You don't hear much about John Malone and Ted Turner anymore. https://finance.yahoo.com/news...and-u-184211274.html While it seems like most companies and people with money turn land into new housing developments and parking lots, guys like Malone and Turner have done us all a favor.

I've had the pleasure of staying on three of Ted Turner's properties. They are like visiting a national park, without all the tourists. https://tedturnerreserves.com/vermejo/

I am not envious of them as much as I am thankful for their efforts to protect the country's legacy.

I used to hunt the CS Ranch in N/E New Mexico when they held a 48,000 acre lease that shared a fence line with Vermejo Park, one of the Turner ranches. It was a 3 strand wire fence. Basically we hunted the same elk that routinely crossed the fence line depending on hunting pressure. Vermejo is a stunningly beautiful property. My largest elk heads came from that area.

I also used to hunt public ground in Western New Mexico, in the Gila, adjacent to The Ladder ranch, also one of Turner's properties. The Ladder is also a scenic property, but different in that it's lower and more arid than Vermejo. The area had, at the time, some really big mule deer. I recall some great hunts.

I spent time with the WS Ranch foreman in '74. He said the hands spent a great deal of time in elk season patrolling that 3-strand wire fence checking for "breaks" and poachers. The cost to elk hunt there was $5,000.

I was on the ranch when Billy Martin (Texas Ranger Manager) was elk hunting in '74.

The Gila, near Reserve, was mule deer heaven. We also hunted around Luna, New Mexico. Those were the days.

mid 70s our texas lease between marfa and ft. davis went from $100 a gun for 2 weeks to $1000 a gun for a weekend. ranchers daughter came home from college, had daddy declared incompentant in court. she already had oil executives in houston lined up to lease the hunting rights for their big shots. so we found a place in weed new mexico. whole new ball game.

Yep, gone are the days of reasonably priced leases. I also got fed up with how the rules changed after the lease was signed, like the ranchers brother-in-law just showing up to hunt on opening weekend, etc.

Do you notice that the Vermejo website does not mention hunting? They still conduct hunts but I guess it is not appropriate to mention.

https://www.turnerranchoutfitting.com/the-ranch


Here is the link for accessing hunting on Ted Turner properties. I was at Vermejo three times while my husband was hunting bull elk and we took my Father-in-law there fishing for his 70th birthday. Amazing place.

quote:

Originally posted by squeezenhope:
Do you notice that the Vermejo website does not mention hunting? They still conduct hunts but I guess it is not appropriate to mention.

The advertisement mentioned 'rifle and shooting sports' too, but when you hit the link, it was blank. I know they used to Elk hunt there for big money. I can't see that is still so.

Here you go. They certainly do mention hunting on all his properties. https://www.tedturner.com/turn...er-ranch-outfitting/