I was one of two non-guided no-residents who lucked out and drew the rifle antelope hunt for the hunt code that includes Units 12 and 13. Anyone who hunts NM antelope knows some big bucks live in those units. When I drew, I was lickin' my chops.
Ranch assignments put me on the Badger Buttes Public Ranch. It totals 64,000 acres and there would only be four hunters on this ranch. That is really good. That many acres, with that little hunting pressure seemed like the perfect combination for a big buck.
In my research, I talked to some folks familiar with the area. They all told me I should politic for a different ranch assignment. I kind of shrugged it off.
I talked to an outfitter who had a client on the ranch last year. He told me they should not be issuing tags for that ranch, given how bad of shape it was in. I still was unphased.
After we filmed the AZ antelope hunt with Jereep, I drove over to ABQ to drop off my truck and fly back to MT. Having a little time to spare, I drove by the north end of the unit in hopes a few hours of snooping around could dispel the rumors I had heard of this unit.
I almost wished I had not taken the detour. The exit off the interstate is to the town of "Las Lunas," which Spitz tells me is Spanish for "The Moon." Given the bleak landscape, completely void of vegetation, I could not think of a more appropriate sign at the exit.
This was prior to the big monsoons of mid-September. It was hard to believe a mouse could live on that property. When we arrived on Friday for a day of scouting, it was actually green, thanks to ten inches of rain. But, two years of record drought was not going to change the pronghorn situation.
The plan was for me to scout all day and Spitz would meet us that evening. By noon, Brad and I were out on the grounds, snooping around. We glassed until our eyes hurt and spent considerable time (and gas) trying to figure out how we were going to hunt the west side of the ranch, as a huge arroyo split the property into two distinct units and there was no way I was driving my Titan across that new canyon formed by the washed out roads that provided access prior to this year's record monsoons.
We saw nothing. Burned a tank of gas. Dropped the front right tire into a deep washout that caved in when I drove over the small crust of remaining dirt that hid the channel underneath. Thankfully only one tire dropped in and bottomed out, or we may still be in the back corner of that ranch.
With only an hour left in the scouting day, and not having seen a track, let alone an actual antelope, my finger was on the panic button. I drove to a place where I had coverage and called Spitz to see where he was at. He was almost to the ranch. I told him not to beat up his truck getting in here, rather I would glass for a little while longer and meet him out on the asphalt, ten miles away.
About five minutes after reporting out complete strike out to Spitz, I actually saw an antelope track crossing the road. Wow, there is at least one antelope out here.
I told Brad we would drive up the road into this little basin and glass around. As I crossed another big dried out mud flat, I could see a few more tracks. I stopped the truck and got out the spotter. In about two minutes, I was looking at the maker of these tracks. A buck and his eight does were grazing at the back end of the basin. I dared not get any closer than this mile away, as I did not want to scare the only antelope on the ranch. So, I spent the rest of the evening watching them, but in the fading light, could not get a very good gauge of the buck.
On our way out, an outfitter saw me checking a water tank for tracks. A very nice guy. He spent a lot of time telling us what he had seen and how he guides this area a lot for elk, not living very far away. He said if they saw a buck over 70", he would tell his client to shoot.
I told him the biologist told me there are good bucks in here. He started to chuckle. He said he spends every week there in August and September and the 64,000 acres usually holds 35 to 45 antelope, split into four or five groups. I'm thinking he is trying to fake me out, but given how hard I scouted today and found only one group, maybe he was giving me the straight line.
It was dark and I headed out to meet with Spitz. I think Spitz thought I must be jerking his chain when I told him how bad it was.
Not what I expected from a NM antelope hunt. Of all the good ranches in Unit 13, I am at a loss as to how I got assigned to this one. As lucky as I was to draw one of the two tags, my luck was just the opposite to get assigned the ranch.
There are only six assigned non-resident hunters (4 guided and 2 non-guided) on this entire hunt, and I know of two of us that got assigned to this wasteland.
I would be remiss to not provide this warning - DO NOT APPLY FOR THE RIFLE HUNT IN UNITS 7, 9, 12, and 13. IT WAS CODE ANT-1-101 THIS YEAR. You may get a good ranch, but you might get this one.
But, as a pronghorn hunter, if I have a tag, I am going to do all I can to make the most of it. Too much fun to hunt them to not be excited, even if the scouting day was a bust.
Ranch assignments put me on the Badger Buttes Public Ranch. It totals 64,000 acres and there would only be four hunters on this ranch. That is really good. That many acres, with that little hunting pressure seemed like the perfect combination for a big buck.
In my research, I talked to some folks familiar with the area. They all told me I should politic for a different ranch assignment. I kind of shrugged it off.
I talked to an outfitter who had a client on the ranch last year. He told me they should not be issuing tags for that ranch, given how bad of shape it was in. I still was unphased.
After we filmed the AZ antelope hunt with Jereep, I drove over to ABQ to drop off my truck and fly back to MT. Having a little time to spare, I drove by the north end of the unit in hopes a few hours of snooping around could dispel the rumors I had heard of this unit.
I almost wished I had not taken the detour. The exit off the interstate is to the town of "Las Lunas," which Spitz tells me is Spanish for "The Moon." Given the bleak landscape, completely void of vegetation, I could not think of a more appropriate sign at the exit.
This was prior to the big monsoons of mid-September. It was hard to believe a mouse could live on that property. When we arrived on Friday for a day of scouting, it was actually green, thanks to ten inches of rain. But, two years of record drought was not going to change the pronghorn situation.
The plan was for me to scout all day and Spitz would meet us that evening. By noon, Brad and I were out on the grounds, snooping around. We glassed until our eyes hurt and spent considerable time (and gas) trying to figure out how we were going to hunt the west side of the ranch, as a huge arroyo split the property into two distinct units and there was no way I was driving my Titan across that new canyon formed by the washed out roads that provided access prior to this year's record monsoons.
We saw nothing. Burned a tank of gas. Dropped the front right tire into a deep washout that caved in when I drove over the small crust of remaining dirt that hid the channel underneath. Thankfully only one tire dropped in and bottomed out, or we may still be in the back corner of that ranch.
With only an hour left in the scouting day, and not having seen a track, let alone an actual antelope, my finger was on the panic button. I drove to a place where I had coverage and called Spitz to see where he was at. He was almost to the ranch. I told him not to beat up his truck getting in here, rather I would glass for a little while longer and meet him out on the asphalt, ten miles away.
About five minutes after reporting out complete strike out to Spitz, I actually saw an antelope track crossing the road. Wow, there is at least one antelope out here.
I told Brad we would drive up the road into this little basin and glass around. As I crossed another big dried out mud flat, I could see a few more tracks. I stopped the truck and got out the spotter. In about two minutes, I was looking at the maker of these tracks. A buck and his eight does were grazing at the back end of the basin. I dared not get any closer than this mile away, as I did not want to scare the only antelope on the ranch. So, I spent the rest of the evening watching them, but in the fading light, could not get a very good gauge of the buck.
On our way out, an outfitter saw me checking a water tank for tracks. A very nice guy. He spent a lot of time telling us what he had seen and how he guides this area a lot for elk, not living very far away. He said if they saw a buck over 70", he would tell his client to shoot.
I told him the biologist told me there are good bucks in here. He started to chuckle. He said he spends every week there in August and September and the 64,000 acres usually holds 35 to 45 antelope, split into four or five groups. I'm thinking he is trying to fake me out, but given how hard I scouted today and found only one group, maybe he was giving me the straight line.
It was dark and I headed out to meet with Spitz. I think Spitz thought I must be jerking his chain when I told him how bad it was.
Not what I expected from a NM antelope hunt. Of all the good ranches in Unit 13, I am at a loss as to how I got assigned to this one. As lucky as I was to draw one of the two tags, my luck was just the opposite to get assigned the ranch.
There are only six assigned non-resident hunters (4 guided and 2 non-guided) on this entire hunt, and I know of two of us that got assigned to this wasteland.
I would be remiss to not provide this warning - DO NOT APPLY FOR THE RIFLE HUNT IN UNITS 7, 9, 12, and 13. IT WAS CODE ANT-1-101 THIS YEAR. You may get a good ranch, but you might get this one.
But, as a pronghorn hunter, if I have a tag, I am going to do all I can to make the most of it. Too much fun to hunt them to not be excited, even if the scouting day was a bust.
