This outfitter hunts lions, bears, elk, antelope, mule deer and oryx. New Mexico is well known for its very good elk hunting. Less well known are its excellent bear populations and mountain lion populations. It takes hard-working, dedicated outfitters with good packs of dogs to produce these elusive predators. But that is exactly what this outfitter loves to do! Typically, there will be multiple vehicles out looking for tracks at all hours, and then when found he gets you on the animal!
NOTE!!! This outfitter only requires a 15% non-refundable deposit, with the final payment of 85% due at time of hunt. That deposit can be rolled over if you are applying for a draw license for antelope, elk or deer (or Oryx). No refunds however of the initial 15% deposit. Bear and lion are over the counter licenses – just buy them and hunt!
BEAR HUNTS: With minimal hunting pressure they can get quite large. And his area has enough elevation and wild country to get good snows, and make hunters work hard for success. Those factors add to his success. New Mexico has many color phase bears; cinnamon, brown, blonde and more. You will find more color phase here than any of the more northern hunts in the US or Canada. His elevations in north central New Mexico average 6,000 to 9,000 feet. He hunts Units 6C, 51 and 5b. These are not hunts for the faint of heart. Bears do not always climb trees, and the mountains can be steep. And bears can really hurt dogs, so keeping up is important. Guides may do most of the dog protection, but you need to still be fit. We at Hunt Nation figure this bear hunt with hounds is a 7 for effort, on a 10 scale. Be in shape. If you are, then his success rate averages over 90% and tags are over the counter. No draw required. August 15-September 15.
LION HUNTS: Now his lion hunting. Again not a lot of pressure on area lions. But the same terrain as for bears, so again fitness is important. They will run over 90% success if you are fit. They like to do on call hunts for the cats to try and catch snow which helps hold scent for the dogs. But you can pick a range of dates too. They take some excellent cats in some really pretty country. Tags are over the counter, no draw required. December and January. You can do either a male only hunt, or an any cat hunt. Our President, Ed Manasse, will be lion hunting here in December!
Character – It’s something that the good outfitters all have. Even in tough times, they stand up and get counted as being pro-client. Hunt Nation cherishes such outfitters and so we want to share with you a story of character, as related by a lion hunter named Phillip. Phillip had booked a hunt thru an operation that failed to transfer his deposit to this particular outfitter, and then they went bust as well. So this outfitter had a zero deposit from Phillip. Phillip says this: “After speaking to the outfitter, we decided to keep the hunt on schedule. We were hoping to get some of my deposit back from XXXXX as there was still some time left. As the hunt approached I realized that the outfitter was a standup guy and he was going to absorb the lost deposit and allow my hunt to continue as planned. I don’t know that most people would do this.”
ELK HUNTS: He hunts Units 6C, 51 and 5B, taking bulls in the 290 to 350 range. These units are in north central New Mexico and include portions of the Santa Fe and Carson National Forests. Some portions border the famed Valle Caldor and the Jicarilla Apache property. Most of the hunts here are either bow or rifle, although there are scattered muzzleloader dates. Many of his clients attempt to draw their tags to avoid having to purchase a landowner tag, which adds about $4,000 to the cost of the hunt. Odds of drawing a tag in the outfitter pool hover around 15-25%. You must apply thru the outfitter to get your best odds. A guided hunter gets into a different pool that means they get better draw odds. He indicates he averages over 90% success on his elk hunts.
He has told us this in terms of avoiding the draw by purchasing landowner vouchers:
“I can probably find 8 landowner authorizations for unit 51 or 5 or unit 6C. They are all unit wide vouchers and we only hunt public ground. The cost for the Landowner Authorizations is approx. $4,000 each, plus the hunt cost.”
He can get landowner vouchers (good for public land) for approx. $4,000 plus hunt fee. A wrinkle is that they are not issued by NM until mid-year. We are having our clients front the voucher cost along with a non-refundable 15% deposit. If the vouchers are not issued, (WE EXPECT THEY WILL BE ISSUED) the voucher fee will be refunded and the deposit can be rolled ahead a year or it else it is forfeited. Hunt Nation will actually hold the voucher funds until the vouchers are ready to be purchased for you by the outfitter. If you want to apply in the draw under the outfitters license you need to get going early and the deadline to apply to the State for a tag is around mid-March!
Another client:
“He was recommended to me for black bear hunts and mountain lion. The 1st year I hired him was for black bear (bow hunt). I was so happy with everything I had him put me on a list for a mountain lion hunt the next year. He and his guys got me on a really nice mountain lion (bow hunt again). I was happy with everything.
I enjoyed him and his guys, he recommended that I try an Elk hunt (bow). I asked my son if he would like to do an elk hunt with me – we have done 2 seasons of elk hunting with them and plan to do more. It has been some of the best times I have ever had hunting with my son.
I would highly recommend him and his guys” – TJN.
ANTELOPE, DEER AND ORYX: If you have any interest in learning about his hunts for these animals, please ask us for further information.
LODGING: Lodging varies with the hunt. Hotels for hound hunts, client pays; other hunts can be a rustic lodge, trailer or a wall tent.
LICENSES: Bear and Lion are over the counter. The other species require you to first purchase a hunting license for $65 before you can apply for your draw tag. License/tags cost for elk $773, deer $283, bear $260, mountain lion $290, antelope $283, oryx $1,623. Trespass fees for antelope approx. $500.00, State Tax 8.975%. New Mexico requires hunters applying for licenses to hunt big game such as deer and elk first to buy a game hunting license valid for small game and upland birds. The game hunting license costs $15 for residents and $65 for nonresidents.
If you have plans to hunt in New Mexico with an outfitter and are looking for a way to improve your odds of drawing a tag, then the New Mexico guide draw is your best solution. Or buy the outfitter tag. The deadline to apply for all species is approx. March 18 each year. That deadline is for the guided draw as well. There is no deadline for landowner vouchers, but the outfitters often sell out early on those.
2023 PRICES (subject to change without notice until deposit received)
SPECIES # OF DAYS WEAPON PRICE PER PERSON
BULL ELK 5 days Rifle/Bow $6,500 if drawn (or approx. $4,500 extra for landowner tag)
COW ELK 3 days Rifle $1,600 plus landowner voucher (approx. $1,000)
MULE DEER 5 days Rifle/Bow $5,000
BEAR 3 days Rifle/Bow $3,000
LION 5 days Rifle/Bow MALE ONLY $7,500; ANY CAT $6,500
ORYX 3 days Rifle $3,500
Cow elk hunts are 2×1 guiding. All other hunts and prices above are 1×1 guiding.
