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.
Late-season archery elk licenses available online October 29
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Contact: (888) 248-6866 ispa@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, OCT. 21, 2014 LATE-SEASON ARCHERY ELK LICENSES AVAILABLE ONLINE OCT. 29 SANTA FE – Two hundred seventy-five trophy bull elk archery hunting licenses will go on sale Wednesday, Oct. 29, first-come, first-served, on the Department of Game and Fish website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us. The sale will begin at 10 a.m. Oct. 29 and will be open only to New Mexico residents for the first 24 hours. Any remaining licenses will be available to nonresidents beginning at 10 a.m. Oct. 30. Only hunters who did not hold a 2014-2015 elk license are eligible to purchase the late-season licenses. The bag limit for the late-season hunts is one bull elk with antlers that have at least six points on one side. Hunters are strongly advised to obtain an online customer account or review their existing account, user name and password [...]
Expect roadblocks statewide during hunting seasons
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Media contact: Lance Cherry, (505) 476-8003 Public contact: (888) 248-6866 lance.cherry@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, OCT. 14, 2014 EXPECT ROADBLOCKS STATEWIDE DURING HUNTING SEASONS 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 ongoing for deer, elk, pronghorns, 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 or county sheriff's [...]
Bighorn hunters will have more options, opportunities in 2015
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Media contact: Lance Cherry, (505) 476-8003 Public contact: (888) 248-6866 lance.cherry@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, SEPT. 9, 2014 BIGHORN HUNTERS WILL HAVE MORE OPTIONS, OPPORTUNITIES IN 2015 SANTA FE – The New Mexico Game Commission adopted new rules Aug. 28 that will provide hunters planning to enter the public drawings for 2015-season bighorn sheep licenses in New Mexico with more opportunities and more choices than ever. Beginning next year, the department estimates it will make 36 bighorn ram licenses available in the annual public drawing, an all-time high. Sixteen of those licenses will be for Rocky Mountain bighorn rams. Twenty will be for desert bighorn rams, a remarkable increase from only one desert bighorn license issued in 2011. The increased licenses are thanks to successful reintroduction and management efforts by the Department of Game and Fish in partnership with the Wild Sheep Foundation, the [...]
Hunting seasons open for doves, grouse, squirrels, band-tailed pigeons; pellet guns approved for collared doves, grouse, squirrels
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Media contact: Lance Cherry, (505) 476-8003 Public contact: (888) 248-6866 lance.cherry@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, SEPT. 2, 2014 HUNTING SEASONS OPEN FOR DOVES, GROUSE, SQUIRRELS, BAND-TAILED PIGEONS; PELLET GUNS APPROVED FOR COLLARED DOVES, GROUSE, SQUIRRELS SANTA FE – Hunting seasons opened Sept. 1 in New Mexico for doves, grouse, squirrels and band-tailed pigeons, with some rule changes that provide more hunting opportunities. Beginning this year, .177 caliber or larger pellet guns are among the legal sporting arms for Eurasian collared doves, dusky grouse and squirrels. The State Game Commission approved the change Aug. 28 to give hunters more opportunities to bag those species, partly due to the ongoing shortage of .22-caliber ammunition. The Game Commission also increased the hunting season for Eurasian collared doves – an invasive, non-native species – to year-round with no bag limit. Hunters must leave one wing attached to [...]
Hunting licenses still available for elk, deer and javelina
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Media contact: Rachel Shockley, (505) 476-8071; cell: (505) 470-6832 Public contact: (888) 248-6866 rachel.shockley@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, JULY 16, 2014 HUNTING LICENSES STILL AVAILABLE FOR ELK, DEER AND JAVELINA SANTA FE –The 2014-2015 hunting season is fast approaching, and hunters still have the opportunity to buy a hunting license in New Mexico. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish still has more than 1,000 deer hunting licenses and nearly 500 javelina licenses for sale that were leftover from the annual hunt drawing. More than 1,000 youth encouragement hunting licenses for antlerless elk are also still available. Licenses will be sold online only on a first-come, first-served basis. Many of the leftover deer and javelina licenses are for muzzleloader or archery hunts, but there are a few youth only rifle hunts. The sale is open to everyone, regardless of residency. The youth encouragement [...]