By Tank Hoover

After visiting with friends and the new critters I met in southern New Mexico, it was time to head north, to Raton. The Whittington Center was to be my destination for a week of shooting with more friends. The Whittington Center, with the help of the NRA, was made for shooting, literally! Its 33,000 acre campus is surrounded by a bowl shape of mountains, containing all the shooting ranges, for a perfect backdrop. It’s just gorgeous! The terrain, wildlife, staff, facilities, museum, and gift shop are just top notch. One feels welcomed, and a sense of pride surges, when stepping onto these grounds.

Besides shooting all week, it’s always nice to make a little time to go on a good old-fashioned car drive, to just go look at the wildlife. Our little escape took us up through the mountains of Rt. 555, bisecting a little chunk of property owned by a guy named Ted Turner. 588,000 acres are said to be his. A tall barbed wire fence marks the boundaries of the Turner property, with gated driveways, complete with intercom speakers, sprinkled here and there for deliveries and such. Funny, a lot of people say a fence on our borders would be useless, yet these same people usually have fences around their property. Just doesn’t seem to make sense, or does it?

Starting at an elevation of approximately 6.600 feet at the base of the mountains, we would climb to just under 10,000 feet elevation. As always, dusk is the time to drive when sightseeing for critters. As the shadows grow long, critters confidence is boosted as it cools down.

Elk are masters of using their surroundings as for concealment.

Standing statue still, they are hard to detect.

Stealthy Giants

For as big as they are, elk can teach us all a lesson in the art of concealment. Taking advantage of shadows, trees, or brush, these creatures have a knack for blending in and disappearing. If not for movement, they would be virtually invisible. We were fortunate enough to spot a momma cow elk with a youngin’ in tow. Momma took off down the hill, across the road in front of us, and stopped in the trees, luring us away from her baby. Baby held tight, burrowing down, staying still, and blending perfectly with her surroundings.

We took advantage of such a rare situation and stalked the innocent babe to snatch a photo of her. Being good as gold, she stayed right where her momma told her. It’s amazing to witness the baby elk’s born instincts at work, the way she held tight and kept herself hid in the grass. Pretty darn neat! What a treat to see such a majestic critter at such a close distance. What a way to relax and enjoy mother nature’s beautiful bounty. We also kept a peeled eye on momma, in case she to chose to charge and run us off from baby. The last thing we needed was a hoof to the head to send us on our way.

Even the youngins’ know how to hold tight for survival.

We also ran into a bachelor group of bulls. Friends now, while in velvet, as their horns harden to bone, they will be mortal enemies as they battle for breading rights of any ripe females. As I stated, a six-foot barbed wire fence surrounds the property and we watched the bull’s leisurely hop over the fence as if stepping over a twig. They are powerful, beautiful animals for sure.

We all felt like excited school kids spotting the abundant wildlife on this drive. We are blessed to be able to enjoy such things in this great country of ours. And it is there for the taking, for you to experience, by setting your sights on the NRA’s Whittington Center in Raton, NM.

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