Cotton Mesa - Comments From The Hunters

S T A F F & R A N C H H I S T O R Y ,

Ranch Manager,

Wally Mitchell, has been with Cotton Mesa for 18 years. A native of southeastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico Wally, his wife Kim and their 3 children live on the ranch year around. Wally’s ranching experience and hands on wildlife knowledge has helped to make the ranch an elk hunter’s paradise and he continues to improve it every day.

Wildlife Consultant & Hunting Guide,

Ric Martin, has hunted elk and managed over 250,000 acres in New Mexico since 1973. Ric is also a world class hunter, harvesting big game trophies on 6 continents. Ric has a B.S. degree in wildlife management and M.S. degree in Zoology.

Hunting Guide & Conservation Consultant,

Charlie Cockerell spent 30 years as “Conservation Officer” for the New Mexico Game Department until his retirement in 1984. He began guiding for elk after that, on the famous Baca Ranch, until it sold to the government and has been guiding ever since. Charlie said “What better way to spend time than in excellent habitat doing what I love…the habitat conditions at Cotton Mesa are superb with quality animals and excellent staff to work with”.

Hunting Guide,

Nathan Bucek, ranch raised around Yoakum, Texas is a graduate in Agricultural Science. “Nate” has been guiding on Cotton Mesa and other Carter’s Country Ranches for over three years and works in his family feed business in the off season.

Hunting Guide,

Alan Theobald was born and raised in central/western South Dakota into a ranching/aviation oriented family. Alan has lived in Colorado and New Mexico since 1980. He retired from the government after 24 years of service as a pilot and instructor pilot in aerial predator control throughout the western United States. Prior to flying for the U.S. government, Alan flew game surveys, tracking black bear and mountain lion in Colorado.

Bill Carter, Spring, Texas has over 60 years hunting experience in the Rocky Mountain States, Alaska, Mountain States and Texas…the founder and CEO of Carter’s Country Outdoor Stores, Bill says…”I am excited to be steward of Cotton Mesa Ranch. We first managed elk in the Wiley Mountains of West Texas 20 years ago. It has been my dream ever since to manage elk in their natural, native habitat and “Cotton Mesa” is my dream fulfilled.”

COTTON MESA RANCH HISTORY AND MANAGEMENT PLANS

The Carter Family, well known for their Carter’s Country Outdoor Stores located in and around Houston, Texas, purchased the Cotton Mesa Ranch from the Gegenheimer Family in January 2006.

In 1986 Mr. Lester Gegenheimer and his son, Robert, built the present historic 28 mile-high fence and founded the largest wildlife commercial hunting park, licensed by the State of Colorado. The 10,000 acre ranch soon became well known for harvesting large, high-scoring bull elk and for the beautiful scenery of the Mesa de Mayo County of Colorado.

Before the Gegenheimer stewardship, Cotton Mesa was owned by three doctors out of Kansas who ran a few cattle and hunted mule deer, elk and bear.

“We are very excited about the upside potential of Cotton Mesa”, said Bill Carter. “With our 30 years of experience managing our Texas Whitetail Hunting Ranches, the vast, lush, pristine elk and mule deer habitat, our ongoing winter and early spring supplemental feeding program, and God’s blessings of good moisture during the spring and summer seasons, we hope to see many more “ranch record” class bulls harvested by our hunting clients.”

The settlers’ life

The last time a surveyor set foot on Cotton Mesa was in 1885 when that area of Colorado was laid out in town sites and homesites or homesteads. The town site of Gotera is located on the western portion of the ranch, and remains of the Gotera Post Office and other buildings are still standing by a flowing spring where several species of wildlife now water.

In one of the valleys on this ranch, overlooking a gentle turn in the river that sates the unending thirst of tall grasses, stand the remains of a late 19^th-century homestead built by thick, calloused hands from blocks of bedrock and planks of cedar gathered onsite.

The “Cotton family” that lived here did so in two small rooms that backed into the hillside on the north, blocking winter’s coldest wind. The modest dwelling opened to the south, facing the river.

They had a corral and stone barn for their horses, perhaps a few cattle.

And on autumn mornings they awoke, and at night fell asleep, to the sounds of elk bugling throughout the canyon.

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