Enforcement News
Here is the latest in conservation enforcement news & press releases from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. For Operation Game Thief there is a list of solved cases and cold cases. And see the Featured Officer page for Officer of the Month and Career Advancement news.
Department-wide news can be found under Home → NMDGF News.
Department seeks information about poached antelope near Raton, Clayton
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact: Karl Moffatt: (505) 476-8007 karl.moffatt@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, APRIL 1, 2016: Department seeks information about poached antelope near Raton, Clayton RATON – Department of Game and Fish conservation officers are seeking information regarding a suspected illegal killing of a buck pronghorn antelope sometime Wednesday, March 30, between Raton and Clayton. A Pueblo, Colo., game warden notified New Mexico officers Wednesday that he had stopped a truck in Pueblo and discovered a freshly killed, partially gutted pronghorn in the truck’s bed, with blood dripping out of the vehicle. The four suspects, traveling in a silver Chevrolet 2500 four-door pickup with a black bed cover and Colorado license plates, had checked out of an Amarillo, Texas, hotel earlier that morning, leading officers to suspect they shot the pronghorn somewhere between Clayton and Raton, a common route from [...]
New Mexico game warden recognized as Officer of the Year by Shikar Safari Club International
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact: Karl Moffatt: (505) 476-8007 karl.moffatt@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 16, 2016: New Mexico game warden recognized as Officer of the Year by Shikar Safari Club International Curtis Coburn SANTA FE - Shikar Safari Club International has named New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Corporal Curtis Coburn the 2015 New Mexico Wildlife Conservation Officer of the Year. Coburn received the award at the department’s second annual Governor’s Special Hunt Auction and Award Banquet on Feb. 20 in Albuquerque. Coburn, 35, currently is stationed in Ruidoso. He is a 12-year veteran of the department and holds a bachelor’s degree in Forest/Wildlife Management from Western New Mexico University in Silver City. Shikar Safari Club International annually presents awards to wildlife law enforcement officers in all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces and territories. The club is dedicated [...]
$3,000 in rewards offered in refuge elk poaching
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Media contact: Dan Williams, (505) 476-8004 Public contact: (888) 248-6866 dan.williams@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, DEC. 1, 2015: $3,000 IN REWARDS OFFERED IN REFUGE ELK POACHING LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Department of Game and Fish and Las Vegas, N.M., area landowners, businesses and residents are offering $3,000 in rewards for information leading to the poachers who killed two bull elk and left them to rot at Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge. “It is outrageous and unacceptable that someone would kill these animals and leave them to waste,” said Rob Larrañaga, refuge manager. “These criminals stole two prized elk that could have been harvested in a youth hunt being planned by the refuge.” The elk were discovered Nov. 20 in an area of the refuge also used by hikers, birders and photographers. Conservation officers determined that both elk had been [...]
Bear sought in attack on Los Alamos man
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Media contact: Karl Moffatt, (505) 274-5449 Public contact: (888) 248-6866 karl.moffatt@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, SEPT. 10, 2015: BEAR SOUGHT IN ATTACK ON LOS ALAMOS MAN LOS ALAMOS – Department of Game and Fish officers are searching for an adult black bear involved in the attack of a 56-year-old man Wednesday evening on a hiking trail near Los Alamos. The Los Alamos man suffered deep flesh wounds and scratches to his head, chest and hands and was being treated at Christus St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe. Conservation officers using dogs were searching for the bear Thursday with assistance from Los Alamos police and Los Alamos National Laboratory. If found, the bear will be tested for rabies. Rabies in bears is rare but it is a nearly 100 percent fatal disease, so every precaution will be taken. The trail where the attack occurred, the [...]
Wildlife crimes net stiff fines and jail time
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Media contact: Karl Moffatt, (505) 476-8007 Public contact: (888) 248-6866 karl.moffatt@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, SEPT. 4, 2015: WILDLIFE CRIMES NET STIFF FINES AND JAIL TIME RATON –A Colfax County magistrate judge fined two Raton men more than $7,000 and sentenced one to 60 days in jail for “egregious” crimes against wildlife. Judge Warren Walton convicted Michael A. Malcom, 29, of Raton on 13 charges including criminal trespass, illegal trapping and unlawful possession of deer and other wildlife parts following a bench trial Aug. 31, according to court records. Walton characterized Malcom’s crimes as “egregious” and sentenced him to 60 days in jail and fined him $6,500 and $689 in court costs. State Department of Game and Fish officers discovered Malcom trespassing on Vermejo Park Ranch last December. He was suspected of illegal trapping. Malcolm could not produce a valid trapping license but did [...]