Quick Tips
- Be ready to shoot long distances
- Carry a laser rangefinder
- Visit Raton Museum
- Visit and shoot at NRA Whittington Center
On The Ground
West of Interstate 25 between Raton and Springer and east of Colfax, Cimarron and Rayado. Elk, mule deer, whitetail deer and pronghorn antelope are hunted on private land, which comprise all but the Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge and a little land around Stubblefield Dam.
Almost the entire unit is flat to rolling rangeland that provides excellent pronghorn hunting. A few elk and mule deer live along the few brushy creek bottoms where cottonwoods, pinyon pines and junipers grow.
Terrain
Except for a couple of tiny mesas and ridges, all the land is flat or barely rising. The Vermejo River cuts through the center, running south of Stubblefield Reservoir and 3,699-acre Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge. Game and cattle also find water in about 30 other ponds and a handful of other creeks, including the Cimarron River. The vast majority of land is between 6,000 and 6,500 feet above sea level.
Roughly 1,782 square miles
2.3% public land
Elevations range from 5,800 to 6,800 feet
Vegetation
Grasslands occupy almost the entire unit. Trees grow only on tiny Kit Carson Mesa, a few hilly ridges and on the banks of the Cimmaron and Vermejo rivers and along a few creek beds, some of them dry. The trees are mostly cottonwoods, junipers and pinyon pines. Dense tamarisk provides bedding cover along some creeks. Sagebrush and oak brush grow in places, especially along dry and running creeks. The chief grass is grama. A few alfalfa fields and other crop fields are in the southern half of the unit.
Access
Private cattle ranches comprise the whole unit except for the Maxwell refuge, which is closed to hunting, and a strip of Bureau of Reclamation land around Stubblefield Reservoir, which is also inaccessible to hunters.
Four-wheel-drives are recommended on dirt roads
ATVs are not necessary
Camping and Lodging
Many motels and hotels are in Raton with national chains well represented. Several RV parks also are in Raton, including a KOA campground. A motel and a small hotel are in Springer. The lodge Casa del Gavilan is six miles south of Cimarron. Cimarron Inn and RV Park is in Cimarron. Hunters who pay for guided trips usually have lodging provided.
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