility before finally getting our chance.

Paul operates from a landing craft that serves as a mobile base camp. But getting from sea level to where the goats live? That was the hardest climb I’ve ever done, and I’ve completed five sheep hunts.

It was only 1,500 vertical feet, but every step came wrapped in devil’s club thorns, soaking brush, deadfall, and rain-slicked cliff bands. We hiked for what seemed like an eternity before stopping for the night to set up camp.

The next morning changed everything. Once above that coastal jungle, the alpine opened up to reveal why we’d suffered through that brutal climb. There were mountain goats everywhere. Good billies. The kind that makes you forget about devil’s club and exhaustion.

I took my billy on August 30, the first day of actual hunting after being sidelined due to weather. While packing him out, we witnessed something I’d never seen: ravens harassing a billy goat. They would swoop within inches of his head, and he’d swing his horns, trying to knock them away. Paul had told me about this strange relationship between ravens and goats, but seeing it firsthand was incredible.

The trip down gave us one more show. A black bear, fat from gorging on berries, army-crawled through the blueberry patches, entertained us from 400 yards away. I had a bear tag, but watching him was worth more than any trophy. Crossing salmon-choked streams on the way out completed the full Alaskan experience.

Both hunts worked because of solid preparation and connections with the right team. Jordan, my WTA consultant, had been helping me strategically build points and select units for years. When the draw results came through, WTA’s network meant proven outfitters were ready and handled every detail. They provided thorough gear lists, arranged logistics, and coordinated air charters. Everything was dialed in.

Some guys chase record books. Others chase hunting milestones. I finished my slam in 2019 with a desert ram, but what excites me most these days is the experience—the hunts that test you, humble you, and stay with you long after the pack is unloaded. When you work with the right people and put in the preparation, amazing things can happen. Jordan’s already working on my applications for 2026, so we’ll see what adventure comes through next.

Contact WTA TAGS to learn more about drawing the tags of your dreams: 1-800-755-8247

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Wyoming’s Preference Point Deadline Is Approaching: October 31

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Preference Point Deadline: October 31, 2025

The deadline to purchase Wyoming preference points is October 31. If WTA is already managing your TAGS applications, you’re all set. If not, don’t miss the chance to secure points this year. It’s the perfect time to talk with a TAGS consultant to start a new portfolio or grow your existing one.

Wyoming’s system is unique. Unlike other states, you don’t automatically receive a preference point if you’re unsuccessful in the draw. Instead, you must log in after July 1 and purchase your points separately. Building points is critical if you want a shot at drawing a Wyoming tag. Over-the-counter opportunities are a thing of the past. Today, only 25% of non-resident tags are issued randomly. The other 75% go to applicants with the highest point totals.

If you want to hunt big game in Wyoming, building preference points isn’t optional…it’s essential.

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While preference points are an investment in the future, don’t let that keep you from starting now. While Wyoming has units that require 18+ points, there are also good opportunities to hunt sooner. There are elk, deer, and antelope hunts that can be drawn with 0–3 points. Think about it this way—the more points you have, the more options you have.

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