Richard Petrini of Tri-State Outfitters helped spearhead the petition for a second antelope hunt and is one of the operators benefiting from the new season. He receives over 100 antelope permits for a vast area he hunts near Raton, New Mexico. Petrini hunts the T.O. Ranch, a premier antelope property that lies at 6,000 to 9,000 feet of elevation. The weather is generally good there, even for his August 23-25 hunt. It should be even better for September.
When range conditions are good, as they were this year in late spring, bucks should average close to the B & C minimum of 82 points, he says. Last year, despite drought conditions, the big ranch produced antelope that averaged 79 B & C points. The biggest buck taken from the ranch scored 86 net B & C points. Petrini charges $2,500 for an antelope hunt, which includes the cost of a landowner permit, plus $140.60 in sales tax. The state hunting license is an additional $211.
Petrini also has a late-season antelope hunt in Colorado. The trophy quality is not as good there as in New Mexico, and the price reflects that. But hunters here can expect to take a nice pronghorn buck, and because the ranch is enrolled in Colorado's Ranching For Wildlife program, Petrini is able to set a two-month pronghorn season that includes September and October. He hunts the 85,000-acre Bijou Springs........(continued)
