NMWF at work
Big game meeting prompts more questions than answers
Despite short notice, about 80 sportsmen turned out for a public meeting April 28 in Albuquerque and 20 more attended the meeting in Las Cruces on May 3, where representatives from the Game and Fish Department presented proposed rule changes for elk and other big game species and took comment from the public. The two meetings were among 11 across the state on the big game rules.
Sportsmen and women at the Albuquerque meeting voiced appreciation for the department’s effort to accommodate their schedules and comments into decision-making. But hunters who wanted to hear the reasoning behind the proposals were disappointed. Robert Livingston, assistant chief of the department’s Northwest Area, said department representatives were there to collect comments, not to answer questions or explain reasoning behind any of the proposals. Matt Amdor of Albuquerque spoke for many when he said: “It is hard to make comments when we don’t know exactly what these proposals mean or what the science and reasoning are behind them.”
By far the issues of greatest concern in Albuquerque and Las Cruces were proposed options to substantially change season dates for elk hunts. The vast majority of participants at the meetings said they preferred little or no change in elk seasons. Many expressed concern that the proposal for a longer elk hunting season with the same number of permits could exert too much pressure on elk herds. John Wilson, who drove from Taos to attend the Albuquerque meeting, said that lack of opportunity to draw a hunting license is the No. 1 issue on most hunters’ minds, but that longer seasons are likely to lead to a higher success rate. “And I’m here to say I’d rather see 100 guys get to hunt for a week than 10 guys hunt for a month.”
Hunters at the Las Cruces meeting said they might support minor changes in elk seasons, but not a major overhaul, said longtime hunter Jim Bates. Many also voiced support for mandatory harvest reports for all big game species, he said.
Proposals to alter the boundaries between GMUs 6A/6C and 7 also received a high level of interest from the Albuquerque crowd. Brian Thompson of Albuquerque, an avid 6C hunter, expressed disappointment that the public outreach process for fixing problems in Unit 6 last year resulted in the State Game Commission implementing an option that had not even been recommended by the department - altering the boundary between 6A and 6C. Thompson said the biggest problem with that unit is the lack of security habitat to keep big game there during the hunting season. “And now I’m concerned we are just throwing another Band-Aid rather than fixing the problem,” he said. “Before we change a rule like this, shouldn’t we be given a little more science?”
State Game Commissioner Kent Salazar, who represents sportsmen from northwest New Mexico, said the meetings were part of an effort to ensure greater outreach and comment from the public. He thanked everyone for being at the Albuquerque meeting and encouraged others to submit comments via email. Salazar also acknowledged a need for better analysis and explanation of proposed rule changes.
Several in the audience in Albuquerque also voiced a desire to see more tags guaranteed for resident hunters. Albuquerque hunter Mike Gill received a loud round of applause after saying it is a “load of bull” that less than half of hunting permits end up in the hands of resident hunters. He quickly pointed out to the applauding sportsmen, however, that “it is your own fault!” With sportsmen and sportswomen making up nearly 40 percent of active voters in New Mexico, “there’s no reason we can’t make a difference if we speak up,” said Gill.
Click here to read the proposed rule changes and to comment.