Trophy Rocky Mountain Bull Elk
Flat Top Ranch reintroduced Rocky Mountain elk to the ranch in 1991. This effort has been extremely successful. Allowing elk to come off the mountain, where it was forced to retreat by man, has allowed the animals to come home to their natural habitat. Elk flourish on the grasslands! You must see it to believe it. The successful reintroduction of elk to the ranch allows Flat Top to offer trophy bull elk hunts.
Introduction of the Elk
In 1991 two separate purchases were made to seed the Flat Top re-introduction of the Rocky Mountain Elk. An equal number of cows came from Chama Land and Cattle Co., and Taylor Mountain ranches in New Mexico. We purchased improved genetic elk in 2006 to increase antler quality. The herd is maintained at 300 animals. The elk can be prolific enough now to alter the ranch stocking of cattle.
Our Elk Hunting Style
We hunt elk from vehicles and by stalking. A majority of the time, the big bulls can be spotted from vehicles; however, the hunter may be required to stalk the animal on foot. Our terrain is rolling hills with some rock and brush, but nothing terribly difficult.
Guides
All elk hunts are guided. We will field dress and transport the game to our cooler. We will skin and quarter trophy bulls at no charge. If the hunter elects to have his game commercially processed, we will deliver the animal to a local processor and the hunter will be responsible for all fees. If the hunter elects to donate his meat, we will find a home for it free of charge.
Trophy Hunts
We sell a limited number of trophy hunts each year. The number is dictated by management prior to the season. The average trophy bull scored 320 SCI, with the largest taken scoring over 350 SCI. Because our herd is maturing, there will be a greater number of mature bulls to hunt.
