by Gary Webb on February 5, 2012
October 2011
Dave Kleber of Pennsylvania took this 6 X 6 bull on the fourth evening of his hunt. We had been into elk every day, but just couldn’t seem to get a chance at a decent bull. This continued into the fourth afternoon.
We were horseback when we spotted a bull a considerable distance across a major canyon. We quickly dismounted and began glassing. The bull moved into a small stand of timber and never reappeared. We glassed for over an hour and decided he had either holed up in the timber or slipped out without us spotting him.
It was getting late and both Dave and I felt we had given this canyon a good look. We were about to leave when we spotted another bull 4 or 5 hundred yards further up from where we had spotted the first one. We were over 1000 yards from him and needed to make a move. We rode around the head of the canyon and tied up one header short of where we’d last seen this bull.
After a short stalk, we were less than a hundred yards and Dave was finally able to collect himself this nice bull. Persistence paid off on this hunt.
Congratulations Dave!
by Gary Webb on January 27, 2012
New Mexico’s 2011 bear season ended early after only a few short weeks. New Mexico is currently under a quota system for bear management. Although we do have season dates, our harvest limits are set by the New Mexico Game Commission for each region of the state. When a region’s harvest limit is met, that area is closed to bear hunting and hunters must hunt in a different region.
In 2011 the entire state was closed to bear hunting after the first week in September. Most years, the quota will not be met until later in the fall or not at all.
We had a really dry year and the bear were having a hard time finding enough food sources. Consequently during conditions such as this, bear will kill livestock and cause problems in rural communities by raiding gardens, garbage cans and destroying property trying to find something to eat. Stock killers and nuisance bears are dispatched by the Game and Fish officials to combat the problems. These bear mortalities do count against the quota. In many areas, the quota was already half met by the time the sport season opened. I personally don’t think these bear mortalities should count against the sport quota, but they do.
If you’re thinking about bear hunting in New Mexico, schedule your hunt as early in the season as you possibly can. I look forward to visiting with you and helping you plan your bear hunt here in New Mexico.
Dave Kleber of Pennsylvania took this 6 X 6 bull on the fourth evening of his hunt. We had been into elk every day, but just couldn’t seem to get a chance at a decent bull. This continued into the fourth afternoon.
