Going Places

Santa Fe Trail Hunts

The landscape in the southeast corner of Colorado differs greatly from the lodgepole pines and snowcapped peaks that characterize the more popular image of the state. It is flat, dry country dominated by sage flats and subtle sandhills—the type of country that to a bird hunter screams blue quail. However the Cimarron River snakes north through the ranchland from New Mexico, sprouting a band of tamaracks, cottonwoods and forbs—habitat in which bobwhite quail thrive.
This past December, my wife Michelle and I enjoyed this diversity when we visited the Witcher Ranch in Campo, Colorado.
Seven miles of the Cimarron wind through this remote 15,000-acre spread, and although the river usually has run dry by the time bird season begins, the half-mile-wide swath of cover along the river harbors a seemingly endless supply of quail-as do the sage flats stretching to both sides.
On the first morning of our hunt, guide Monte Monroe's elegant pointers Tex and Roy didn't travel 80 yards from the truck before they pinned their first river-bottom covey. The birds rose just as we arrived, and at my 20-bore's report a single dropped from the hastily departing mass. While Monte's Lab, Hank, made the retrieve, I thought about the birds' hard, fast flight and realized that we were in for some challenging shooting.
We continued up the riverbed, and in the next few hours the dogs found six more coveys of bobs. We then slipped out of the bottom and worked back toward the truck through the bordering sage hills—a strategy that paid off with our first covey of blues. By the end of the morning we'd bagged 11 quail, and in the afternoon we added a dozen more. All told we found 16 coveys, and it was the kind of outing I enjoy most—where the walking is relatively easy and the shooting relatively difficult.
The Witcher Ranch is part of Santa Fe Trail Hunts, operated by third-generation ranch owners Grant and Eric Witcher. (The business is named after the historic trade route that passes through the property.) The main focus of the operation is to provide best-quality hunting in a laid-back environment. Habitat is managed for quail and other wildlife through various plantings, drilled wells and guzzlers.
To ensure an enjoyable experience in the field, a variety of options are available. For example, quail can be pursued on foot, from EZ-Go carts or on horseback. The lodge also maintains a 2,000-acre shooting preserve that supports a good number of bobwhites and the occasional pheasant. On-site kennels are available for guests who want to bring their dogs. If one wishes to take a break from hunting quail, there is claybird shooting and trout fishing as well as hunting for wild hogs, trophy whitetail deer and the buffalo that roam the property.
The crown jewel of the operation is the recently constructed lodge. With 3,000 square feet of open floor space and 30-foot cathedral ceilings, the great room is downright awe-inspiring. Among its features is a lounge area replete with a big-screen TV, a custom billiards table, a well-stocked bar and a pit-style fireplace with fieldstone hearth. The premium furnishings and elegant Southwestern décor combine to create a unique and charming atmosphere.
Six bedrooms are each outfitted with a pair of double beds and a small private bath. Meals are taken in the great room, where guests are lavished with such home-grown entrees as thick, dry-aged ribeyes, smoked trout and buffalo tenderloin-all accompanied by selections from the lodge's extensive wine collection. Colorado's quail season usually runs from mid-November to mid-January, although the on-site preserve permits shooting in October and February. The nearest airports are in Amarillo, Texas; Liberal, Kansas; Denver and Wichita. Elkhart, Kansas, a mere 40 minutes away, has a small airport that can accommodate private planes. Either way, the ranch can arrange shuttle service.
For more information on Santa Fe Trail Hunts, contact Grant Witcher, 785-537-7181; www.santafetrailhunts.com.

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