Good hunting and fishing areas in NM? (Albuquerque, Clayton: live, move)

[KyleCS]

My wife and I are planning to relocate from China Spring, TX, just outside of Waco. We are looking for a place that has the following:

1. Good hunting and fishing

2. VA facilities

3. We are looking for a low-populated area, preferably up in the northern part of the state.

Thank you. <><

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by KyleCS

My wife and I are planning to relocate from China Spring, TX, just outside of Waco. We are looking for a place that has the following:

2. VA facilities

You mean Veterans Administration facilities? The only "VA Health Care System" is in Albuquerque: New Mexico VA Health Care System They also have about 15 "Community Based Outpatient Clinic's" throughout the state, 4 "Vet Center's" New Mexico - Locations

I can not comment on any of the facilities except the facility in Albuquerque which I have only used a few times over 5 years ago.

[solovino1]

Mora county is good for elk if you can get a tag. Of course it always helps to get out of the pickup and travel on foot to the critters. Pecos river along Highway 63 is good but almost like a fish farm cause the hatchery is nearby.

[KyleCS]

Where is Mora County??

[TKO]

Originally Posted by KyleCS

Where is Mora County??

It's in northern NM. Not to be snotty, but you should google it and see on a map where it is specifically.

Hunting for elk, deer, antelope and other critters will be fairly good in northern NM, for the most part, but tags have gotten hard to draw, bird hunting for turkey, quail and dove can be pretty good too, though recent years have been down because of the drought for most wildlife. Fishing is mostly trout with decent stream and lake fishing in the north. Warm water is a little harder to come by up there.

[BrianH]

Antelope hunting around Clayton is really good. Fishing at the State Park there is good also.

[KyleCS]

Originally Posted by TKO

It's in northern NM. Not to be snotty, but you should google it and see on a map where it is specifically.

Hunting for elk, deer, antelope and other critters will be fairly good in northern NM, for the most part, but tags have gotten hard to draw, bird hunting for turkey, quail and dove can be pretty good too, though recent years have been down because of the drought for most wildlife. Fishing is mostly trout with decent stream and lake fishing in the north. Warm water is a little harder to come by up there.

Not snotty at all. Is it difficult to get tags in NM? Texas is pretty easy and we have pretty good numbers for hunting....

[TKO]

Yup, tags are hard to get for any big game. We even have to draw for mule deer these days. The drought has done a number on us and being that it's public land there's no one feeding and watering the wildlife outside of some stock tanks. It's not impossible and you will draw eventually it's just not a thing you can count on every year. NMDGF website will give you the low down on any particular area, I haven't hunted the north part of the state so things may be a little different up there, I live near El Paso and tend to hunt in the southern half of the state. Private land hunts may be something you can look at too.

None of those little ranch fed white tails (you may find some on the plains but not like Texas). I hunted near Alpine and it was kinda ridiculous how many there were. In a good way! Our mulies also don't taste near as good either. Elk and antelope are very good eating and if you get an elk you're looking at a LOT of meat.

NMDGF

[KyleCS]

Guess I am spoiled down here. I have eaten some yummy white tail, but no mule deer or elk. I'll check the web sight on hunting. If we move there, eventually becoming state citizens, can outta state folk hunt there? Just making conversation; the sight will tell me I know.

[TKO]

Out of state isn't too bad, about $350 or so I think. Considering instate is $45 it's a lot more but you get a lot of out of state folks coming in for elk in particular. Not sure how the draw would work for that, I have to believe that instate is given some sort of preference. Heck, you get people paying $10K or more to hunt for trophy elk on the reservations.

My buddy got a 5x5 in the Gila National Forest a couple months ago and it was nothing to sneeze at. Really good eating too and probably 250-300 lbs of meat? That's about 3 of those Texas white tails in one. Thing was as big as a horse.