Hunting News
The latest hunting news and press releases, including important reminders for the current hunting season, from the New Mexico Department of Wildlife. See additional wildlife news in Conservation News. Department-wide news can be found under Home → NMDOW News.
Deer, elk and elk private lands use system changes topic of public meetings
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact, Tristanna Bickford: (505) 476-8027 tristanna.bickford@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, July 23, 2018: Deer, elk and elk private lands use system changes topic of public meetings SANTA FE – The Department of Game and Fish is seeking public comments on proposed revisions to the deer, elk, and elk private lands use system rules. The department is proposing changes in deer, elk and the elk private lands use system (E-PLUS) across the state, including; splitting the deer archery season into 2 distinct seasons (September and January), adjusting licenses, adding new hunts, increasing elk harvest in some areas and establishing criteria to better administer the E-PLUS program. To gather public comments, four public meetings will be conducted: Roswell: 6 to 7:30 p.m. July 25 at the Department of Game and Fish office, 1912 W. Second Street. Las Cruces: 6 [...]
Special hunter education camp offered at Camp Wehinahpay near Sacramento
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact, Jennifer Morgan: (505) 222-4722 jennifer.morgan@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, July 6, 2018: Special hunter education camp offered at Camp Wehinahpay near Sacramento SACRAMENTO – The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is offering a special hunter education camp where youths can receive hands-on training and earn their hunter education certification for free. The camp is open to youths ages 10 to 17 who are accompanied by a registered adult. It will be conducted the weekend of Aug. 3-5, at the beautiful Camp Wehinahpay Boy Scout Camp in the Sacramento Mountains east of Alamogordo. Participants are responsible for their own camping gear, but meals from Friday dinner through Sunday lunch will be provided. Registration for this camp opportunity opens July 9. Participants must complete and return the registration form available at www.wildlife.state.nm.us/education/hunter-education/ by noon, July 16, [...]
Youth encouragement elk hunting licenses go on sale July 11
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact, Tristanna Bickford: (505) 476-8027 tristanna.bickford@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 27, 2018: Youth encouragement elk hunting licenses go on sale July 11 SANTA FE – More than 1,800 youth, antlerless elk licenses will go on sale through the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish’s Online License System at 10 a.m. MDT July 11. The sale is designed to encourage youth hunting and includes almost 1,500 licenses for hunters using any legal weapon and 390 licenses for hunters using a muzzleloader or bow. Licenses will be sold online only on a first-come, first-served basis. To purchase a license, customers will need to log in to their Online License System account at www.wildlife.state.nm.us. Eligibility requirements: For the first 14 days, the sale is open only to N.M. resident youths who have applied in the current license year [...]
Leftover deer and javelina licenses go on sale June 27
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact, Tristanna Bickford: (505) 476-8027 tristanna.bickford@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 11, 2018: Leftover deer and javelina licenses go on sale June 27 SANTA FE – 203 deer and 10 javelina hunting licenses that were not allocated during the annual 2018-19 big-game drawing will go on sale at 10 a.m. MDT on June 27, only on the Department of Game and Fish website. New Mexico residents will get first shot at the licenses during the first-come, first-served sale. License sales will be open only to residents for the first 24 hours. The sale will be opened to everyone, regardless of residency, at 10 a.m. on June 28. Important note for youth hunters: Because these are leftover draw licenses, purchasing a leftover deer license will render youth hunters ineligible to purchase a youth encouragement elk license during the [...]
Fire restrictions, closures increasing statewide; Game and Fish patrolling Commission properties
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866 Media contact, Tristanna Bickford: (505) 476-8027 tristanna.bickford@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 5, 2018: Fire restrictions, closures increasing statewide; Game and Fish patrolling Commission properties SANTA FE – As drought continues to increase fire danger statewide, the Kid's Pond at the Seven Springs Fish Hatchery in the Jemez Mountains will be closed at dusk on Wednesday, June 6. By mutual agreement with the Benedictine Monastery, the Department will also concurrently close Monastery Lake in Pecos, NM. Both locations will remain closed until conditions improve in and around the Santa Fe National Forest. In addition to enforcing closures and fire restrictions, Department of Game and Fish conservation officers will increase patrols on State Game Commission-owned properties. Commission properties also will follow the same restrictions or closures in place on properties adjacent to U.S. Forest Service or BLM lands. Additional [...]