The operator arranging these hunts is Arizona-based outfitter Brad Fulk of Rio Sonora Outfitters. He has been hunting this property since 2001 for deer and 2003 for bison. The property is close to the town of Agua Prieta, near the US border. It is owned by the Morales family, who once owned a large chunk of northeastern Sonora and a large ranch just across the state line in Chihuahua. According to Fulk, the bison on this property are originally from a larger herd in Chihuahua. That herd still roams wild on the high-ranging desert grasslands, crossing back and forth between Chihuahua and New Mexico.
The section of the Sierra Ajo that is on the Morales ranch is made up of high desert mountains reaching elevations of 6,000 to 6,500 feet. The terrain is scrappy, rocky and steep. It starts off with high desert mesquite at the lowest elevations, turns into grasslands and ends with chaparral scrublands and oak at the higher elevations, where the buffalo seek cover. This is where the hunts usually take place.
There are no roads on this mountain at all, so access is by horseback or on foot. Hunting is classic spot-and-stalk style. Fulk says the animals are completely wild and cautious. If spooked, they charge straight up the mountain 2,500 to 3,000 feet without stopping. One of the ranch's cowboys scouts and locates bulls ahead of the client's arrival and accompanies the guide and client up the........(continued)
