Wildlife Wednesday Free Event: Preparing for the Hunt
Hunting season is almost here and many New Mexicans are gearing up and making plans to head into the field.
New Mexico offers a wide variety of hunting opportunities, ranging from an autumn stroll in the sunflowers during dove season to weeklong, winter pack hunts for deer or elk. But whatever the game, all hunting trips demand proper planning and preparation.
Regardless of what you’re hunting this year, the New Mexico Wildlife Federation’s August “Wildlife Wednesday” event is certain to be of interest. The free event will start at 5:30 p.m., Aug. 13, at Marble Brewery’s Northeast Heights Taproom at 9904 Montgomery Blvd., NE, in Albuquerque.
Our featured speaker is Matthew Fuentes-Tanuz. Born and raised in Albuquerque, he served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including time as a reconnaissance scout sniper. He completed several training schools in mountain survival and other specialities and has earned his jump wings. After leaving the USMC, he worked as a private security contractor at sites including the Middle East, Europe and the Philippines.
Fuentes-Tanuz currently serves in the NM Army National Guard, where he’s on the shooting team and competes in matches representing the state.
In his Wildlife Wednesday presentation, Fuentes-Tanuz will give an overview of how to plan and prepare for the various types of hunts and hunting conditions New Mexicans can expect to encounter. As a trained marksman, he will address hunt preparation and the ethical harvesting of animals.
Fuentes-Tanuz is an owner of the Legacy Ranch, a shooting range facility in Edgewood that includes a sporting clays course as well as rifle and pistol ranges. Beyond his military training, Fuentes-Tanuz has extensive hunting experience.
Hunting can be a tough sport to break into. Every year, new hunters contact the NMWF and ask for advice on how to get started. What should they carry in their pack? Where should they look
for game? How far should they be ready to shoot?
Every hunter must know themselves, their limitations and be prepared with proper marksmanship fundamentals, Fuentes-Tanuz said. His talk will include advice on how hunters should determine at the shooting range before the hunt what will be their maximum range in the field for an ethical shot.
Fuentes-Tanuz will address what items hunters should carry along, whether it’s a day pack for a short outing in clear weather or a larger pack for an extended trip. He will address how to gauge the weather.
Preparing for any hunt requires consideration of the location, the duration and the time of year. “Is it an early season upland hunt, which looks wildly different from like a late-season archery elk hunt in terms of gear preparation,” Fuentes-Tanuz said.
“What you’re hunting, where you’re hunting and when you’re hunting, would be the three broad-stroke topics,” Fuentes-Tanuz said. “Each of those requires a different level of planning on your behalf, and then taking that a step further, who’s in your party? Is it just you? Is it you and one of your best buds and you always go hunting together? Or is it you and your 10-year-old son you’re introducing to elk hunting? Is it a group of you? If so, there are other considerations. So there are a lot of potential tangents.”