New Mexico Elk Hunters (Non Residents)

[Diamondback]

With such short Elk hunting times in NM, it has not been worth it to put in for DIY hunt.
First day setup, last day breakdown, you are talking 3 - 5 days at most to hunt for that season. Good luck! You can come in a week early to scout and camp, but you are already scouting into other people's hunts in that unit and if you screw up their hunts, UNWELCOME!

The outfitters know where the game is as their job and with that short amount of hunting time that is the only option I would take in NM.

There is much better DIY OTC options in Colorado. If I was a NM resident = 84% draw odds, wouldn't be complaining about anything.



Fresh Tracks explaining NM system

 

[bayoublaster7527]

The quotas aren't changing anytime soon.
The NMWF has no power, they're a joke in the their own state. Getting 90/10 would require NMWF to garner RESIDENT support, which would compel a legislator to draft a Bill removing E-Plus and changing the quota, and continued public support would compel the legislature to pass it.
None of that happens.

Because NMWF doesn't have the public and can get nowhere, their only avenue, for almost the last decade, has been to try and garner NR support by telling us we would draw more tags without the E-Plus system. Forum threads like this one are the perfect example.
Well maybe so, but everybody knows there isn't a single NM legislator that will sponsor a Bill to reduce resident outfitter tags in favor of NR; clearly something NMWF hasn't figured out. Getting NR support to overturn E-Plus is a waste of time, money, and energy, and will never compel a NM Legislator to write that Bill.
"I achieved my objective" shows they have no plan.

Podcasts whining to NR about E-Plus and threads like this one, aimed at NR, are nothing but white noise. Without overwhelming resident and legislative support, E-Plus is going nowhere, and 90/10 is not happening.

Agree that NMWF does hold much power, had to partner with the anti’s just to get SB5. Maybe Wildlife For All and Center for Biological Diversity will help them push for 90/10. Ha.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

There are a lot of Democrat voting hunters and gun owners in New Mexico. The NRA is strong here as well. Our Constitution states that we have a right to hunt with a firearm. NMWF together with BHA are strong lobbies. Residents are very much united on the hunting issues. Residents are also the ones doing the voting. Our metro areas are somewhat small which is where the antis come from. The current DGF needs modernization as far as wildlife management is concerned. Science proves that which is why RESIDENTS lobbied to get SB5 passed. We have a new Governor on the way in at the same time a new Elk rule is to be implemented.

There are wealthy non-residents that have their assistants book hunts for them. Some of them could care less what state it is in. There are some non-residents that don’t blink an eye to 20-30K hunts. But I will go out on a sturdy limb and say that most non-resident hunters are middle class, family oriented and want a do it yourself hunt. Even if a non-resident is well off, many just want the do-it-yourself experience. With e-scouting and all of the hunt research tools out there for the phone, non-residents can be just as successful maybe even more so with a DIY hunt. Times are changing. Technology is changing. The DGF is challenged to keep up the pace because that is what the public demands.

Foreign interests have moved in and commercialized/privatized our hunting. We want it back!

Dude, if you believe your next democratic Governor and her cronies care one single iota about hunting and the rights of gun owners in NM then you have seriously lost the bubble. I will agree that there are likely many hunting and gun owning Dem voters in NM. The problem is their chosen elected officials continue to make policy against their interests.

 

[Gila]

It's my understanding that in New Mexico, landowners can shoot and let lay any elk or pronghorn they deem as "causing agricultural damage". I would then assume without E-Plus, that might be a much more common practice if landowners aren't incentivized to allow and encourage elk on their properties? Considering so much of the water and feed is on private in alot of these units? I'm a resident. I don't love that I can't seem to draw a bottom of the barrel tag for a few years now, but thats definitely a concern of mine. Seems like that may be a bit of legislation to target first? Sounds like wanton waste to me.

That is definitely of concern for everyone. I think everyone agrees that the landowner needs to be compensated for the elk damage and grazing competition. However pulling tags out of the public draw to give to landowners reduces resident hunting opportunity. There are better ways to compensate landowners and increase hunter opportunity. One method is to pay the landowner per acre of critical habitat for public hunting access. Another method is to pay the land owner for hunt days. If a landowner doesn’t want to opt into a program he could sell trespass to a draw tag holder. There are other ways to compensate the landowners as well. The process will include landowner input.

I and not aware of the NMWF and BHA strategy to move forward. But I think you are correct about legislation. The 1989 statute granting landowner tags is outdated and should be changed or deprecated. As far as the 90-10 split is concerned, I believe that may be changed with a DGF rule. I am not sure about that though. Most residents are firm about the 90-10 split and doing away with unit wide landowner tags.

 

[Gila]

With such short Elk hunting times in NM, it has not been worth it to put in for DIY hunt.
First day setup, last day breakdown, you are talking 3 - 5 days at most to hunt for that season. Good luck! You can come in a week early to scout and camp, but you are already scouting into other people's hunts in that unit and if you screw up their hunts, UNWELCOME!

The outfitters know where the game is as their job and with that short amount of hunting time that is the only option I would take in NM.

There is much better DIY OTC options in Colorado. If I was a NM resident = 84% draw odds, wouldn't be complaining about anything.



Fresh Tracks explaining NM system

5 days isn’t much time for a rifle or muzzie hunt. However there are 2 or 3 days between hunts. I camp 2 days before the hunt and scout where I want to be on the opener. If I don’t score I hit the rack and pull up camp the next day so I am hunting the full 5 days. I do quite a bit of pre-season scouting. I live close by though. But an experienced elk hunter can and does get the job done especially in Quality hunt units.

84% of half of the available tags ain’t much…

 

[wapitibob]

the 84/10/6 split modification was done thru SB196

 

[Gila]

Dude, if you believe your next democratic Governor and her cronies care one single iota about hunting and the rights of gun owners in NM then you have seriously lost the bubble. I will agree that there are likely many hunting and gun owning Dem voters in NM. The problem is their chosen elected officials continue to make policy against their interests.

We have to work with who is elected. That is all we can do. But to give in to whacko liberals isn’t an option. I live in a conservative county so that makes things a bit easier but if the elected get enough pressure from constituents things can and do move along.

 

[bevance]

@Gila "draw odds this, draw odds that. I can't draw a tag as a resident" Time to put in for some other units buddy, I would crawl across a mile of broken glass to get draw odds like these!

Even if you put the filter down to 50-100 percent draw odds, there are a good many hunts available.

Not to throw shade, but as a nonresident to all the western elk states I get annoyed at the woe is me I can never draw a tag resident sentiment. The opportunity available as a NM resident is pretty incredible, you just might not be able to hunt right behind your house on that mountain range. If you want to go hunting bad enough you can make it work.

The grass ain't always greener.

 

[WRO]

That is definitely of concern for everyone. I think everyone agrees that the landowner needs to be compensated for the elk damage and grazing competition. However pulling tags out of the public draw to give to landowners reduces resident hunting opportunity. There are better ways to compensate landowners and increase hunter opportunity. One method is to pay the landowner per acre of critical habitat for public hunting access. Another method is to pay the land owner for hunt days. If a landowner doesn’t want to opt into a program he could sell trespass to a draw tag holder. There are other ways to compensate the landowners as well. The process will include landowner input.

I and not aware of the NMWF and BHA strategy to move forward. But I think you are correct about legislation. The 1989 statute granting landowner tags is outdated and should be changed or deprecated. As far as the 90-10 split is concerned, I believe that may be changed with a DGF rule. I am not sure about that though. Most residents are firm about the 90-10 split and doing away with unit wide landowner tags.

Please provide the financial methods and amount paid to each landowner or per acre to support your plan?

 

[WRO]

It's my understanding that in New Mexico, landowners can shoot and let lay any elk or pronghorn they deem as "causing agricultural damage". I would then assume without E-Plus, that might be a much more common practice if landowners aren't incentivized to allow and encourage elk on their properties? Considering so much of the water and feed is on private in alot of these units? I'm a resident. I don't love that I can't seem to draw a bottom of the barrel tag for a few years now, but thats definitely a concern of mine. Seems like that may be a bit of legislation to target first? Sounds like wanton waste to me.

Every state is similar with regards to elk damage.