New Mexico price increase.

[The_Jim]

I'm with @wind gypsy - It sucks to see it get more expensive, but those prices aren't out of line. Nothing like what Utah did. There are some pretty decent units in the "standard" elk category that are better than most of the otc and 0 point Colorado units. I think its fair to charge that same price.

 

[The_Jim]

I did always figure shed hunters had a low IQ, but to pay $200 for a tag and travel out of state just confirms it

 

[Gobbler36]

I did always figure shed hunters had a low IQ, but to pay $200 for a tag and travel out of state just confirms it

Haha I’m glad I’m not the only one the feels shed hunting is an odd concept

 

[Jake Larsen]

Haha I’m glad I’m not the only one the feels shed hunting is an odd concept

It’s fun…like a giant treasure hunt that resets once a year. Good way to get boots on the mountain early in the season. But there’s no way I’m paying for a permit to do it lol.

 

[thisguy]

Is there going to be a shed hunter license for residents as well? Seems like a good way to discourage the average person from picking up an antler, which in turn caters to the greedy "shed business" guys.

Also imagine drawing an elk tag in NM (haha funny joke I know) and finding a nice shed on your hunt but not being able to pick it up unless you go buy an additional $200 license

 

[30338]

It would seem the western states have moved to a for profit game management system.

 

[Mish-pop]

It would seem the western states have moved to a for profit game management system.

It's looking more and more that way. But people will still keep applying

 

[elkhunter505]

The only positive I see coming out of this price increase is the ability to hire more biologists/researchers. NMDGF relies on one professor at NMSU to do a lot of their big game research and he cannot do everything they want. Additionally, unless new professors have showed up there, there is really no other professor doing big game, management focused research. This could help them hire their own researcher and be able to do more research across the state while taking some of it off of that professors plate so he can put more effort into each project rather than being spread thin. For NR hunters though, it is a kick in the teeth. That’s coming from a born and raised New Mexican that is currently a NR. I’ve seen the cohesiveness and the ability of MTFWP to do research and I do think it could be positive in that realm, but it definitely is disheartening to the normal NR.

 

[RyanT26]

The only positive I see coming out of this price increase is the ability to hire more biologists/researchers. NMDGF relies on one professor at NMSU to do a lot of their big game research and he cannot do everything they want. Additionally, unless new professors have showed up there, there is really no other professor doing big game, management focused research. This could help them hire their own researcher and be able to do more research across the state while taking some of it off of that professors plate so he can put more effort into each project rather than being spread thin. For NR hunters though, it is a kick in the teeth. That’s coming from a born and raised New Mexican that is currently a NR. I’ve seen the cohesiveness and the ability of MTFWP to do research and I do think it could be positive in that realm, but it definitely is disheartening to the normal NR.

I think you’re being very optimistic this new money is going to used to better wildlife management.

 

[elkhunter505]

I think you’re being very optimistic this new money is going to used to better wildlife management.

Where else is it going to go? I don’t know where else they would put it. Maybe they funnel it into a BMA type of program. I’m not sure what they are going to do with it, but since it was passed, it’s in the best interest of all hunters to advocate to use those dollars to either open up private lands to hunting or push for more research surrounding the management actions that are occurring.

Since those dollars go directly to the state agency, it is going to be used for their mission.

 

[Beendare]

supply and demand...no one will back out

 

[Reburn]

I wouldnt be mad if they doubled them again frankly.

If they triple the antelope cost and restrict the ranchers to one every 15k acres and stop issuing doe tags that wouldnt be bad either.

 

[Gila]

The big game hunting in New Mexico has been privatized by out of state and in state outfitters, land owners. Very few public land tags are sold to residents or DIY non-residents. The local BHA supports a bill that completely “re-brands” the Dept into the “Department of Wildlife”. The bill also revamps the entire game commission. I don’t entirely agree with the bill, just some parts of it. Sorry to say public hinting is “on the ropes” in New Mexico. Fraud, corruption, anti-gun, anti-hunting Governor, Legislature is the problem. Resident odds are something like 2-10% for a decent bull tag. The state is robbing us out of our application/ hunting fees.

 

[Gila]

I wouldnt be mad if they doubled them again frankly.

If they triple the antelope cost and restrict the ranchers to one every 15k acres and stop issuing doe tags that wouldnt be bad either.

There shouldn’t be any land owners tags. Those tags belong in the public draw. South Dakota solved the problem by giving land owners $5-10 an acre for public hunting access. It works!

 

[Reburn]

There shouldn’t be any land owners tags. Those tags belong in the public draw. South Dakota solved the problem by giving land owners $5-10 an acre for public hunting access. It works!

Thanks for your opinion.
Agree to disagree.

 

[elkhunter505]

The big game hunting in New Mexico has been privatized by out of state and in state outfitters, land owners. Very few public land tags are sold to residents or DIY non-residents. The local BHA supports a bill that completely “re-brands” the Dept into the “Department of Wildlife”. The bill also revamps the entire game commission. I don’t entirely agree with the bill, just some parts of it. Sorry to say public hinting is “on the ropes” in New Mexico. Fraud, corruption, anti-gun, anti-hunting Governor, Legislature is the problem. Resident odds are something like 2-10% for a decent bull tag. The state is robbing us out of our application/ hunting fees.

Maybe a decent bull tag for a rifle hunt but I know of plenty of decent archery tags that have odds above 50%. Those tags are better than 80% of the best bull tags in other states. Some of those tags give you a legitimate shot at a 300"+ bull which many residents of other states would kill for. It's not all doom and gloom. Do I agree with the way EPlus works? No, but do I think that solely public draw is the way to go, no. Seems like a landowner draw system like is done in MT would be a good compromise between EPlus and what happened to antelope. LOs that want to hunt their own land can get a preference if they have enough land and then the rest of the tags end up in a public draw. LOs can still contract their land for guiding hunts but they can't sell tags the way that they do in NM.

 

[wapitibob]

There shouldn’t be any land owners tags. Those tags belong in the public draw. South Dakota solved the problem by giving land owners $5-10 an acre for public hunting access. It works!

$10,000 for access to 1,000 acres? Yea, residents will pony up the money for that.

 

[Gila]

Maybe a decent bull tag for a rifle hunt but I know of plenty of decent archery tags that have odds above 50%. Those tags are better than 80% of the best bull tags in other states. Some of those tags give you a legitimate shot at a 300"+ bull which many residents of other states would kill for. It's not all doom and gloom. Do I agree with the way EPlus works? No, but do I think that solely public draw is the way to go, no. Seems like a landowner draw system like is done in MT would be a good compromise between EPlus and what happened to antelope. LOs that want to hunt their own land can get a preference if they have enough land and then the rest of the tags end up in a public draw. LOs can still contract their land for guiding hunts but they can't sell tags the way that they do in NM.

We are the only state that has an outfitter’s public draw…I think Wyoming is fair with 90%-10%. Anyway that is what I would be pushing for. Wildlife belongs to the public. Simply because an elk jumps a fence to take a drink doesn’t give any landowner a right to a tag. Land owner tags are non starters because it leads to privatization. There are some “sleeper” units in Northern New Mexico where a person has a fair chance at a public archery rut tag….nothing near 50% though. There are some late season public cow hunts that have some good odds. Pronghorn and Mule deer hunting is pretty much 4-5 figure land owner tags. It’s getting to the point that I feel stupid for giving the state all of those application fees

E-Plus is an abomination. Holding our public lands for a 5 figure ransom is just wrong.

 

[elkhunter505]

We are the only state that has an outfitter’s public draw…I think Wyoming is fair with 90%-10%. Anyway that is what I would be pushing for. Wildlife belongs to the public. Simply because an elk jumps a fence to take a drink doesn’t give any landowner a right to a tag. Land owner tags are non starters because it leads to privatization. There are some “sleeper” units in Northern New Mexico where a person has a fair chance at a public archery rut tag….nothing near 50% though. There are some late season public cow hunts that have some good odds. Pronghorn and Mule deer hunting is pretty much 4-5 figure land owner tags. It’s getting to the point that I feel stupid for giving the state all of those application fees

E-Plus is an abomination. Holding our public lands for a 5 figure ransom is just wrong.

Onx says otherwise about 50%+ on some of the archery tags I am talking about that I have personally been on and shot 280” 6 points in back to back years.

The outfitter pool is dumb in my opinion as well. EPlus is a bad system too, but how do we reward private landowners for keeping their habitat in good shape if they have 0 incentive to do it. There has to be some level of incentive for them whether that be payments for BMA type access or through some amount of preference for tags that are in units they live in. I don’t think anyone I know is pissed off about landowners getting tags for their own property to hunt on, I think they’re pissed about those properties that are getting those tags and selling them to the highest bidder which is the true issue.

 

[Reburn]

Onx says otherwise about 50%+ on some of the archery tags I am talking about that I have personally been on and shot 280” 6 points in back to back years.

The outfitter pool is dumb in my opinion as well. EPlus is a bad system too, but how do we reward private landowners for keeping their habitat in good shape if they have 0 incentive to do it. There has to be some level of incentive for them whether that be payments for BMA type access or through some amount of preference for tags that are in units they live in. I don’t think anyone I know is pissed off about landowners getting tags for their own property to hunt on, I think they’re pissed about those properties that are getting those tags and selling them to the highest bidder which is the true issue.

It's pretty damn hard to eek out a living ranching.
Its pretty easy to be mad at alot of public hunters they are disrespectful, leave trash everywhere and trespass.
For every good 1 there is 20 bad ones.
I cant blame ranchers for not wanting to deal with it for free.