The grassland furnish food, cover and water for a wide variety of wildlife. Wildlife varies as much as does the climate over the wide expanse of country which these units cover. The Black Kettle National Grassland is in an intermediate moisture zone, which provides habitat for wild turkey and white-tailed deer. Antelope and mule and white-tailed deer roam both the Rita Blanca and Kiowa grassland. Scaled quail are found throughout the grassland and pheasant hunting is available on the Rita Blanca and Kiowa National Grassland.
Union County produces twice as many cattle as any other county in New Mexico.
More than 100,000 head of livestock thrive on the high, rolling grassland. For years, cattle were shipped from the local railroad stockyards, but now they are trucked to feed lots or to market. Five major feedlots located within eight miles of Clayton have a combined capacity of 69,500 head of cattle and other livestock. The Five-State Livestock Auction provides a marketing center for all of Northeast New Mexico and four neighboring states. Approximately 100,000 head of cattle are marketed through the Auction each year.