As usual, I didn't get drawn for the 2017 New Mexico trophy ibex hunt. I always put in for the population management hunt as my fifth choice, and I was surprised with the offer to take part in this hunt in March 2017. The population management hunt is for females and immature ibex only. I was hesitant about the $1,610 non-resident tag fee to shoot a female, but with the odds against me for the trophy ibex, I decided to see what it was all about. I called my uncle, Bob Johnson, and asked if his retirement schedule would allow him to go on short notice. He's always up for a last-minute adventure and signed on to keep me company.
Over the years, I have been hunting the desert more often and find it to be an overlooked gem. In its own way, it is very beautiful and full of game and wildlife. This hunt was no different, and the desert nights showed their clear skies off with fantastic meteor showers. While the Floridas are not a large mountain range, they are very rugged and vertical and rise basically straight up out of the desert floor for several thousand feet. By the time I got my Persian ibex nanny off the mountain on day two, my knees were definitely reminding me that it was winter and I wasn't in the mountain shape I thought I was.
All in all, it was a great hunt spent with family and worth the time and effort spent to make it happen.
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