May 2
Really Outstanding Places To Hunt
Ok, so a common theme that seems to crop up in my readers
emails is “where can I go to hunt?”.
The short answer is: just about anywhere where there is BLM
land or National Forest.
Now, most people don’t realize the amount of pre-hunt work
that goes into a hunt. Hours and
hours (sometimes days and days) scouting the area., learning the land,
understanding game movement, and even knowing what type of game is present and
what is not.
Now, that is cool if you know an area, or you’re happy with
one particular species. What
happens though if you want to take an animal that is not indigenous to where
you live? Well…you can take
multiple trips to the area where they do live….or you can hire a guide to do
the “pre-work” for you and then use him (or her) to quickly get on the animals
you are after. Note: No guide will
guarantee you 100% that they will get you on an animal…after all this is hunting…not
killing…what they can do is increase the odds significantly, and keep you from
getting into some real serious trouble in unfamiliar terrain.
So….here are a couple of guides/outfitters I’ve used in the
past that I would like to give a full throated recommendation to! :
Tejon Ranch.
I’ve mentioned Tejon in a previous blog post. These guys are flat out fantastic. Tejon is a huge chunk of private land
located about an hour and a half north of Los Angeles. If you want to experience the feel of
hunting on a prairie ..cool…it has prairie…if you want to hunt in the
mountains…ok…they have mountains too.
Desert is also a possibility.
This place is so friggen big they have just about every climate zone on
the property except jungle and glacier.
Home on the range....the lower elevations of Tejon Ranch....Everything you see in this picture...even another chunk on the other side of those mountains is their property!
With that many habitats they have a variety of animals
too. From varmints, (coyote) to
deer, to Elk (yep Elk) to wild boar.
They have a virtual smorgasbord of
meat on the hoof.
Camp isn’t too bad either. They have two luxury cabins complete with skinning shacks
and coolers.
A little place on the Ranch to "get away from it all"
Tejons guides though are what make the place. These guys are all ranch workers that
know the land like the back of their hand. They are expert hunters, and display a love of their
property and their animals that is infectious.
This place is not cheap…but if you are new to the sport, or
just like to hunt in luxury....this is a great opportunity.
Kyle Bell, his wife LeVonne, and their son Ben have built
one hell of a gem outside the little town of Folsom New Mexico. If you look at a map you can see a
point where the North East corner of New Mexico butts up against Colorado to
the North and Texas to the east…that is where they are located. I first met these guys two years ago
when I booked a bison hunt with them, then went back again last year with my
daughter Chaney, so she could take a bison as well.
Kyle is the guide, but this operation is a family
affair. They have their hunters
stay in a bunk house about 20 yards from their main house, both houses they
built themselves. You get the feeling that you are being transported back a
hundred years to a pioneer family ranch on the Santa Fe trail…complete with the
hospitality you would expect.
Dinners are in the main house with the family and are
OUTSTANDING!
This guy smiles back at you as you prepare to exit the bunkhouse.
Kyle has an encyclopedic knowledge of the land and the
history of this magical place.
Traveling to find the game is one part hunting, one part college history
and anthropology lecture.
The game available is also mind boggling. From Elk, to Bison of course, to Deer,
Bear, Antelope and Turkey you could literally dedicate Folsom Outfitters and
the Bells as your single hunting outfitter and take a life time of trophies and
meat out of eastern New Mexico. I
can’t recommend them highly enough….if I were limited to a single place on
earth to hunt…this would be the place.
So when you're at Kyle's place he might even let you wear his Bison Jacket!
Jim Gross of Wild World Adventures
One of the benefits of hunting is the ability to travel
outside the US and really “see” how the world lives…not just in the tourist
centers, but the real world in the countryside. All continents have hunting (though most hunters put Africa
on the top of the list when it comes to planning an international hunt), there
are some really cool places to go just about everywhere a plane can land.
The problem for most of us though is that when it comes to
international hunting most of us haven’t got a clue where to go, who to
trust,…or most importantly how not to run afoul of any laws “over there”.
I’ve know Jim for a number of years now, and besides having
hunted literally all over the planet, his company provides a top notch service
to hunters that want to spread their international wings without being
terrified that they are giving their deposits to Nigerian Email Scammers. Jim is like a concierge; he can guide a
hunter (new and experienced) in the right direction for booking a hunt, and can
help suggest pitfalls to avoid.
If you are at the point that you are ready to grab your
passport AND your rifle…I would suggest you send him an email or give him a
call.
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