NMDGF Conservation News
The latest conservation news and press releases from New Mexico Game and Fish. Department-wide news can be found under Home → NMDGF News.
Bear and Cougar Rule topic of public meetings
SANTA FE – The Department of Game and Fish is seeking public comment on proposed revisions to the Bear and Cougar Rule (19.31.11 NMAC), which opened at the State Game Commission meeting on April 28, 2023. For bear, the Department is seeking input on harvest limits, zone boundaries and season start dates. Additionally, the Department is proposing increasing the number of draw permits for some fall hunts and allowing deer or elk hunters who draw wildlife management area hunts to harvest a bear or cougar during their hunt if the zone is open and they possess a bear and/or cougar license. For cougar, the Department is seeking input on adjusting harvest limits in Cougar Management Zones based on recent research. The Department is also seeking input on changing zone closure requirements when closing a zone based on the female harvest limit such that zones close when the female harvest limit is reached. To gather [...]
Wildlife law violation checkpoints start for hunting, fishing seasons
The Department of Game and Fish will conduct checkpoints throughout the state this summer to collect biological data and to detect wildlife law violations. As a result, the public may encounter minor delays. Department officers may be assisted by other law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Police or county sheriff’s offices. As a reminder, the 2023-2024 hunting and fishing season began April 1. All hunters and anglers are required to purchase a new license before hunting and fishing. Guides and outfitters are also reminded that new registration is required. Please report any wildlife crime or suspected crime that you may observe while enjoying New Mexico’s great outdoors. To report a wildlife crime, please call Operation Game Thief toll free at 1-800-432-GAME (4263). Callers can remain anonymous and earn cash rewards for information leading to charges being filed. Violations also [...]
Snake Country Survival Guide
Sonoran whipsnake. (Advocates for Snake Preservation) How can we benefit from having a snake in our neighborhood or backyard? What can we do to make it safer to have venomous snakes near our homes? These are some of the questions that the Advocates for Snake Preservation (ASP) are trying to help members of the public answer with the support of the Share with Wildlife program. They have developed a suite of online resources useful to New Mexicans who have snakes as neighbors. There are over 50 species of snakes found in New Mexico, only 10 of which are venomous. Snakes provide important ecosystem services, including preying on other animals that can carry diseases that impact humans and their pets, including plague and lyme disease. They also prey on animals that may cause damage to your home or car (i.e., small mammals). Seven of the snakes found in [...]
Rio Rancho Archer Takes Top Honors at the National Archery in the Schools Program 2023 Western Nationals Championship
ALBUQUERQUE – In March, 85 New Mexico youth archers competing at the 2023 New Mexico National Archery in the School Program (NASP) State Championship qualified to participate in the Western Nationals Championship. Almost two thousand youth archers from 25 states competed for individual and team awards at the NASP Western Nationals Championship held at the Mountain America Center in Sandy, Utah, April 28-29, 2023. Bell Savary, a fifth grader from Maggie Cordova Elementary School in Rio Rancho, won the elementary bullseye division by earning a score of 275 out of 300. Savary outcompeted 182 elementary females for the first-ever NASP national title won by a youth representing New Mexico. Other New Mexico archers earning top-10 status were: Aiden McConnell from Southwest Aeronautics, Mathematics and Science (SAMS) Academy won fifth place in the high school male division with 290 points; Ashlynn McGinnis from Red Mountain Middle School won third place [...]