I know a rancher in Catron county who primarily lives off of elk hunting parties on his ranch. He's been a cowboy all his life, but tells me that the elk huntin

I know a rancher in Catron county who primarily lives off of elk hunting parties on his ranch. He's been a cowboy all his life, but tells me that the elk hunting is far more profitable, so he only runs cattle to improve the forage for the elk, else he wouldn't bother with them. The cows are mobile cultivating, fertilizing and seeding machines, in service to the elk herds. I think he told me that they figure 1 cattle per 10 acres in this terrain. I wonder how that compares to the density of ruminants before we consumed all the buffalo.