What if you could hunt bull elk this fall — no points, no draw, no waiting a decade? You can. It’s called a landowner tag, and it’s 100% legal.
Every June we hear the same story: “Struck out in the draw again. Guess I’ll build points another year.” Meanwhile, point creep keeps moving the goalposts — units that took five points a few years ago now take ten or more. For a lot of hunters, the math on “someday” is getting ugly.
There’s another door, and most hunters don’t know it exists: guided elk hunts with tags included.
How Tags-Included Hunts Actually Work
These aren’t loopholes. States like New Mexico and Colorado run landowner tag programs created by their own wildlife agencies. The idea is simple: private ranches provide habitat that elk depend on, so the state allocates those landowners a set number of tags or vouchers each year. Landowners can transfer them — and when a ranch teams up with an outfitter, you get a guided hunt with a guaranteed tag as part of the package.
New Mexico’s system (called E-PLUS) is the gold standard. Ranch tags don’t require any preference points, and many are unit-wide — meaning you can hunt beyond the ranch fence line, on public land in the unit too. Colorado’s landowner preference program works similarly with transferable vouchers.
You’re not buying the animal. You’re buying access to a tag the state already allocated — then hunting fair chase, same as anyone else. You still buy your hunting license and pay the state for the tag itself.
Free Download
Never miss a deadline again: grab the free 2027 Western Draw Deadline Calendar — every application date across 12 states, verified against the official agencies and updated by email as each state confirms. Two deadlines hit December 15.
What It Costs
Tags-included elk hunts typically run $8,500 to $14,500 depending on the ranch, trophy quality, and season. Yes, that’s more than a draw-tag hunt. But you’re comparing it to a hunt that might not happen for ten years.
Here’s what that money buys on our hunts:
- Our New Mexico Elk Hunting trip in famed Unit 36 includes your tag, professional guide, food, and lodging — on leases covering over 200,000 acres
- The New Mexico Private Ranch Elk Hunt (from $9,500) includes private-land vouchers, so your tag is guaranteed the day you book — with rut archery hunts among bugling bulls
- For a shot at a true giant, the Trophy Elk Hunt on a managed New Mexico ranch targets bulls in the 300–350″ class with a guaranteed landowner tag
Who Should Go This Route
Tags-included hunts make the most sense if:
- You’re out of time, not out of money. A 60-year-old hunter with 4 points in a 12-point unit isn’t drawing that tag. Ever.
- You want to hunt the rut. September archery tags in premium units are nearly impossible to draw. Landowner tags put you in the bugling.
- You’re booking a once-in-a-lifetime hunt. If it’s your one crack at a big bull, a guaranteed tag on managed private ground beats gambling on the draw and a pressured public unit.
If you’re still playing the points game, that’s fine too — keep applying. Our 2026 Colorado draw strategy and OTC and leftover tag game plan will help you squeeze the most out of it. Smart hunters do both: build points in two or three states while booking a tags-included hunt when the itch gets too strong.
Hunt This Fall, Not “Someday”
The draw isn’t getting easier. Tags aren’t getting cheaper. And nobody’s getting younger.
Browse our guided hunts or contact us and tell us what you’re after — we’ll tell you straight whether a tags-included hunt is worth it for your situation, and which ranches still have fall openings.
And if Colorado is more your speed, our guided Colorado elk hunts run on over-the-counter tags — buy the tag, book the hunt, done. No draw, no waiting.
Hunting is not a hobby. It’s an obsession.
This guide is part of our complete resource on Colorado elk hunting.
