hey y'all. anyone ever hunted Persian ibex in the Florida mountains of New Mexico? I'm thinking of putting in for the draw next spring and want to do my homework on reputable outfitters

My buddy did that hunt a few years back with his bow. Very tough hunt. He had a shot opportunity, but no kill. He didn't use a guide, so I have no idea on that.

Toughest hunt I ever tried was a mule deer hunt in the Florida Mountains. I was young and tough.... or so I thought. Tell your buddy he better get in the best shape of his life is the only advise I can give him. Baker

Very Tough hunt! Very hard to draw a tag...but doable!

I have had a few clients do the hunt successfully with a muzzleloader self guided but it took 10yrs for them to draw. Extremely challenging.

My buddy drew this year and I'll be going with him in a month and a half. I'll put pics up after we go. I live in Las cruces now, and have put in 8 years in a row and never drawn out. Realty is you don't need a guide, though it will help your odds. There are a ton, and few hunters and the mountains aren't very wide...just super steep and rough. Basically just look at the top and try to get to it, and you'll find them. Our lovely game and fish decided last year it would be a good idea to do over the counter tags for nannies since we had too many, and that was a train wreck. Something like 1500 hunters in a 5 mile mountain range all firing bullets at the same herds. They full filled the quota the first day of a month long hunt then shut it down.

I hear rifle hunt isn't bad at all but that archery is extremely tough

They changed the law this year and it is even tougher to draw those tags if you are out of state. Now a bit easier if you are a resident since they are no longer in the same pool as out of state hunters. Residents quota is 84% of the available tags. The rest split between out of state and outfitter registered pools. Good luck drawing next year. There are some awesome animals out there

Gonna move to New Mexico I guess

Back in the 90's I drew a muzzle loader tag. From reading the stats back then, it was a pretty easy tag to draw, just pricey with low success. I spent a week there and saw huge rams every day, I just never managed to get close enough for a shot. They are hunted hard and very alert. Most of the time I saw them, they where already running away!!!!

I tent camped and the winds destroyed my tent. Fortunately I had a Ford Bronco back then and was able to sleep in the back of it the last couple of days I was there. The ground is rugged and the rocks are sharp. I had a fairly new pair of boots for the hunt that where trashed by the time it ended. The leather just wore off the sides of my toes and chunks of rubber where gone from the soles. I forget the brand, but thought at the time I bought them that they where pretty good boots.

After being drawn for the tag I received letters from outfitters offering their services. None of them impressed me very much with what they had to offer, so I went on my own. That was probably a mistake because while out hunting I ran across one of the outfitters who had sent me several letters. He was a wirery elderly gentleman who know the mountain and ibex inside and out. His client was a guy who was overweight and very out of shape. I was in great shape at the time and could climb all day. That guy had to sit and rest after the shortest of hikes. We talked a bit and compared notes, but because of how heavy that hunter was, I figured they didn't have a chance. A few days later I saw them with a nice ram on the ground.

From what I learned by talking to people in the area, they are hunted hard. New Mexico doesn't want them there and they really want to keep them in just the Florida Mtns. They wonder off the mountain and have been found hundreds of miles away.

I haven't tried again for another tag. I'm no muzzle loader hunter even though I've shot a few blacktail deer in CA with one that qualify for the muzzle loader book. If I go again, it would be a rifle hunt.

Eddie