New Mexico info?

[Ekalb2000]

I just got an assignment to Holloman.
How is the hunting down there? ELK? Muledeer? Whitetail? Bear? Other big critters? Secrets on getting a tag?
How about the camping? Places away from the tourist traps. I will understand a pm on this.
I have been holding off on getting my CCW here, cause I knew an assignment was comming soon.
I am really looking forward to it.
My wife has been surfing the net about it non-stop today. She is looking forward to it as well.

Thank you for any info that you can give me.

Andy

[Cactus Farmer]

Check your PMs.

[Freightman]

Warm days cool nights, you can sleep with the windows open and lots of the stuff you ask about. Winters are not bad and skiing almost in you back yard. No I live a little east of there 300 miles and out here that is a little.

[Mallard57]

My buddy retired there, he loves it. He hunts and is into the shooting sports pretty heavily. It sounds like fishing in that area might be a little hard to come by. He had twenty years in USAF and this is where he chose to retire.
Jeff

[Recluse]

We'll be building our second home in the Cloudcroft area within the next eighteen to twenty-four months. It's one of my favorite areas in the country.

Holloman AFB is top-shelf. When I did a TDY there, it had F15s. I think it now is home to both Eagles and the Black Jets. You have Las Cruces and Alamagordo, two towns that pretty much have anything you can't find or get on base. A bit to the east, you have the Ruidoso area, which is a great get-away that's maybe an hour/hour-point-five from the base. Google Ruidoso and Cloudcroft and Benito Lake and Ski Apache. You'll like what you see.

New Mexico is an excellent state, and often feels like a second home to us, we spend so much time there. We fly into Alamagordo (crappy airport for general aviation, though--but all we need is a place to land, and Ruidoso isn't my idea of fun so far as trying to land there what with their high altitude and infamous, notorious howling crosswinds), grab a car and we're in the mountains in fifteen minutes.

Cloudcroft is more of a "down home" locals area which makes its money primarily during the ski season. Summer cabin rentals contribute to the local economy, and most visitors are from Texas.

You'll be on the southern end of Interstate 25, which goes all the way up through Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Pueblo (CO), Colorado Springs, Denver and Cheyenne and then some, I think. Beautiful country all the way through.

Hunting is friggin' excellent in southern New Mexico. So is the fresh-water fishing. Temps are moderate--hot in the summer, cold in the winter with four true differing seasons. Taxes are probably average for the country, but like you, I pay no state income tax so I don't have a good comparison to go by.

People are friendly, lots of Hispanic and Indian culture and cuisine. It'll be a fantastic experience for you and your wife.

Congratulations!

:coffee:

[GLL]

I will second Recluse's comments. I have worked in the Sacramento Mountains for the past forty years and love the Cloudcroft area ! The higher elevations are beautiful !
The Sangre de Christo Mountains are also very pretty !

Jerry

[Ekalb2000]

Thank you all for your input. Lots of great stuff for sure.
I can not wait to get there. I dont think my wife has left the computer from looking up stuff there. Its almost getting crazy.
Again, thank you all.

andy

[cajun shooter]

A big +1 on the post by Recluse. I love New Mexico. The Red River area above Taos is wonderful. I40 can be a nightmare to drive at times. You will not run out of places to take week end trips. The bat flight at Carlsbad, Grants and the Acoma Indian church and tour just west of Albuquerque and the list goes on. The ballon fest by Sandia peek is a must see also. Later David PS You will also have to decide Green or Red

[Recluse]

A big +1 on the post by Recluse. I love New Mexico. The Red River area above Taos is wonderful. I40 can be a nightmare to drive at times. You will not run out of places to take week end trips. The bat flight at Carlsbad, Grants and the Acoma Indian church and tour just west of Albuquerque and the list goes on. The ballon fest by Sandia peek is a must see also. Later David PS You will also have to decide Green or Red

Heh heh heh. We'll spare you some pain. If you're not accustomed to HOT Indian and Mexican food, always go red until your pallet and stomach develops the proper cast-iron lining to handle the green.

I'll second the comments about Carlsbad Caverns. That is one of the most awesome, spectacular natural locations I have ever seen anywhere in the world. And they say there are STILL parts of that cave untouched and unexplored by humans. Incredible.

And how did I forget this? At Holloman, you're right there on the edge of White Sands--another simply spectacular natural landmark.

Yes, we do love New Mexico.

:coffee:

[AZ-Stew]

If you travel up I-25 toward Colorado, the last town you'll pass through before entering CO is Ratón. About 10 miles SW of Ratón is the NRA Whittington Center. It's a little pricy to shoot there, but it's probably the best facility in the country. Many national matches are conducted there. They have hunts on the property as well. You'll have to check with them to find out the details. Beautiful country at Whittington and between there and Santa Fe. The whole north central section of the state is beautiful.

Regards,

Stew

[jmsj]

Dekalb2000,
I have been up in Colfax and Mora counties for the last 17 years, it is pretty nice up here. Summer and Fall seasons are normally pretty great. Spring and winter can be pretty windy. Summer nights in the high country are awesome.
Up here around Cimarron there is the Valle Vidal, Colin Neblit, Eagle Nest State Parks and the Barker Wildlife Refuge as well as the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge. I almost forgot the White's Peak Range, if I remember correctly it is about100,000 acres. As for shooting there is also the Whittington Center. Just outside of Cimarron is the Philmont Scout Ranch, the largest youth facility in the world, it is about 137,000 acres. It is mostly open to Boy scouts but they give tours of the Villa Philmonte Mansion and A recreation of Kit Carson's home on the Rayado River. Near Kit Carson's home is The house of Lucien Maxwell( of the Maxwell land grant).
There is lots of history and lots of wild game up here. Problem is most of it is on private land and they charge a fortune to hunt on private ranches. That can be kind of frustrating when on my way to work I see pronghorn antelope, mule deer, elk, turkeys and coyotes. We also have black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, gray and red foxes around. I have lived in a lot of places but I have stayed around here the longest. If you have any questions feel free to contact me. jmsj

[buck1]

ekalb2000,
There may be some mil hunts you can get but all the big game licence hunt draws have stoped taking entries as of april. Sorry..

[RBak]

Another plus for Recluse.

I was a resident of New Mexico for several years following my retirement from the US Army, and I really enjoyed it.

You asked early on what the hunting was like. Well, NM has it all when it comes to hunting...and fishing too, for that matter. T or C is right in your back door and Walleye, Bass, Black Crappie, and nowadays I understand they even have Stripped Bass.

FWIW, The one thing I did not like about New Mexico hunting, back when I was there, was a system they used called "Stratified hunts"....The season is laid out for you, and you pick the seven or so days you want to hunt during General Season.
Prior to that, as long as season was in, we could hunt until we filled our tag.
You will have about four choices, IIRC, which represents "a week or x number days" for hunting within that season, then when you buy your license you have to state your choice, 1, 3, 3, or 4...and that's all you can legally hunt.
In the early days, when they first started that system, back about 1983 / 84, the obvious choice was the first week, or so everyone thought at the time. However, as you can imagine, that turned out to not be the case at all as it depended greatly on the weather.

It has been a long time since I hunted New Mexico and all of this may have changed by now. At least I hope it has. That part I found very annoying.

Anyway, I thought I might mention this and hopefully the guys that live there now can sort it all out for you. The area around Holloman, Cloudcroft, and Ruidoso, will take you back in time a bit, but it is a very welcome change.

Good luck on your new assignment. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as me and my family did. We often refer to that neck of the woods as home. It is truly the Land of Enchantment.

Russ

[BoolitBill]

Lots of things to do in the Sacramento Mountains as noted by previous posts. Once you have seen all the closer places don't forget the Gila wilderness to the west. Anything north of Silver City is a favorite of mine. In early Oct. drive up to Albuquerque for the Balloon Festival (get hotel reservations early). I live in El Paso but I play in New Mexico!

[.357]

I'm in the desert! I love the outdoors here it can't be beat.

[AZ-Stew]

One more thing about hunting NM. The Game and Fish department there is strong in promoting muzzle loader hunting. Walk into any gun shop and you'll find LOTS of them. I used to teach hunter ed for the Arizona Game and Fish department, and here they promote archery hunting. I asked the G&F guys why they didn't promote muzzle loader hunting. Their response was, "there's no interest". Well, if you promote it with extended and special seasons, do you think you might get some interest?

Point is, there are lots of ML season availabilities in NM, so take those into account when studying up on hunting there. They make it easier to get a tag. I'm sure you can find it all on line at: http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/

Regards,

Stew

[Ekalb2000]

Thank you all. I am greatfull for all the input. I can not wait to get there.
So the only way to hunt is on a draw?
I will have to get used to the hunting laws out there. But I am sure they are there for a reason.
Muzzleloader??? Humm... just another reason to fire up the pot.
Wife definatly wants to see the ballons.

[TCLouis]

At one time the Balloon Fiesta was the single biggest sale of film for Kodak.

Now I guess folks just burn electrons.

The difference in game harvest regulations there is the reduced production of game animals due to the conditions.

You also have White sands Nation Monument right there and the malipais just to the north. If you get to poking around in the basalt watch where you put your hands and feet.

[jmsj]

Ekalb2000
I believe as a resident you can still buy over the counter licences for deer,turkey,bear,mountain lion, game birds and furbearers. There are quotas on bear and lion, once the qoutas are reached the season is over.jmsj

[Bkid]

If you travel up I-25 toward Colorado, the last town you'll pass through before entering CO is Ratón. About 10 miles SW of Ratón is the NRA Whittington Center. It's a little pricy to shoot there, but it's probably the best facility in the country. Many national matches are conducted there. They have hunts on the property as well. You'll have to check with them to find out the details. Beautiful country at Whittington and between there and Santa Fe. The whole north central section of the state is beautiful.

Regards,

Stew

Yep I was just there last week . It is an amazing place to shoot. I love the beautiful views there. I stayed in a cabin up there for the weekend. Nice folks up there.

[Boz330]

You are going to enjoy NM, I guided hunters there for nearly 10 years north and south of US 60, Magdalena and west. All of that area is or at least use to be primitive weapons. Bill Weddle who posts here might be able to up date you on current hunting regs since he lives west of T or C and still guides. I haven't worked out there since 03 but it is some great country and I really miss it.
They have Oryx (Gemsbok) hunts on the Missile range and they are some really good eating if you can draw one. As everyone has pointed out the game that you can hunt is unlimited.
I envy you, have fun. The country is very diverse, high plains desert to beautiful mountain meadows.

Bob

[Ekalb2000]

You all are going to make this a long eight months.

jmsj, I was a little worried at first about that. At least I can a little hunting till a draw comes my way.

[Bkid]

My buddy retired there, he loves it. He hunts and is into the shooting sports pretty heavily. It sounds like fishing in that area might be a little hard to come by. He had twenty years in USAF and this is where he chose to retire.
Jeff

There is the some of the best fishing for Trout here in New Mexico. The San Jaun River is know for some of the best in the Country. Lake Trout at Heron lake. Striper Bass at Elephant Butte. Walleye and Conchas lake. I like trout fishing myself. Nothing like it to me.

[bearcove]

Go to NM fish and game for regs. Most everything is a draw deer included. Some are easy to draw some are lifetime hunts. Big game? YES! Whitetail, Mule deer, Elk, Antelope(hard to draw), Oryx, Ibex, Barbary sheep, Big horn sheep, Black bear, Mountain lion And probably a few I'm missing. Its complicated to draw because of the areas(fifty some I think) And different season everywhere ( had a deer tag down south and a elk tag up north at the same time). The fishing is there but few and far between. Spoiled from living in Alaska for 8 years I guess. Weather is nice due the low humidity, I don't have AC just a swamp cooler on the house. Haven't turned it on yet.

[Ekalb2000]

bearcove, I was just on the fish and game page and popped over here.
From what I gather, all deer are draw. that blows. You would figure white tail and mule deer would not be.
Its lookin like they like you to hunt with a muzzle loader. A little more relaxed about taking antlerless.
Well, I guess I got a few months to scronge up (or make) a ML.

[RBak]

You may discover that that muzzleloader may become your "best'est" friend when it comes to hunting.

It's not as bad as it may sound, that's for sure!

Russ...

[Recluse]

bearcove, I was just on the fish and game page and popped over here.
From what I gather, all deer are draw. that blows. You would figure white tail and mule deer would not be.
Its lookin like they like you to hunt with a muzzle loader. A little more relaxed about taking antlerless.
Well, I guess I got a few months to scronge up (or make) a ML.

Long time ago when I was a gov't badge-toter, I had to hunt a fugitive down in the southern mountains of New Mexico. I took two of my personal horses, loaded up and started the track.

I had a USF&W SA with me who not only knew the area like the back of his hand, he knew something better: The police chief on the neighboring reservation.

Long story short, I met some folks on the reservation and we became fast and hard friends--and still are.

So, I don't worry too much about a draw or quota. But I also don't get to hunt with these two friends nearly as much as I'd prefer. Been probably six/seven years, I'm guessing since I took my last elk there. I still fly out there and see them--one friend's youngest son wants to be an Air Force pilot. He's sixteen and is going to start flying lessons when school is out. I always give him some stick and rudder time when I'm out there.

The Indians out there can either be your best friends or your worst nightmare. I like them. A lot. One of the BIA investigators was the one who traced my grandmother's side of the family and found that I was 1/16th Commanche and could qualify for certain "native American" benefits." He always encourages me to shop and buy a lot of stuff when I'm on the reservation--I think he's just trying to take my money. . .

He thought that was funny as hell--a blond-haired, blue-eyed Injun. Said he'd seen blond/blue-eyed Mexicans before, but not Indians. I told him I was a genetic mutt of the highest (or lowest) order.

New Mexico would probably be my second choice if I couldn't live in Texas. I absolutely adore the state and its people. I like Oklahoma, too--especially the people. But New Mexico has a certain, indescribable magic about it. It's such a blend of native cultures--Indian, Mexican, Spanish, European and eastern American. You have ranches, oil wells, mountains, skiing, hunting, commerce, farming, agriculture--you have a lot of everything.

Basically, it's just a damned good state with a lot of damned fine people living there.

I'll try to find some old snapshots and scan them in and post them for you of the area you're going to be at.

:coffee:

[Boz330]

It has been 7 years since I was guide out there but Black Bear tags used to be available over the counter. The ML areas can extend your opportunities for hunting though. Also being military there might be some hunts on White Sands that you could get in on.
Recluse is right about the Reservations though. They don't fall under F&G regulations, they basically make their own and on some of the tribal lands it is big business. I worked with a number of Acoma guides and they were always more than friendly to me.

Bob

[AZ-Stew]

You may discover that that muzzle loader may become your "best'est" friend when it comes to hunting.

It's not as bad as it may sound, that's for sure!

Russ...

+1

Today's muzzle loader isn't your granddaddy's muzzle loader. The modern, in-line rifles, made of modern steels, are capable of throwing a streamlined, expanding bullet from a sabot at velocities that make 250-yard hunting very practical. Many have synthetic stocks and most will accept a scope.

While all this doesn't sound much like "primitive" hunting, the one thing it does is to make you careful about shot placement, thereby reducing the numbers of wounded animals.

As I said earlier, the gun shops are full of muzzle loaders, many of them used and at a reasonable price.

Regards,

Stew

[Tom-ADC]

Our favorite place in N.M. is Demming, if it were just a tad closer to San Diego (kids/grandkids) I think we'd make the move, as it is AZ is looking good to us right now.

[Ekalb2000]

+1

Today's muzzle loader isn't your granddaddy's muzzle loader. The modern, in-line rifles, made of modern steels, are capable of throwing a streamlined, expanding bullet from a sabot at velocities that make 250-yard hunting very practical. Many have synthetic stocks and most will accept a scope.

Stew

What modern ML has a wodden stock. I really dont like the looks of synthetic.
What kind of powders would I have to get different. I have seen them tablets.
I guess I better head over to the ML threads and start reading.
I just hijacked my own thread.

[Bkid]

Jicarillia Apache land is some of the most richest land in New Mexico for Hunting. I have many brothers there and have traded with them since I was young. I have been invited to hunt with them ,yet I do not hunt animals. I suppose if I had to I would. I have seen some of the largest Elk and Deer I have ever seen. I love these magnificent animals,they are a great site to watch. I have no problems with people hunting , I just choose not to. I am a fishing maniac though. Fish fear me!

[AZ-Stew]

What modern ML has a wooden stock. I really don't like the looks of synthetic.
What kind of powders would I have to get different. I have seen them tablets.
I guess I better head over to the ML threads and start reading.
I just hijacked my own thread.

I'm not really up on all the available models, but some of the synthetic stocks have pretty nifty camo patterns on them. I think they look pretty nice, at least better than plain, black plastic.

DO NOT even THINK about shooting smokeless powder in them. There are a number of black powder substitutes available, as well as the Holy Black. Since NM promotes muzzle loading, I'm sure you'll have no problems finding suitable powders.

Look in some of the on-line mail order outfit's web sites to see what kind of rifles they're selling. When you find one that suits your fancy, look up the manufacturer's web site for more info.

Regards,

Stew