Ice Fishing Eagle Nest Lake - An Extreme Dream

Adam Vigil, 7, of Taos waits patiently for a bite while ice fishing with his family at Eagle Nest Lake on Saturday, Jan.5, 2008.

Despite the howling wind, bone-numbing cold and threatening weather, plenty of hardy anglers fanned out across the frozen expanse of Eagle Nest Lake this past weekend to hunker over a hole and try their luck at ice fishing.

“This is what it’s all about, man!” said John Gonzales, 43, a Taos plumber, as he pulled a pan-sized trout through a small hole drilled in the ice.

Nearby brothers, Adam Vigil, 7, and Ryan Vigil, 10, of Taos, anxiously awaited their turn to pull in a fish from the cold, dark waters below the cracked, menacing ice.

“It’s fun and the best part is catching a fish,” Ryan said with a wide grin.

The boys’ uncle, Fred Archuleta, also of Taos, said it’s worth braving the elements for the day to get out with his family.

“We love the outdoors, hunting and fishing,” said Archuleta, manager of his family’s restaurant in Taos, El Taoseno. “It’s a chance to catch some fish and forget about work for a while.”

Archuleta wasn’t alone Saturday morning, Jan. 5, as he and about 30 other anglers huddled offshore near the boat ramp at Eagle Nest Lake State Park under threatening skies to try their luck.

Local businesses that cater to the anglers were happy to see them, although at least one questioned their sanity.

“You’ve got to be crazy to go out in this wind,” said Sue Finley with a shake of her head as she manned the counter at the Eagle Nest Marina’s bait and tackle shop, which is located on a road leading down to the lake.

Finley says most days on the lake are pretty nice with plenty of blue skies, sunshine and gentler breezes. Call ahead to the marina for the latest conditions at (575) 377-6941.

“It’s fun, just dress warm and you won’t have a problem,” she said. “Most days they’ve been doing real well out there, I’ve seen some 18- to 20-inchers.”
John Gonzales, 43, of Taos shows off a trout he reeled in from the icy depths of Eagle Nest Lake during a recent ice-fishing outing with family.

The state Department of Game and Fish regulates fishing on the lake and opened it to ice fishing beginning Dec. 28th after it had frozen to a thickness of nine inches or more.

The lake is expected to remain open to ice fishing as long as the weather stays cold.

That’s good news for Mark Stewart of Dos Amigos Anglers in Eagle Nest who, along with the local Chamber of Commerce, sponsors the annual ice-fishing derby on the lake.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 19 with registration from 8 to 10 a.m. at the state park’s boat ramp. Fishing will commence at 10 a.m. and run till 2 p.m. The cost is $15 to enter and cash prizes are awarded to the top four positions based on the weight of the total number of fish caught by a contestant, Stewart said.

Stewart said 80 percent of the derby’s registration fees go to the cash prizes with the first place winner taking half of that.

Stewart said the event is highly dependant on the weather and last year only about 34 people showed up because of lousy weather while the year before the event was cancelled because the weather was too good.

“But so far it looks pretty good for this year and I hope we have a good turnout,” he says.Contact Stewart at (575) 377-6226 for updated information.

Ice fishing is an easy way to wile away a day and plenty of folks out of Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Los Alamos come up to Eagle Nest to do it, Stewart says.

Skiers hitting the slopes at nearby Angel Fire also spend time on the lake trying something different while on their vacation.


Shops like Stewart’s and Finley’s rent the tools necessary to enjoy a day on the ice including an ice auger to drill a hole, an ice skimmer to keep it from freezing up, a bucket to carry the gear and sit on and a small rod and reel.

Anglers typically use bait like meal, wax and regular worms, salmon eggs, row sacks, small jigs and spoon or blade lures, Stewart said.

Most anglers work just off shore in the shallower water and will try experimenting at different depths to see where the fish are hanging out. Sometimes a faint tap on the rod to give the bait or lure some motion is all that may be needed to attract fish, he said.

But the most important gear for an enjoyable day on the ice is proper dress, Stewart said.

Good insulated boots are essential as are plenty of layers of warm clothing, including a wind-proof, outer shell and warm gloves and cap.

A small, self-heating cushion like those sold to hunters is good to have while seated on the bucket and something like a piece of old carpet to lay on the ice will help insulate the feet from the cold.

Stewart also stressed that those venturing out onto the ice need to be careful walking on clear ice that has been swept free of any snow, as it can be very slippery. Snow covered or crusty ice is easier to walk upon, he noted.

And as for dealing with Eagle Nest’s legendary wind?

“Keep it at your back,” Gonzales, the successful fisherman, recommended.
This article also appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican's Outdoors section.

If You Go:

Take US 84/285 north out of Santa Fe to Española, stay on State Road 68 through town and then head north along the Rio Grande to Taos and the US 64 turn off to Eagle Nest. About 220 miles round trip. For a scenic return trip to Santa Fe, take State Road 434 south out of Eagle Nest, through Angel Fire to Mora and then take State Road 518 to Peñasco. Take State Road 75 through Peñasco and then turn off on State Road 76 to Truchas. Follow State Road 76 down through Chimayo to Española and then turn back onto State Road 68 and go through Española to US 84/285 back to Santa Fe. Adds about 30 more miles and more driving time due to mountainous roads but passes through many of the historic, Hispanic villages of Northern New Mexico.

The Valles Caldera - A Winter Groove

The air is biting cold but the winter sun shines bright as the musty odor of horses washes over the gently rocking sled, the gentle jingle of its sleigh bells adding to the sparkle in the air.

The Valles Caldera National Preserve is open for business again this winter with sleigh rides, snow skiing and snow shoeing to be enjoyed on a fresh layer of deep, dazzling, snow.

“This is awesome,” said Courtney Harris, of Albuquerque, as she enjoyed an outing with her family on New Year’s Day. “The scenery is breathtaking, it’s so relaxing.”

Harris’ family joined those of the Mocklers of Santa Fe and the Schmidts of Los Alamos in the bed of the sleigh, seated atop hay bails and bundled beneath blankets as they ventured through the shadows of the woods.

“They’re slow and steady,” the driver, John Sharp of Santa Fe, says of his team of shaggy blond, American Cream, draft horses Chip and Champ.

Preserve Guide, Larry Sellers, patiently answered questions from his seat in the rear of the sleigh while pointing out the massive girth and extraordinary height of a nearby towering Ponderosa pine.

“This area was never logged so some of these trees are four or five hundred years old,” he says.

The passengers gaze out over the side of the sleigh at the vast, bowl-shaped expanse of the 89,000-acre Valles Caldera, an ancient collapsed volcano that once held a massive lake.

Sellers explains how about 53,000 years ago a quake shook the earth and opened a seam from which the lake spilled, its rushing waters carving the canyon that now leads down to Jemez Springs.

The New Year’s Day sleigh ride was the last of the opening week of the winter season at the preserve. It was six straight days of winter fun for hundreds of guests who took advantage of the holiday festivities, Sharp said.

And more fun can be had on upcoming weekends and on free access days scheduled for Presidents Day and Martin Luther King’s holiday. Cross-country skiing and snow shoeing under moonlit nights are also scheduled for every other Saturday night starting Jan. 5 until the end of March or until there’s no more snow, says Recreation Coordinator Rob Dixon, a Clayton native, graduate of the College of Santa Fe and former Navy combat medic.

There may even be some night rides in the sleigh or wagon when the temperatures pick up a bit, Dixon said.

“The temperature drops fast once the sun goes down behind those mountains,” he said. “It was 28-below zero here last night.”

The schedule of upcoming events and reservations can be made on the preserves’ website . Information can also be obtained by calling the preserves’ office in Jemez Springs at (505) 661-3333.


Dixon conceded he has a difficult job in trying to satisfy the public’s desire to explore and enjoy what was once locally known as “The Baca” while continuing to protect the preserve’s near pristine environment.

“So we’re taking it slow to protect the place,” he said. “But I can’t stress enough how important the public’s input is in determining the programs we put in place.”

The preserve is taking public input now regarding a proposed overnight camping program and people who want to influence the outcome need to get involved, he said.

“We’re always looking for volunteers too, dependable people, who can work the parking lots, patrols trails and assist the public,” he said. “They play a big role in whether we’re successful or not.”

Hikers like, Talitha Arnold, a minister at the United Church of Santa Fe, said she appreciates the preserves’ slow pace in developing public use programs.

“It’s an incredible place, the first time I came here I felt like I was walking on sacred ground,” she said while taking a break in her afternoon hike. “I’m glad they’re restricting people and taking a scientific approach to preserving it so it doesn’t just become another theme park.”

Permits and fees are required for most of the preserves’ programs as the ranches’ operations are mandated to be self-sustaining in the future.

Those interested in getting involved in efforts at the preserve can also join the group Friends of the Valles Caldera’s and find more information at their website.




















Meanwhile, back on the sleigh ride, Sellers is explaining to the passengers how the government bought the spectacular ranch from the Dunigan family of Texas in 2000 for a little over a $100 million.

The preserve is well known for its legendary trophy bull elk and boasts a resident population of about 3,500 of the massive animals. A typical hunting season results in the culling of about 250 to 270 animals with the success rate running as high as 70 percent, he said.

And in the summer anglers can apply for the preserve’s lottery system to draw a permit to fish for trout in the upper stretch of the popular San Antonio River. The river is divided up into ten, approximately mile long, parcels of water which allows anglers the solitude of fishing an untouched piece of stream for the day.

Hikers can find any number of trails to traverse through the preserve including free access, no permit required, to two trails, Coyote Call and the Valle Grande Trail on the south side of State Road 4, across the highway from the ranch headquarters.

And this upcoming summer anglers may be allowed under a proposed plan to fish the heavily populated waters of the East Fork of the Jemez River which runs through the meadows fronting the highway, Dixon said.

The proposed plan would allow some form of daily access without having to go through the lottery system so anglers could simply show up and fish, Dixon said.

The proposal is still in its planning stages so public comment is encouraged to help formulate the final outcome, Dixon said.Comments can be sent to comments@vallescaldera.gov or sent by post to the Valles Caldera Trust at PO Box 359, Jemez Springs, NM, 87025.
As the sleigh ride wrapped up its hour-long, three mile ride, Sharp pulled up the horses to allow the passengers to watch a coyote lope across an open field, its nose down to the ground.

Sellers explained how the coyote will use it finely tuned hearing to listen for the sound of rodents scurring about under the snow and then leap high into the air to then pounce upon its unsuspecting prey.

Riding back to the parking area in a warm van the group chatted excitedly about their afternoon and enjoyed the camraderie of having enjoyed a special day together.

“This was way too cool,” one of heavily bundled kids said.

This article also appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican's Outdoors section.

Snowshoeing 101 - Fun and Easy Winter Hiking

High up in the mountains above Santa Fe where the air is crisp and the sun shines brilliantly during a lull between storms, professional hiking guide Karen Denison points out the faint tracks of a snowshoe hare atop the deep snow.

“Looks like a dog’s tracks there too, the way they’re going crazy all over the place,” she says.

I imagine a big, goofy lab out for a romp in the snow, its legs all going in different directions as it chases the rabbit’s scent.

Like the hare, a hiker in snowshoes can easily glide across the snow, venturing deep into woods on a beautiful winter’s day.

Denison, who has dedicated herself to teaching women and others how to enjoy the outdoors, says the key to good snowshoeing is getting out there!

Beginners can rent snowshoes and ski poles at any number of the local ski shops and head up Hyde Park Road to Black Canyon Campground or Aspen Vista Road for an easy introduction to the sport.

“It’s fun and unlike skiing, you can get out into the woods where you’ll see all sorts of wildlife tracks in the snow,” Denison says. “You can really get some notion of how many critters there really are out there.”

Denison stresses that snowshoeing is an active endeavor and hikers need to dress accordingly, in layers that can be put on and taken off as conditions dictate.

Hikers should use wicking underwear made of polypropylene, silk or wool to pull sweat away from the skin to ward off chills. The next layer should consist of a warm layer such as fleece, wool or other insulating material and lastly, a nylon or breathable material shell to ward off wind and moisture.

Footwear should consist of stout, waterproof boots, such as snow-paks or hunting boots worn with thick fleece or wool socks and waterproof gaiters to keep the cold and wet snow in check.

Top your outfit off with a suitable hat, something that can warm the ears and keep the sun and other elements out of the eyes. Also bring a warm, waterproof pair of gloves.

Denison also highly recommends using sunscreen and sunglasses to protect from being burned or blinded by the sun’s intense glare coming off the snow.

Lastly, Denison stresses the need to stay hydrated while out hiking as dehydration can contribute to the deadly condition, hypothermia.

“In the winter it’s something you have remind yourself to do because all the usual clues might not be present,” she said.

Dension said one of her scariest outdoor incidents was when she and her husband were cross-country skiing to a backcountry yurt in the mountains above Chama when they got caught in a snowstorm. Her husband, Terry Taddeucci, a nuclear physicist at Los Alamos National Lab, was doing the hard work of breaking trail when he began to exhibit signs of hypothermia.

“I knew something was wrong with him because he was actually listening to me for a change,” Denison said.

Blinded by the snow but armed with a GPS (Global Positioning System) device they managed to find their shelter and safety before things got too serious.

“But he was dehydrated and wiped out for the whole next day,” she said.

Those interested in learning more about the joys of snowshoeing and winter hiking can enroll in Denison’s continuing education class at Santa Fe Community College in mid-February.

Karen Denison of Outspire guided hiking tours takes a break while snowshoeing on a hilltop high above Santa Fe during the winter of 2007.

And that’s what Denison can usually be found doing when she’s not guiding clients on day hikes around Santa Fe, teaching others about the outdoors and its many recreational opportunities.

Denison’s own introduction to the outdoors began while growing up in Dover, Ohio, where she learned to fish with bait and spinners as a youth.

She then came out west when her husband was offered a job on the hill.

Denison, a degreed biologist, found work with for the Santa Fe-based biotech company, Vivigen.

Then one afternoon while fishing on the Conjeos River in Southern Colorado she found herself in the middle of a great insect hatch and her life took a turn.

“There were all these fish rising and all I had was my spinning rod with a Wooley Worm on a bubble and of course I wasn’t catching anything,” she said. “I was so mad and then I realized that this was the water for which flyfishing was made.”

Wanting to learn more about flyfishing she enrolled in a flyfishing class at the Santa Fe Community College taught by the owner of the High Desert Angler High flyshop, Jan Crawford.

Crawford was one of the founding members of the women’s flyfishing group She Fishes! and a leader in the female, flyfishing movement in New Mexico. The two became good friends.

“She slowly dragged me out of the science field and into the flyshop,” said Denison who became a fishing guide under Crawford and with eventually co-authored the book “Fly Patterns of Northern New Mexico” along with former High Desert Angler shop manager, Bill Orr. (See related blog article about Mr. Orr at Flyfishing 101- A how to Guide.)

Crawford and Denison worked together for many years until Crawford decided to sell the shop to a younger crew and move up to Creede, Colo.

The two still work together however, hosting and teaching a women’s flyfishing school and retreat at the 4UR Ranch during the summer.

It’s a great opportunity for like minded women to get together on the water, learn the sport and share each others company, Dension said.

For more details about this event check out the link at www.outspire.com .

Denison also remains involved in the local flyfishing scene through her work at The Reel Life flyshop in Sanbusco Market in downtown Santa Fe where she teaches flycasting, flytying and introductory flyfishing.

For more details about what this Santa Fe flyshop has to offer check them out at www.reellifesantafe.com .

And as if that’s not enough to keep her busy, Denison has devoted her time for the last 10 years to teaching women how to use GPS navigation through the state Department of Game and Fish sponsored “Becoming an Outdoor Woman” program.

The program is held every year at the NRA’s Whittington Center near Raton and offers classes such as basic firearms instruction, first aid, flyfishing and tying, camp skills and outdoor cooking, big game field dressing, geology, wildlife and plant identification, tracking and sign cutting and other outdoors skills.

For more info about this program go to www.bownewmexico.

Denison said she loves being an outdoors guide, sharing her knowledge and experience with others and hopes more women will follow her lead and get out there!

This article also appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican's Outdoors section.

NM News - San Juan Improvement Project Complete

Left, state Department of Game and Fish, San Juan Fishery Biologist, Marc Wethington, discusses rock arrangments with Heavy Equipment Operator, Reggie Davis of Adobe Contractors of Bloomfield, during the third and final phase of fish habitat improvements on the San Juan River in November 2007.

The third and final phase of an ambitious fish habitat improvement project on the San Juan River at Navajo Dam has been completed for the benefit of anglers who frequent the waters near Cottonwood Campground.

“It’s fishing good, fabulous,” said Jay Vigil, a guide and clerk at the Sportsman Bar and Grill in Navajo Dam.

Vigil said he and his wife, Martha, fished the project waters just days after the work had been completed.

“Now that’s my kind of river, lots of structure and deeper channels for the fish to hold in,” he said. “They did a fabulous job, people will definitely appreciate it.”

Crews spent about a week installing an estimated 500 tons of boulders in a little over a half mile of water fronting Cottonwood Campground and Recreation Area down to the Pumphouse Run, said Marc Wethington, San Juan Fisheries Biologist for the state Department of Game and Fish.

Water flows on the river were reduced by half from the usual winter flow of 500 cfs (cubic-feet-per-second) to accommodate the work for about a week.

A tractor with a movable arm fitted with a pincher claw worked out of the riverbed, picking up and positioning the boulders that had been hauled to the riverbank from a nearby quarry.

Heavy Equipment Operator, Reggie Davis, of Adobe Contractors of Bloomfield said it was “different” working his big rig in running water.

“I’d be concentrating on my work and then look out the side window and see the water passing by,” Davis said. “I’d get that weird optical illusion like we were floating away. That took some getting used to.”

But Davis soon became adept at picking up and dropping the boulders in their proper spot, scooping out a hole behind the rock and then tamping it down with a tap of the machine’s heavy bucket.

“He made short work of this,” Wethington said as he watched Davis work under threatening skies during one of the last days of the weeklong project.

Chris Philips of Riverbed Engineering of Pagosa Springs, Colo. provided oversight for much of the work.

“We’re not working with a natural river anymore because of the dam construction,” he said while inspecting the work late one afternoon. “We don’t have the natural flows and sendiment loads to do this work for us so we’re nudging the river in the direction it needs to be and we’re trying to make it look as natural as we can.”

Wethington, 43, a Kirtland native who has been stationed on the San Juan for the last 12 years, spearheaded the effort but praise those in the background who stepped up to contribute to the cause.

Adobe Construction donated workers like Davis while Volvo heavy equipment dealer, Golden Equipment of Farmington, contributed the machinery needed to haul and place the boulders.

Area oil and gas drilling firms, Williams Oil, Devon Energy and Conoco Philips contributed funding as did the Float and Fish Fly Shop of Navajo Dam.

And the San Juan Fly Fishing Federation and the local BLM office were also instrumental in seeing the project through to completion, Wethington said.

Wethington estimated the three phase project cost about $175,000 including Sikes Act funds from the sale of habitat stamps required of all those who hunt and fish on public lands in New Mexico.


The latest phase of the project included reclaiming riverbank, narrowing and deepening the main channel, installing structure such as boulders and downed cottonwood tree trunks to provide attractive holding areas for fish.

Prior to the work, the river spread out at Cottonwood Campground over a wide, shallow, featureless expanse and did little to encourage fish to congregate there.
Up to 60,000 catchable fish, 9 to 11-inches in length, are routinely stocked in the “bait” waters of the San Juan each a year, Wethington said.

Many of those fish will now have more suitable habitat to live in and anglers should find it easier to locate and attempt to catch those fish, he said.

“We are trying to provide increased angling opportunities to as diverse a population of anglers as possible,” he said.

Over the last two winters similar work was done on a stretch of water below Simon Canyon and above the Gravel Pit where drift boats and their guides take out. That work has already produced benefits as evidenced during recent insect hatches which have revealed greater numbers of rising fish (see related article).

The San Juan is one of the west’s top trout waters, a legendary, trophy class trout fishery fueled by consistent flows and clear, cold water.

The river lures anglers from all over the world to stalk its quality waters which are home to an estimated 75,000 trout.

The first quarter mile of the river below Navajo Dam is strictly catch and release and the remaining four miles have a bag limit of one trout over 20-inches with the angler required to stop fishing once they have taken a fish of that size, that day.

Single, barbless lures are required on the quality waters.

Below the quality waters, anglers can use bait and the normal bag limit is in effect on public access to another 3.5 miles of river including the Cottonwood Campground area.

Anglers spend about 250,000 hours a year fishing on the San Juan River below Navajo Dam and contribute an estimated $20 million to $30 million to the state’s economy annually, Wethington said.

Future habitat improvement plans for the river include salt cedar and Russian olive tree eradication and restoration of native cottonwood and willows, Wethington said.
A plan is also being proposed to restrict tackle on the river to the use of two flies, Wethington said.

Anglers employing the use of multiple flies in triple and quadruple rigs are entangling and killing too many fish some fishing guides have complained, he said.

In an effort to limit damage to the river’s trout population the guides have suggested restricting tackle to just two flies, he said.

Wethington said there have been no studies of angler induced, trout mortality on the San Juan’s quality waters but most trout living in the river show evidence of having have been caught at least once and are expected to either die of old age or at the hands of an angler.

Wethington said anglers will have a chance to comment during yet to be scheduled public hearings and or by mail before the state Game Commission considers the rule change.

Originally published in the Santa Fe New Mexican's Outdoors section.

See related article for more information.

Elk Hunt - New Mexico Style

As dawn broke I gazed up at the purple tinged clouds and absently chewed on a piece of dried fruit. At my feet lay a pile of elk pellets and a slew of hoof prints, the tree upon which my rifle rested bore fresh antler marks and I eyed the nearby watering hole expectantly.

We had gotten up early that morning in a scene reminiscent of my Army days. Men in camouflage and boots, the clatter of gear and rifles, nervous anticipation cloaked in bravado.

We crawled up the mountain in four-wheel drive, the two pickup trucks grinding along the rutted jeep trail in low gear, our headlights barely piercing the darkness.
We emerged from the woods upon a mountaintop meadow.

It was here where I tried the evening before to sneak up on a group of grazing elk but when the wind came up on my back, they caught my scent and scattered.

We were just out scouting then but today it was for real and this was my first elk hunt.

We followed another road off into the trees and stopped at a fence line where we parked the truck and then headed off on foot down to a nearby watering hole.

It was here where we hoped to ambush some elk at dawn.

I looked off downhill and all I could see of my hunting partner was his blaze orange cap bobbing about in the hazy, morning light.

Waiting and watching in the tree line I had a chance to reflect on how I ended up on this solitary mountaintop with a military surplus, M-1 rifle and a hunting license.

I had earned the rifle competing in several shooting matches sponsored by the now disbanded Caja Del Rio Gun Club back when they had a range south of Santa Fe in the early 1990s.

That range has since been bulldozed to make way for some soccer fields.

The rifle cost $165 and arrived in the mail, sent by what was then the government’s Division of Civilian Marksmanship.

Built during WW II by the Springfield Armory, the rifle shoots straight and far. Truly a beautiful piece of machinery and other than a 1961 Dodge pickup and several longtime friends, it’s the only antique I own.

I’d never considered using it for hunting until now.

When my friend Mike Giddings first invited me to go on this trip, I was hesitant.

I’ve been an avid catch and release fisherman for years and would much rather shoot pictures than wildlife.

A bull elk photographed by the author during a trip to Yellowstone National Park in the fall of 2003.

But I had to admit I was intrigued by the idea of bringing home my own meat.

My friends who hunted argued that due to the limited number of natural predators out there, hunting was necessary to help keep the state’s elk population in check. And the meat is high in protein, much leaner than beef, range fed and completely organic.

But more importantly hunting was a time honored New Mexico tradition that brings family and friends together for great outdoor adventures.

“It’ll be a blast,” they said.

Yeah, tell that to the elk, I thought.

But I had to agree that one should know where their food comes from and play a hand in obtaining it.

So Mike started planning. He wanted to return to an area high in the mountains above Angel Fire where he had hunted once. He hadn’t had any luck on that trip but liked what he saw up there.

Mike did his homework and found the success rate in this particular unit was pretty good and since we were after a cow or young bull, we stood a pretty good chance of bringing home some meat, he said.

As luck would have it we each drew out in the Department of Game and Fish’s annual July lottery and our hunt was on for early November. It only cost $65 to apply and buy the license.

Upon hearing the news, another good friend, Glenn Jaramillo of Glenn's Garage in Santa Fe, told me we were going to need plenty of help if we managed to drop one of these 500-lb animals.

A veteran of many a hunt, Jaramillo offered to come along and help us with the hauling and butchering and anything else he could do to make the trip a success for us.

Glenn invited his buddy, Ron “Randy” Santistevan of Cerro, to come along too and we now had two hunters with years of knowledge and experience to help guide us on this trip.

As the hunting date grew near so did our anticipation and we got together frequently to discuss tactics and go over the list of gear to bring.

I went down to the department store and bought a camouflage hunting jacket and a blaze orange baseball cap.

I spent weeks humping around the hills south of town with a fully loaded backpack and my rifle to condition myself for the mountains.

I familiarized myself with the state hunting rules and regulations and read a good book about elk hunting.

And when the hunt date arrived I felt like I was ready, butterflies aside.

We set out for the mountains on a beautiful Indian summer’s day, hauling two travel trailers behind the pickups, headed north just like I’d seen others do over the years.

Now I was in one of them and it felt good.

From the left: Glenn "Chewy" Jaramillo of Santa Fe, Ron "Randy" Santistevan of Cerro, Mike "Chico" Giddings of Los Lunas and the author during their first hunt together in Northern New Mexico during the fall of 2007.


We found a suitable campsite in the national forest just off the road at the base of the mountain, set up quickly and then headed uphill in time to catch the sun setting.

Sure enough there were signs of elk everywhere and then we came across the herd I spooked at the water hole.

That was last night and now I was snapped out of my daydreaming by the sound of someone blowing an elk bugle and cows responding, way off down the hill.

I couldn’t believe it. They were here.

The ensuing silence was deafening, my every footstep sounded like a stampede as I picked my way out of the tree line and headed downhill.

I could see Mike’s neon orange hat up ahead in the high grass, kneeling by a small pine watching the meadow below through his binoculars.

I crouched down and then low crawled to a crest in the meadow alongside Mike. When I peeked through the thick, dry grass it was just in time to see a herd of elk coming out of the tree line.

They were just a couple of hundred yards downhill, maybe a half dozen or more strung out across the meadow.

Mike took the first shot and I watched as one stumbled and fell in the grass.

The rest scattered, several ran back into the tree line, some continued across the meadow and one stood looking uphill.

I said I had her and when she turned broadside I got off two good shots before she disappeared from view.

We hustled down the hill and when we got there we were baffled to find no sign of the two elk.

We were sure we’d hit them and searched frantically for them.

We followed deep hoof prints left by the fleeing elk that led back into the woods and off down the steep side of the mountain. We didn’t find any blood trails and soon lost those tracks in the deep forest.

We went back to the spot where we thought they had been hit and finally found a faint stain of blood on top of some grass.

Looking more closely I found a trail of bright, red blood leading off into the opposing tree line.



I followed while Mike stayed behind looking for sign of the other elk.

I was alone in the woods, heart beating in my ears, trying to quiet my deep breaths when I saw the wounded elk slowly limping off through the trees. I felt a rush of apprehension as I crept up behind it, stopping when it stopped but steadily gaining ground on it.

It finally came up lame and looked back at me as I emerged from behind a tree.

I dropped to one knee and sighted down the barrel and for the longest time we just looked at each other.

I felt a pang of guilt, maybe regret, but when it turned to try and limp away, I pulled the trigger and got off a clean shot, just behind its shoulder.

The elk fell and lay dying. It was brutal, bloody work but it was done.

We called in Glenn and Randy on the radio, located the other elk in the tree line and our hunting was done.

We had bagged two elk within hours on our first day and as the guys set to work skinning and butchering the animals, they couldn’t stop telling us how lucky we’d been.

Most hunters have to pay more dues, they said. Waiting in tree lines for hours on end, numb to the bone from the cold, hiking endless miles for days on end until the hunt ends and they go home empty-handed.

They might be right about that but we also came prepared, got up early and found a good spot.

That,and having good friends at your back, counts for something too.

The author looks over one of the cow elk taken during his first hunt with friends in Northern New Mexico in the fall of 2007.

This article also appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican's Outdoors section. Also see related blog article.