New Mexico, the state where I was born and raised for most of my younger years, was settled early with Native Americans, Spanish and Mexican people, establishing some of the oldest communities in the western United States. It was also a state that was known for it’s wilder ways, raw and untamed. The history books are found with tales of New Mexico outlaws like Billy the Kid, Sheriff Pat Garrett and large land and cattle barons like John Chisum.
This era was really an unsettling time, full of crime and deceit. Oliver Lee was another large land owner that had a questionable reputation and later in life became a state politician. Mr. Lee came from Texas into New Mexico to set up his ranch operation. There were three headquarters. The first was located in Dog Canyon near Alamogordo, another close to Orogrande called Wildy Well. The final headquarters was located in the Sacramento Mountains called the Circle Cross Ranch.
After I finished school, I moved to the Sacramento Mountains. Occasionally, I worked at the Circle Cross with my friend and ranch foreman, Drew. And now, separate from the wilder, untamed days, I’ll share an incident that happened on the Circle Cross Ranch a little more than a century later.
The U.S. Military boasted a huge presence in the area. Fort Bliss and McGregor Range consumed land that ran from El Paso to the foot of the Sacramento Mountains. McGregor Range and the Circle Cross shared a common fence, and the ranch also had access to government leased pastures for their cattle.
It was approaching hunting season, the cooler mountain air brought the hunters up to elevation and the big game down. With the military bases close, there was never a shortage of soldiers that wanted a chance to hunt in the mountains of the Circle Cross… but, there were rules. They could hunt on the lease but it could only be accessed by foot, no vehicles allowed.
The day before the season opened, Drew and I were riding fence and checking the livestock when we noticed some motorcycles were pushed under the fence on the lease. Now, our hunt was on. Unfortunately, it was getting late and we lost the trespasser’s trail. We turned our horses and headed back to the ranch to try again tomorrow.
After a good night’s sleep and rested mounts, we saddled up and rode out to the locked gate at Grapevine Canyon. There they were, a large camp of hunters ready for the opening day in the morning. We decided to be good neighbors, we hollered “hello” and were invited in. We tied up the horses, grabbed our cups and crossed the fence for a cup of coffee. (Cowboy Rule #6, “don’t leave the corral without your coffee cup. If you get asked to join a camp fire, don’t expect the other guy to furnish the coffee and the cup, cuz he ain’t sharing his!”).
We really enjoyed the visit and they seemed like a good bunch of guys. They had some really nice hunting gear and proud to show it off. We looked at some fine hunting rifles with high powered scopes and a variety of sharp hunting knives, all ready for their big hunt tomorrow. While we were swapping stories another Jeep arrived and backed up the slope facing Grapevine Canyon, parked and joined the camp fire. While adding more stories and showing off their hunting equipment, we saw the Jeep start to roll forward, slowly at first then picking up speed. You should have seen them jump, except me and Drew. There were guys hanging all over that Jeep as it rolled down the hill, across the road and bound for a big wreck down Grapevine Canyon. Fate was on their side, the Jeep found the only stump in that area and hung up.
Well, we didn’t get to see a big wreck, but we did enjoy the camp fire with some great soldiers, taking a little R & R while serving our country. Thanks guys and you too if you have served and protected our freedoms. You are appreciated! And no, we never did find the ones that got away.
To make sure your big game trophy doesn’t get away, gear up with quality hunting equipment worth bragging about. And be sure to set the parking brake and chock the wheels on your hunting rig or it could be the one that got away.
