We have that directly from Ric Martin, who is among the approved guides authorized to take 90 bull elk hunters afield this fall in an experimental effort to create a regular hunting program on the old Baca Ranch. If you don't remember Baca Ranch and the big bulls Martin used to take there, simply go to his web site and take a look. A quick glance will be enough to convince you these Baca hunts are worth applying for.
Actually, you can't "apply" for a Baca Ranch/Valles Caldera bull elk permit; at this point, all you can do is buy one or more raffle tickets and hope for the best. Chances cost $25 each and there is no limit on the number you can buy. In all, there will be five different hunts: an archery hunt September 10 to 20 (20 permits in all); three different rifle hunts - October 5 - 9 (15 permits in all), October 12 - 16 (20 permits) and October 19 - 23 (20 permits in all); and a muzzleloader hunt October 26 - 30 (10 permits in all). There were five bid tags available earlier in the year, but at this point those are gone. The last one was auctioned at the Safari Club International Convention in Las Vegas. It went to Hunting Report subscriber Lacy Harber for $12,000.
Martin has all the information you need on this hunt, and he will help you buy your lottery tickets. Naturally, he will do this as part of an overall offer of his guiding services. He's priced those services at $8,500 for a five-day rifle hunt and at $10,000 for a 10-day bowhunt. That includes lodging, horses, meals - the whole she-bang, including Martin's familiarity........(continued)
