Southern New Mexico Oryx Hunt
Jacob Ellis was the lucky member who drew the oryx hunt this year. Roger, Chase, and Jacob headed out Friday afternoon to do a little fishing before Saturday mornings oryx hunt. That evening, after a great steak at Los Arcos in T or C, the group hit the lake where Jacob caught several keeper bass. The next morning We headed to the ranch where we met our host, E.D., and got our briefing for the hunt. We made a short trip to the shooting range to check the gun and then we were off to find some oryx. It didn't long to spot our first group and the stalk was on. Every time we closed the gap they would move off without offering a shot. The next several hours were filled with the same scenarios. We took a break and had some lunch on the tailgate and made a plan to head north into the malpais. The guide spotted a group of animals grazing through the hills and ducked the truck out of sight. Jacob and his guide, Amado, worked their way around the lava beds keeping the wind in their favor. About 20 minutes later they were in position for a shot on a nice cow. Jacob steadied his rifle on the shooting stick and touched off the trigger. The shot was good and within seconds the big oryx was down. What we didn't realize is that there were almost 50 animals in the heard and there were oryx running everywhere. After several pictures and a short pack out we were on our way home. Congratulations Jacob and a big thanks to all the great people at the Armendariz Ranch.

Mescalero Bear Hunt
Cody Wagner would be heading up to the Mescalero Reservation for some spring bear hunting. Scott, Chase, and Cody packed up their gear and headed to the lodge to meet the guide, Ronni Blaylock, and pick up his licence. There had been several days of rain which made it impossible to get to a couple of the bait stands. Saturday morning we were off to tryout a new stand. Most the day was slow, to say the least, but the evening would ad a little excitement. Cody spotted a cinnamon bear sneaking in beside the blind. Everyone froze since the bear was only 15 yards from the blind. The small bear worked his way in just behind Scott, who couldn't move, and stopped at about 4 feet. A few seconds of that was to much for Scott to take and he turned to look and the bear scooted off. That was pretty good stuff! The next morning was slow so we headed out to set a few more bait stands now that the roads had dried out a little. That evening we were back in the blind with hopes of seeing a good bear. Just before nightfall we spotted movement in the trees behind the bait. It was a large black bear. The next few seconds were filled with "hurry up and shoot it" to "no, ease your gun out slowly". The bear inched her way in and Cody settled the cross hairs on the front shoulder. He squeezed the trigger and the bear fell in its tracks. What a great shot! After several pictures we headed to the lodge to check in and down the mountain where Dusty and Lesle were waiting to skin out the animal. A big thanks to the Mescalero Reservation as well as Dusty and Lesle for a late night skinning seminar. Congratulations Cody!!!!!

New Mexico Mule Deer Hunt
Friday at noon Beverly Allison, Alan Orr, Scott W., and Roger headed out to meet guide Steve Bennett for what would turn out to be an unforgettable southern New Mexico deer hunt. The group scouted Friday evening and found several nice bucks, things looked good for the next morning. Saturday was filled with several close calls on good deer but ended with sore feet and no deer on the ground. Sunday morning the group rose slowly and decided to split up and try some different areas. Beverly, Roger, and Steve eased into what looked like a promising area and as they topped the ridge found themselves face to face with the buck of a lifetime. After several seconds of scrambling and getting Beverly set up on the shooting stix the big buck was down. Meanwhile Alan and Scott had some excitement of their own. They had spotted a nice wide buck and were in pursuit. After a long slow stalk the buck had disappeared. Nevertheless the hunt was a great success with everyone have a good time enjoying the outdoors. A big thanks to Steve Bennett and the DRK crew for a great hunt. Congratulations Beverly on truly a buck of a lifetime! (this buck green scores almost 200")