Enforcement News

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 [...]

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 [...]

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, AUG. 28, 2015: DEPARTMENT SEEKS NEXT GENERATION OF CONSERVATION OFFICERS SANTA FE – The Department of Game and Fish is seeking qualified men and women to join the next generation of Conservation Officers who protect and conserve the state’s wildlife. The department is accepting applications for game warden trainees with a starting pay of $17.03 an hour with an increase upon successful completion of required training. Prior law enforcement experience is not required, but successful applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree in a related field, pass a psychological and medical exam, and fitness and drug tests. Recruits will receive basic training at the Law Enforcement Academy and on-the-job training before working alone in the field. Conservation officers enforce New Mexico’s game and fish laws and investigate and pursue criminal [...]

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Media contact: Ross Morgan (505) 222-4707 Public contact: Customer service (888) 248-6866 ross.morgan@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Aug. 6, 2015: EXPECT ROADBLOCKS STATEWIDE DURING HUNTING SEASON SANTA FE - The Department of Game and Fish will conduct roadblocks throughout the state during hunting seasons to collect harvest data and to detect wildlife law violations. Hunting seasons are approaching for pronghorn antelope, deer, elk, bears and some other species as listed in the department’s Hunting Rules & Information booklets. At roadblocks, conservation officers also will check for compliance with the Off Highway Motor Vehicle Act and the Aquatic Invasive Species Control Act. Drivers of vehicles hauling wood products will be asked to produce documentation as required by the Forest Conservation Act. 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 [...]

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, JULY 7, 2015: BEAR BITES RATON GIRL SLEEPING IN TENT RATON – Department of Game and Fish officers Tuesday were trying to catch a bear that bit a teenage girl while she was sleeping in a tent early Monday morning in a neighborhood yard just outside Raton. The girl sustained minor wounds to her arm and ear when the bear apparently nipped at her through the wall of her tent. She was treated and released at a Raton hospital. The homeowner, awakened at about 3 a.m. by something rustling through trash bags, told officers that he scared the bear away from the girl’s tent with a shot in the air from his handgun. When the bear returned later, he said he fired another below the bear, which turned and [...]