LOCAL COLUMN
OPINION: Elk are more economically valuable than cattle
Catron County is home to some of the best elk hunting the country over, and we are proud of it. Even in the midst of a 35 year drought (otherwise known as climate change) we manage to produce high quality bull elk. I was born into this dry world and I do not know anything different, but in my short life I have seen the rainfall go from marginal to minimal.
From the fall of 2024 to the summer of 2025, we saw a period of 10 months without any precipitation. In such years local ranchers speak of just breaking even, and in better years they say profit margins are low. Why continue a profession with such low returns? We have a booming hunting industry that supports a great number of county residents, myself included. Catron County alone supports 12,000 elk, contrasted with a 2022 Census of Agriculture survey citing the county鈥檚 cattle population at over 35,000 cows 鈥� a majority of them grazing on public lands. Biomass-wise, cattle are twice the weight of an elk, seven times that of a deer and more than 10 times that of pronghorn. When one thinks of the amount of wild game that are currently replaced by cattle, it is staggering. 35,000 cattle = 70,000 elk.
Besides the occupation of ranching alone, the profession does not bring many jobs into the county. We do not have enough water to grow our own alfalfa, and much of the trucking for the livestock industry is outsourced. When my great-great-great grandfather came to Catron County there was money to be made in cattle. But this isn鈥檛 1880, there are no longer swathes of fresh rangeland. Much of our grassland and forest has been being greatly diminished 鈥� ironically, from overgrazing by domesticated livestock.
One can check the prices an outfitter charges clientele for an elk hunt and see that they are worth more than a few times over what a cow is. Couple that with a harvest success rate of 29%-51%, depending on the hunting area, and one can easily see the actual value elk bring to the table. In addition, elk shed their antlers, giving another season and industry that has traditionally supplemented the incomes of a number of county residents. Many restaurants and places of lodging are largely funded by seasonal hunting. Elk hunting doesn鈥檛 cost taxpayers via unsustainable subsidies, nor does it require the taxpayer-funded slaughter of wildlife via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Increased tag sales would benefit the New Mexico Department of Wildlife as well.
Perhaps most staggeringly, a bull elk hunt can produce well over 10 times net profit than a domestic cow can for a Catron County resident. Additionally, elk do not require any husbandry, vaccinations, trucking, fence maintenance or long nights worrying about loan payments. Many ranchers are proud of their jobs, and proud of their ability to produce food for the masses. But elk feed people, too. My solution is to stop hunting cow elk, start replacing domestic livestock with elk herds, and work out a program to give local outfitters a higher percentage of allocated elk tags. This could give New Mexico residents more hunting opportunities, empowering them to take part in their own food supply. A bright future is attainable.
Joseph was raised in Luna, and his family has been here since the 1880s.
