Rancho Escondido de Chama

Rancho Escondido de Chama is a private, 5,000-acre elk hunting ranch near Chama, New Mexico, sitting at roughly 8,000 feet elevation across wooded hills and open grassy meadows. Owned by Mel and Paula Kurth and managed by Jeff Daggett, the ranch runs fully guided rifle hunts for elk, mule deer, turkey, and occasionally bear, pairing each hunter (or pair of hunters) with an experienced guide for the duration of the hunt. An extensive network of ranch roads gives guides easy access to prime hunting areas behind a gated, private entrance three miles outside town. The ranch has posted better than a 90 percent success rate since 2007 and caps hunts to protect the herd. On-site lodging at the ranch’s Oso Lodge accommodates up to six hunters, with stocked, aerated lakes and Chama River access offering free rainbow trout fishing between hunts.