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Flatlander, SWDesertRat had a bunch of good suggestions. I preferred the Los Cuates on Lomas for food. Their salsa is different than usual and takes a little getting used to, and their food is great. I never was a fan of Sadie's, but I am from SE NM and our version of New Mexican food is slightly different than Albuquerque's. The Albuquerque Zoo, aquarium and botanical gardens are all very nice and my kids loved going to them when I lived up there. It is really hard to beat Albuquerque's weather. It gets pretty hot, but nothing like Tucson or Phoenix and it cools off at night. I spent a lot of time hiking in the Sandia's and if you stick to some trails on the East side of the mountains you won't even see too many other people.

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Thanks guys for the info. The hotel is booked. I will report back after the trip.

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I was born in NM, raised all over but mostly AZ. I love the way NM manages their water - not as big of fan of how they manage their cattle and ranchers - those guys (select few) are downright crazy. I like hunting NM, but it's a different world. Lots of guys I know who guide in both states have been shot at, threatened at gunpoint, told in the middle of the night that they won't leave NM alive - we call it the Catron County boys complex, but when I hunt NM, I feel like I'm in a whole other country. Property does NOT have to be clearly marked or posted, and if you get on the wrong side of a boundary line, it's on you. It doesn't have to be fenced or signed - it's your responsibility to be sure in all that checker-board land when you are on public or private land. And if you happen to find yourself on private land despite your best efforts, "hostile" is a soft word.

This has me concerned. I just moved to Las Cruces after being in Tucson for 35 years. In my efforts of trying to figure out where to hunt deer here I have been greeted in a not nice way by a rancher already. Best I can do is find a map and pray. I thought it was wierd not seeing many posting signs or fences, so now I understand why. I got a left over 20 tag, so i may just hit the national forest so I can be safe from the Catron County Boys. I do love desert hunting and have noticed the desert in southern NM looks like crap compared to AZ. Just miles and miles of creosote and bald hills. Also I had to get a leftover tag, because I didnt get drawn. I got drawn in AZ 99% of the time. A lot fewer tags available here.

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I get the impression that as a NM resident you will draw quality elk tags more regularly than you would draw in AZ as an AZ resident. Can anyone attest to this?

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I get the impression that as a NM resident you will draw quality elk tags more regularly than you would draw in AZ as an AZ resident. Can anyone attest to this?

Fewer people and more elk so this is definitely a true assumption. No point system so there is no point creep, so if you're one of the lucky people who beats the odds you'll be into tags now and then but if you're not lucky then you will never get a "guaranteed" tag. NM gives slightly more tags to NR but that reduces your chances but again, way more square miles of elk country in NM means more elk, and way less people means more opportunity.

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Born and raised in AZ with a 13 year side track to NM. I got drawn for elk 11 out of 13 tries in NM. I've been drawn 3 out of 30 tries in AZ! I Love both places. The weather is better in NM (except for the wind). You actually get 4 seasons in NM instead of the 2 seasons in the valley. NM has much better stream fishing but AZ has better lake fishing. Love the food in both places with the edge going to Green Chiles! NM is proud of its heritage and makes sure to keep it. True Arizonans are proud of their heritage as well we just don't have many of us around. PHX metro is mostly made up of transplants! NM has a LOT fewer people which makes it really nice. AZ has more job opportunities compared to NM. School systems are both mediocre (not the teachers) with AZ getting the edge IMO.

 

If I had the opportunity to move back to NM I would. My wife would go back in New York Minute (especially when it's 110 degrees here)!

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Thanks guys for the info. The hotel is booked. I will report back after the trip.

Well??...

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Haha I didn't think anyone would even remember this. The trip to NM was great; ate lots of chile, rode the tram, had dinner and a BBQ with some friends but the kicker was realizing that we could live in the east mountain area on 3+ acres for less than a tract home here. We found a house we loved.

 

We came home decided we were going and all of a sudden it hit is like a ton of bricks, this was just not the right move for us. I really can't say why, we were being offered some dang good $ to go, but it just didn't feel right. Guess I am a Zonie for life.

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Sounds like a great trip.

Glad you enjoyed NM and thanks for the report. Nothing wrong with staying in Az, it's a good state too.

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Smart thinking. If it doesn't feel right trust your GUT! Glad you enjoyed it.

 

As someone smart just said. Arizona ain't too bad.

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Grew up in southern NM, lived in AZ for the last 10 years. Both states have their positives and negatives as outlined in the posts above but my thoughts have always been NM is just a slower pace of life compared to AZ. I'm betting NM is like AZ was 30 years ago but I can't speak to that. I love both states for a lot of reasons and AZ is my home now and probably will be for a while but when I want to find a nice quiet place to die it will be on a mountaintop in NM.

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I went to Nashville and I didn't want to come home. Az has no culture and the people are rude.

id rather live here with a bunch of no culture rude folks than in nashville with a bunch of n........ ah nevermind

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So since I never saw this or posted I will throw my .02 cents in. Love the visits I have had to Az., growing up we had friends in Williams. I remember an 18 hour trip from Williams to Albuquerque in a Ford Falcon Sprint when we kids prayed for snow. That would have been early 70's. NM does have the edge on the draw as we get it right the first time and it is resident friendly. In the last 10 years I have had 8 elk tags and never not drawn for deer.

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My grandparents moved to the Ft. Bayard area in NM after WWII. They worked on a huge, sprawling cattle ranch that was once a stage stop on the Butterfield and owned by George Hearst in the late 1800's.

 

I moved to Abq in the 90's and was a contractor on Kirtland AFB. Really enjoyed my deer and bear hunts and the good people. At one point I lived just a few blocks from the A1 Carwash from Breaking Bad.

 

The crime in Abq was horrendous and the cops were overwhelmed. Chased a Latino gang that I caught burglarizing my home while we slept, and the cops would not send out an officer till the following evening. Moved to a nice area but still crime everywhere, could write a book on what I went thru. If I stayed, I would have had to shoot a punk or two for sure.

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