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Robert Roman was born and raised in Alamogordo, New Mexico. He is my first cousin and we have been hunting together since he was a young child. His dad taught me how to rifle hunt. Robert has been elk hunting for over twenty years and guiding friends for over fifteen years. This is his fifth year of professional hunting and he has harvested several nice bulls over the years with his bow. He is an excellent caller and stalker and has more patience than most hunters. He is my most experienced guide.
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Armando Benavidez was born and raised near Las Cruces, New Mexico, he grew up hunting with his dad and brother. His interest peaked when he came to a holiday party and saw some of the trophy heads that I had in the house. After I met the rancher that I later hired on with, he decided to redo an old house and turn it into a cook shack for his hunters, so I called Armando and asked if he would help out. That started a great relationship and during the archery season, one of Sam's (the ranch manager) guides did not show up. I was already guiding and so he asked Armando if he would do it. Armando had been practicing his calling and his techniques by what I taught him. He matured fast in his first season as a guide. He called in several bulls and his hunter harvested a great 7x8 bull that grossed over 350 Pope and Young points. He also wound up calling the 6 x 6 bull elk that I harvested on the last day of the hunt. So I named him "The Apprentice" for learning so fast and was willing to help me out when I need it the most. Now that he has gotten rid of his training wheels, he has become my partner.
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Mike Esquero is our newest addition to my guide list. He is a good friend of Robert’s and I have known him for a very long time. We both grew up in Alamogordo and his Dad worked for the same company where I am employed. Mike enjoys hunting with his Dad and his two sons; especially with a bow. Each one of them has been successful in harvesting an animal or two. This is Mike’s fourth year as a professional guide and he has become very consistent with his calling and harvesting bulls for his hunters. He has taken several bulls with his bow and a couple of mule deer as well. Mike brings to my service many years of experience and his knowledge of Unit 34 is second to none. In his first assignment as a guide, Mike called in a nice 6x6 bull for our first female muzzleloader hunter, Rink, on his first morning of guiding her. He also harvested a nice 6x6 bull elk during the archery season as you can see in the picture. Now that Mike has established himself as a guide, we have nicknamed him “The Elk Chaser” as he is persistent in following that big bull until the elk finally decides to turn and challenge him. He is very successful with that technique. Great to have him onboard.
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Jay Bennett lives in El Paso, Texas and has been hunting for many years. I met Jay about 9 years ago and guided him on his archery elk hunt. We had several close encounters with some elks and he wound up missing a huge 7 x 7 that year. I guided for him the following year. He was instrumental in helping Sam put together the cook shack that I mentioned in Armando's biography. Basically the three of us spent most of the summer of 2005 working to put together the house and get it ready to accommodate hunters. It turned out great. Jay wound up guiding for Sam that year as well, and he has been guiding for several years for his friends. He has been a professional guide for six years, but he has lots of experience and if you want to lose a pound or two, Jay is your man. If it weren't for the handicap of having only two feet, he would be running right along those big bulls and roping them. By the way, he used to rope professionally so he has the knowledge of riding horses. Also, I forgot to mention that we nicknamed him “The mule” since he takes the place of the horses when it comes to packing out.
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Justin Medina
Justin Medina is another new addition to the team. Not only is he our youngest guide but also one of our most determined guides. Taught by some of the best elk callers in southern New Mexico he brings a lot to the table. Being a true hardcore archer he knows what it takes to get close to animals and will stop at nothing to track down and put you on animals. He has hunted and guided in unit 34 for over 10 years and his knowledge of the area is unsurpassed, being able to successfully hunt the high, middle and low country, which makes him well rounded in the unit. Just like Mike he is earning a reputation as being an elk chaser, his longest chase started by spotting a bull 2 miles away and when it was all said and done ended up 4.5 miles from where we started. In addition to being my newest addition to my guide corps, Justin is also a taxidermist and will work just as hard to recreate and preserve your trophy. He definitely is making a name for himself both as a guide and a taxidermist. There is no need to look elsewhere when it comes to caping out a head or having your trophy mounted. Justin will do a great job! Welcome to the group Justin.
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