LAST EDITED ON Jul-03-12 AT 06:39PM (MST)[p]Caveat Emptor (Buyer beware)
This is such a touchy subject in New Mexico. I prefer to buy my LO tags for speedgoats directly from the landowner as I like for them to get the most bang for their buck and because it saves my crew a pile of money.
However, many of my buddies are outfitters who rely on their LO tags and relationships with landowners to keep their businesses afloat and produce quality hunts. Also, lots of outfitters take very good care of the lands they lease and some properties have turned incredible corners as a result of outfitter time and money. These guys are accountable (those that I know) both to their landowners AND their clients. Sometimes, such as last year, I have to rely on them to produce a number of tags at a reasonable price. I do expect there to be a level of quality for the hunts and will only buy from guys I know and respect. The relationship here goes beyond the sale of a voucher number as these guys know the landowners they buy the tags from on a personal level, know the quality of animals on the ranches and accurately represent that quality, and are accountable to the guys who buy tags from them.
Then, there are what many of us call "Tag Hos", guys who will buy and sell LO vouchers to turn nothing more than a profit with zero regard for the quality of the hunt they are selling, much less the landowner or lands the tag covers. I cannot tell you the number of bummed out, ripped-off, pissed off, and unsuccessful goat hunters I talk to each year that bought a tag from a "broker" or online, often via E-Bay. These are the snakes in the grass you would not do business with in any other aspect of your life. If all you get is a song and dance, voucher code and a map, you should proceed cautiously or not at all.
There are LOTS of properties with landowner tags in New Mexico that have lousy antelope hunting. Conversely, there a MANY ranches with killer hunting. Do your homework on units and regions that produce the type of hunt you want, look at the A Plus landowner list and don't be afraid to call some landowners to see if they will sell you a tag or know of a ranch that is selling tags. Many landowners have contracts in place with outfitters and will not sell to you. However, many landowners will sell to you if you can beat out the low-ball prices tag "brokers" offer them. Best thing you can do is get a small group of guys together and try to buy all of the tags (4 to 6) on a ranch at once. Pay a little bit more and have the place to yourselves without having to worry about what dates any other hunters will be on the property or that you won't be allowed to hunt until every big goat has already been shot at or killed.
You can take control of your hunt and make it an annual trip, essentially creating a relationship with a landowner that you will carry into the future.
Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.
EDIT: As an aside, guys like LCHC and JFWRC ARE definitely accountable and are what I consider to be "producers." I've not done business with either of them and JFWRC does do a bit of tag "brokering." However, reputations are earned in this industry and in my opinion, these guys and their crews have proven reputations for producing quality hunts.
-Cody
www.streamflies.com
