NM Ibex Youth Hunt

Desertdweller · Jul 9, 2004

My son drew a Ibex youth hunt tag for the Florida Mountains around Deming, NM.

HELP!!!!!! This is a new one for me. If anyone has any starting points to begin with I am listening. I will be buying maps to begin with and I will be scouting the mountain range in August/September. His hunt is around the first week of October and he can shoot a female or immature Ibex. Could use help on identifying characteristics between male and female.

Thanks

Desertdweller

PS He was also lucky enough to draw a Unit 34 either sex youth tag for elk. I'm sure glad he lets me tag along. I'm a proud dad.

wb · Jul 9, 2004

Most of the Ibex that are left are located in the north part of the range. When pressured they run all over the mountain. If I was to hunt it, I would take a light pack with good gear and stay up there. Once you climb it you will know why. You can find some passses on the north part of the range that they travle through. There is one atv road that goes to the top, access is from the west side, any map should show its location. Have fun, that mountain is steep and nasty. Killing one is the easy part.

fatrooster · Jul 10, 2004

I looked up Ibex on the computer and I see that they live in Asia and Europe. Do we now have them living wild on public land in New Mexico or are they on a game ranch? Just curios. Fatrooster.

wb · Jul 10, 2004

rooster,
The NM Game and fish introduced them several decades ago onto a desert "island" mountian range named the Florida Mountians. Their idea was to provide somthing to hunt in an area that was to touhgh and dry for our native aniamls to substain a huntable population. Ibex populations sored at one time. The Game and fish allowed heavy hunting for them about 10 years ago to bring the population into check. Ibex numbers are low compared to what they once were, the population is not growing like it did at one time. Many think including myself, that predator (Mainly couger & Mexican Eagle) poulations incresed during the ibex boom. The predator numbers are still high and kill many of the new young. Its real intresting to me... Take a wild animal from accross the world and introduce them into a new world.. Native predators prey on them like they were native to NM...

Longhorns · Jul 10, 2004

There were two different species of Ibex released in New Mexico by the Game and Fish, it could have been in the 1950's. Some were released in the Canadian river canyon around Roy and Wagon Mound. The second species was released in the Florida Mtns. near Mexican Border. The ones in the Canadian are gone and there are very few left in the Florida's. The tags are very difficult to draw and a very tough area to hunt.

MartinHunter · Jul 11, 2004

Sounds interesting to me also. I still might not understand, are they free ranging or are they on private game ranches? If they are free ranging what has stoped them from natural migration? Just curious. Thanks.
Michael

Longhorns · Jul 11, 2004

They are free ranging. There is are unlimited permits for any ibex that are not on the Florida Mtns., they can be hunted year round. There are very few if any ibex off of this mountain range any more. Ten years ago there were isolated small bands that were on several mountain ranges to the west. Nonresident tag $1500.