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By Dela Joyner As summer winds down and the crisp air of fall sets in, it’s the perfect time to make the most of your summer catch. This Beer Battered Walleye recipe from The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish brings just the right amount of spice to the table. With only a few simple ingredients; fresh walleye from one of our state’s renowned fisheries, and a side of good company, you’ll have a flavorful dish ready in just 20 minutes. Serving three, this quick and zesty recipe pairs perfectly with potatoes or seasonal veggies, making it a great way to savor the last warm days with family and friends. Ingredients: 1 pound walleye fillets, deboned, skinned ½ cup all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust for spice preference) ½ tablespoon garlic powder ½ tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon seasoned salt ¾ cup beer (can be non-alcoholic or [...]

Stocking YY brook trout in the Rio Bonito requires Department staff to hike through Lincoln National Forest with a bucket of fish. By Melissa Garnett Fish don’t usually hike up mountains, but on the backs of conservation officers and fish biologists from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, they travel to picturesque habitat upstream of Bonito Lake near Ruidoso. These YY brook trout – so named because they have two Y chromosomes – are finishing their long journey. Originally, from a hatchery in Idaho as eggs, they traveled to the Department’s Los Ojos Fish Hatchery, located south of Chama where they incubates, hatched and start grow. They were then loaded on a truck bound for the Rio Bonito near Ruidoso, where they will live as part of the Departments long-term effort to restore Rio Grande cutthroat trout. The Department has been stocking YY brook trout since 2018 [...]

Participants in the Wildlife for Everyone event enjoyed the opportunity to view elk in the Valles Caldera in October. By Dela Joyner When the leaves of the aspens start to turn into gold, a familiar sound can be heard through the Valles Caldera. This sound is the bugling of a bull elk. The landscape was once home to a volcano and it is one of New Mexico’s most iconic locations. This seasonal display has drawn wildlife enthusiasts, outdoorsmen and women to the National Preserve from across the nation for years. The elk were out roaming in the Valles Caldera during the Wildlife for Everyone event. This year, the park had a group of special guests, marking the first “Wildlife for Everyone.” This event is a partnership between the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the National Park Service and Be the Blessing:The Richard Montoya Organization. The Department hosted [...]

By Colleen Payne Every hunt is a trophy-sized memory, no matter if you notch a tag or not. When you look back on past hunting or fishing trips, a picture can tell a thousand words, no matter how much further that big fish that got away keeps getting. Here are a few tips to document the memories you make in the field for years to come. 1. Take lots of photos: There is no such thing as taking too many photos. With so many digital devices readily available, it's easy to pull a camera or cell phone out of your pocket for a quick shot or video. You’ll regret not taking enough photos, not too many. 2. Set up the shot: Once you have recovered your animal, notched your tag and unloaded your firearm (safety first), you can pose the animal for photos. Setting the animal in [...]