Burro Mesa Ranch

The 2,308 acre Burro Mesa Ranch is, acre for acre, one of the best elk and mule deer hunting properties in the Rocky Mountain region. The listing brokers have personally harvested bulls in excess of 350” and bucks in excess of 180” on the property.  It is just one of those special places that holds large numbers of trophy bulls and bucks year-in and year-out.

At 2,308 deeded acres, Burro Mesa Ranch lies atop and along the north face of Burro Mesa, about 20 miles due east of Trinidad, CO. The mesa portion of the ranch is mostly flat, open grassland scattered with gambel oak draws. Views from the top of Burro Mesa are breathtaking, from Pikes Peak to the north, the Sangre de Cristo Range to the west, Capulin Peak and Sierra Grande to the south in New Mexico, to the vast open prairie out east. Off the mesa sloping north, the property drops 2,000 ft. to plains country. This part of the ranch is heavily timbered, with Ponderosa, spruce, fir, aspens and gambel oak. There are multiple small hidden meadows and glades throughout this timbered hillside. Water is abundant with many natural ponds, springs and seeps. But for bugling elk in the fall and gobbling turkeys in the spring, Burro Mesa is a quiet wilderness, unspoiled and private.

The ranch is posted and perimeter fenced (all new 5-strand fencing in 2015.) There are multiple improved two-track roads traversing the entire property.

Improvements

Improvements include a new (built in 2014) 2 bed + loft log hunting cabin with bathroom, hot shower, full kitchen, great room, covered porch and equipment shed.

Climate

• Average Annual Rainfall: 17 inches
• Average Annual Snowfall: 42 inches
• Average Winter High Temperatures: Upper 40s to low 50s
• Average Summer Temperatures: Upper 80s
• Days of Sunshine per year: 300+

Burro Mesa is an extraordinary wildlife/hunting sanctuary as evidenced by the animals that have been harvested here over the years. Current ownership has prioritized the wildlife resource through habitat enhancement, range management (there have been no cattle on the property for several years), and conservative hunting pressure/harvest principles.

• In the past, hunters have seen up to 30 bucks per day at Burro Mesa and many 180”+ bucks have been harvested on the ranch.
• Burro Mesa also enjoys very healthy populations of turkeys and bears.

Elk Hunting

• Elk hunting is best in September and October. Among the shady, north facing timber-covered hillsides are multiple ponds, springs, wallows and seeps, creating ideal cover for daytime loafing. The timber is flanked by a sea of open grassland on top of the mesa. Elk generally migrate every day between these bedding and feeding areas.
• This area of Las Animas County is known as the best trophy elk area in the state. 340”+ bulls are not uncommon at Burro Mesa, and 380”+ bulls have been harvested here.

Ranch Operations

The highest and best use for Burro Mesa is hunting, hiking and general mountain recreation. The ranch will accommodate either cows or yearlings, particularly on top of the mesa during summer months. In the past, as many as 100 yearlings have grazed the mesa top for 4 months during the summer. The property has rested with no grazing for the past 3 years.

Burro Mesa is adjacent to another one of our listings, Sandoval Ranch, and would make a nice assemblage opportunity.