New Mexico can be a very secluded and unknown state. There are a few things most people are aware of about New Mexico, such as Carlsbad Caverns or White Sands, yet they do not realize the private land hunting potential the state possesses. There is quite a bit of public land in New Mexico, and much of it has been mismanaged when it comes to hunting. On private land, however, the Aoudad in this country today have never been larger. We are talking about an animal that takes 12-15 years to reach the 30+ inch range. To get any number of animals this size, it takes either years of no hunting at all, or, as we have done on our private land, only taking one mature ram every other year. There have only been 10 Aoudad harvested on our ranch in the 30 years the sheep have been wandering onto our 37,000 acres. We have been fortunate enough to harvest two sheep over 30 inches, which is the modern day benchmark for a big Aoudad ram. Since I took over the Aoudad hunting for my father 8 years ago, only two Aoudad have been harvested on our land. This is out of an estimated herd of 200-400, depending on the migration route. As long as I am running our hunting operation, and as long as there is a healthy herd of Aoudad on our ranch (or leased neighboring ranches), there will be no ewe or a ram measuring less than 30 inches harvested.
In addition to Aoudad, we also have great mule deer and elk populations on our ranch. We are one of the few places with free range elk and Aoudad in the same territory. In addition, the ranch on which I have the elk lease borders the Mescalero Indian Reservation, resulting in access to animals from this world famous bloodline. I have personally taken a 7x7 bull, scoring 371 7/8 SCI, on an adjacent ranch. As I mentioned previously, our ranch also possesses mule deer in excellent numbers. Hunters can expect to see anywhere from 20-500 deer each day, depending on which side of the ranch they are on. We manage a 100 acre alfalfa field in the summer, which draws in as many as 1500 deer any given night. I harvested a 173 5/8 inch mule deer with my bow this past January. Other than the big game, there are also great numbers of blue quail and morning dove present throughout. So, no matter the time of year, there is always something to do. In fact, we also plan to make fly fishing for trout available soon.

Our ranch is also equipped with two different lodging facilities. The larger of the two is a hunting lodge which sleeps up to 18. The other is a two bedroom guest house refurbished from the elementary school my grandfather attended. The old school house sleeps 4-5 people, and is perfect for someone who wants more privacy or perhaps a hunter that wishes to bring his wife and family along and remain undisturbed by other hunters. Both places have bathrooms with running water and are equipped with kitchen facilities and heating and air conditioning. Each place may also be rented year round. Click HERE for more information.