New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Media contact: Dan Williams, (505) 476-8004
Public contact: (505) 476-8000
dan.williams@state.nm.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,  JUNE 24, 2009:

COMMISSION WILL CONSIDER CHANGING DEER LICENSE DRAWING DATES

SANTA FE -- The State Game Commission will meet July 2 at Heron Lake State Park to consider changing the date of the annual application deadline and drawing for deer hunting licenses, and to set season dates and bag limits for 2009-10 small game and waterfowl seasons.

The meeting will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at the visitor center of Heron Lake State Park, approximately 13 miles south of Chama on N.M. 95, three miles off U.S. 84. The full agenda, detailed agenda-item briefings and other information are available on the Department of Game and Fish Web site, www.wildlife.state.nm.us or by calling (505) 476-8008.

The Commission will consider moving the application deadline for deer licenses from April to February to give hunters who are successful in the draw the opportunity to buy discounted licenses including junior, senior and combination licenses, which are available after March 31 annually. In addition, the Commission will consider a proposal to simplify the deer licensing process by eliminating the deer hunting permit. Successful applicants would be issued a deer license, similar to the way elk, antelope and other big-game licenses currently are issued.

If approved, the hunting license drawings would be:

• February: Deer, oryx, bear WMA permits, population-management hunts, special turkey.

• April: Elk, antelope, ibex, Barbary sheep, javelina, bighorn sheep.

Exact dates for drawing application deadlines will be established at a future Commission meeting.

Other agenda items include:

• A proposal to set season dates and adjust some bag limits for the 2009-2010 small game and waterfowl seasons. The proposal includes adding a youth sandhill crane hunt on the Bernardo and Casa Colorada waterfowl areas, increasing the dove seasons from 60 days to 70 days in the north and south zones, increasing the daily and seasonal bag limit to two birds for the Middle Rio Grande Valley dark goose hunt, and requiring a free permit for hunts during the Light Goose Conservation Order.

• An update on the Mexican wolf reintroduction program, including project activities, status, opportunities and prospects for the future.

• A progress report on efforts to improve the San Juan River special trout fishery and results of the most recent angler survey.

• Final approval of Habitat Stamp Program projects for 2010, as recommended by five regional citizen advisory committees.

The State Game Commission is composed of seven members who represent the state’s diverse interests in wildlife-associated recreation and conservation. Members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. Current members are Chairman Jim McClintic, Albuquerque; Vice-chairwoman Sandy Buffett, Santa Fe; M.H. “Dutch” Salmon, Silver City; Alfredo Montoya, Alcalde; Leo Sims, Hobbs; Tom Arvas, Albuquerque; and Kent Salazar, Albuquerque.

If you are an individual with a disability who is in need of a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter, or any other form of auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in the meeting, please contact Shirley Baker, (505) 476-8030. Public documents, including the agenda and minutes, can be provided in various accessible forms.

###