This hunt takes place on the former Baca Ranch, which was a high-dollar private hunting area before the government bought it a few years ago. Now it is managed by a foundation that intends to continue trophy elk management on the 95,000-acre hunting paradise, which has been renamed the Valle Caldera National Preserve. To hunt the preserve you must draw a permit. You can buy what are essentially raffle tickets to increase your chances of drawing a tag. And in 2004 you can apply for one of the tags reserved for outfitter customers, and the odds of drawing one of those should be much easier than drawing a tag in the non-outfitter pool. Call for details. The hunting has been excellent on the preserve the past two years. One of our contacts reported seeing 600 bulls in one day, and he said lots of them would score 320 to 350 with a few that will exceed 350 B&C. An outfitter we have known for 15 years is one of the few who is authorized to work on the property. He said he has three guides who know the area well. He produced the second-biggest bull on the preserve two years ago. He said most hunters should be able to take a 320 or better bull, and the bigger bulls typically score 340 to 360 B&C points. You can apply for a muzzleloader permit or a rifle permit.