DEER
The 2007 deer season was very slow. The weather was abnormally hot which precluded the big bucks from moving, although many small bucks were seen nearly every day. Deer hunting all over the southwest region of the country was affected, too. We did harvest two bucks that scored an average of 160 SCI. While the hunters did not see the big bucks, when we flew the aerial survey in November, we did see them. I feel safe in saying that the larger bucks have not moved off the ranch, but rather the hot weather prevented them from being harvested. I anticipate having a good season in 2008.

ELK
TWC is known for its big elk. The ranch is located in a primitive weapons unit for elk, Unit 13. In the 2007 season, we harvested 10 bulls: 5 archery and 5 muzzleloader. We took a total of 14 bow hunters and 8 muzzleloader hunters. The largest archery bull scored 410 SCI and the largest muzzleloader bull scored 401. The overall average score for the 2007 season was 376 SCI. There is a minimum harvest score of 350 SCI. We had a great year in 2007 and 2008 should be as good if not better because the large amounts of moisture we’ve had to date. During the December deer hunts we saw several large bulls, one of which we estimated to be over 400 SCI.

ANTELOPE
The 2007 antelope season was a good one that scored in the record book. The largest of these bucks scored 87 B&C. We had our first bow antelope hunt in 2007 and the hunter harvested a buck that scored 87 1/2 . The bow hunt is offered to people who are successful in the public draw. They can stay at the ranch HQ and be guided for a fee. This seems to work well and cuts down on wounding loss. The success rate for the rifle hunts is 100% and has been since 2001. The antelope herd currently numbers around 300.

Outfitter’s License #O-3546