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News2026-05-22T16:53:06-06:00

NMDGF News

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Hunters encouraged to stay informed and be on the lookout for New World Screwworm

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact only, Information Center: 888-248-6866, ispa@dgf.nm.gov Media contact only, Darren Vaughan: 505-476-8027, darren.vaughan@dgf.nm.gov New Mexico Department of Agriculture Media contact, Jenny Green: 575-202-4249; jgreen@nmda.nmsu.edu New Mexico Livestock BoardContact, Samantha Holeck, DVM, State Veterinarian: 505-841-6161; samantha.holeck@nmlb.nm.gov SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, New Mexico Department of Agriculture and New Mexico Livestock Board are encouraging hunters to help prevent the spread of New World screwworm among wildlife, livestock, pets and people. New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) is a foreign animal disease and poses a serious threat. The fly’s larvae infest open wounds, where they feed on living tissue. The New World screwworm (NWS) was eradicated from the United States decades ago, but recent detections in Mexico pose a risk of northward spread. At this time, it has not been detected [...]

Oct 16, 2025|

Keep wildlife wild – Feeding wildlife puts you and others at risk

Most people mean well when they feed wildlife. What many don’t realize is that feeding wildlife is bad for the animals and dangerous for people. It’s also against the law in New Mexico if it creates a nuisance for you or someone else. There are many reasons feeding wildlife is a bad idea and creating a nuisance is just one. Banner: Bears can be attracted to neighborhoods by bird feeders, which should be put away in the spring when bears become active. Feeding Deer Can Attract Unwanted Guests While putting out food for animals such as deer seems harmless, feeding wildlife can do more harm than good because when you attract deer, you are also attracting other wildlife. Deer are the primary prey of mountain lions. Concentrating deer by feeding them can attract mountain lions. The more these predators are around humans, the more they become less [...]

Oct 15, 2025|

New Mexico Fish Art Contest

Here are your 2026 Fish Art Contest Winners! Some of New Mexico's most talented youth artists took part in the first-ever Art of Conservation New Mexico Fish Art Contest, with winners announced last week by the New Mexico Department of Wildlife. The contest included divisions for grades K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. The top-three finishers in each division will proceed to the National Fish Art Contest, sponsored by Wildlife Forever. Other categories included the Invader Crusader Award, for artwork featuring a native and invasive aquatic species found in the student's local area; the Mighty Minnow Award, for kindergarten participants; the New Mexico Native Trout Award, for artwork highlighting New Mexico's native trout species — Gila trout or Rio Grande cutthroat trout; and the New Mexico Species of Greatest Conservation Need Award, for artwork that best represents species identified by the Department as being most at risk and in need [...]

Oct 15, 2025|

Working with Bighorn Sheep

New Mexico has a rich wildlife heritage that can be experienced either through hunting, wildlife viewing, photography or by people seeking to connect with the outdoors. Here, you’ll find an array of habitats, from alpine tundra, forested mountains, grasslands, rivers and lakes, to sandstone canyons and the Chihuahuan desert, which is why New Mexico is aptly referred to as the Land of Enchantment. These diverse habitats are home to a species that draws people to New Mexico every year: bighorn sheep. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish manages bighorn sheep and their habitats on behalf of all New Mexicans to conserve and protect bighorn for their beneficial use and enjoyment across a diversity of interests and activities. The management of both Rocky Mountain and desert bighorn relies on several key elements that contribute to NMDGF’s Bighorn Program, including annual inventory and monitoring of bighorn populations, disease surveillance, [...]

Oct 8, 2025|

Tres Piedras Primitive Shooting Range to close for maintenance Oct. 13

Range will also close on first Wednesday of January, April, July and October TRES PIEDRAS, N.M. – The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish will close its Tres Piedras Primitive Shooting Range at sunrise Oct. 13 for maintenance, with the range reopening at sunrise Oct. 14. Public access will be completely restricted during the closure. The closure will allow contractors to safely perform maintenance and clean up trash and debris on the shooting range. The Department will also close the range, located three miles east of Tres Piedras off of U.S. Highway 64, on the first Wednesday of January, April, July and October for maintenance. Other closures may occur as needed for repairs. The range is otherwise open every day from sunrise to sunset. The public is asked to refer to signage when entering the property to determine whether it is open or closed, or to contact Shooting Program [...]

Oct 1, 2025|

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