Anyone from New Mexico?
 

It looks like my job is going to take me to NM within the next year. I was looking at the Dept of Wildlife book and the rules out there seem way too confusing to me. Are they really that confusing or is it just the way there printed out in the book? Do residents get any big game tags over the counter or is everything done by a drawing or what? Is there much public hunting land there? I have never hunted big game outside Tn and the NM rule book read like spaceship instructions to me.

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

Your perceptions are correct, even the life long residents have trouble understanding the rules here. I moved here about 8 years ago from TN myself and it took me about 2 years to figure enough out to be able to hunt, with the help of a resident hunter. Most of the big game hunts are by draw and there is no prefrence point system like some states have, basically luck of the draw. There are some turkey and bear OTC tags but not much else. The other big difference is you can only get one tagfor each species, i.e. 1 deer, 1 elk, 1 pronghorn, etc., if you get lucky enough to draw. There are a few exceptions such as turkey where you can get a second tag for some hunts.

As for public land, it seems like half the state is public. Just in the Gila area there is something like 2 million acres of public land. Not all game units have significant public land but most of them have some amount of public land.

If you haven't been in elk country during the bugeling season you are in for a treat, there is nothing like being in the woods within a few hundred yards of a big bull elk screaming at another big bull elk. If that don't get your blood pumping nothing will.

What will be bringing you out this way? To what area?

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

NM is blessed with a lot of National Forest, State and BLM land that can be hunted. Almost without an exception, all hunts are draw.

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

Well plans has changed and I won't have to go to NM but will more than likely be heading to Colorado. I don't know if thats any better but atleast there hunting laws seem a bit easier to understand.

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

I haven't hunted in CO yet but I do have a friend who does. There are some unique things there but it does seem a bit more "user friendly" than in NM. Good luck on your move.

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

What do we know about the Clovis....Eastern part, about halfway down along the TX border....fiance is from there and has family there. Might need an excuse to go visit the future in laws.

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

TreednNC....hope you like blowing wind.....that's all it does around here in Clovis. Hunting is the same as the rest of the state for the most part.....luck of the draw. There are a few ranches that sell tags for pronghorn...$300 for a female tag southeast of Portales, archery or firearm depending on when you want to hunt. Public land is far and few between in the eastern portion of the state....DO NOT DEPEND ON ANY ROAD MAP AND WHAT IT SHOWS! I've gone to a few "BLM" sections marked in the new atlas andfound cows roaming around on it, with fences. Doesn't seem quit right to me but whatever....Best way is to go to the court house and without saying, pay for a current map of BLM land that isn't being leased by the ranchers. Otherwise, if you have a good .223, .22-250 there are some awesome praire dog fields around....they explode really nice with a 45 gr hollow point at 3900 fps!

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

Even if a rancher has a lease on BLM land it is still public land that you can hunt without asking. Now say you stay on the ranchers good side and go ask or at least talk with him, he may tell you where the big one is or even let you in on some privet land at no charge.

New Mexico land owners are a little different in that a lot of them dont wont any wildlife on their land, it takes away from their livestock.

thanks
james

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

If you have never been here or hunted here you first response is odd in that "not any better" assumes there is a negative side to being here. Much unlike the east where typically there is a hunter behind every tree, hunting here in the west is open, where I go seldom see any other hunters and we have two kinds of deer, antelope and elk along with all the little stuff. do you have a huntable population of those in TN.

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

I'll throw in something else too. There are many more hunting opportunities here than meet the eye. We have elk mule deer and antelope as the big three. But don't forget about coues deer, oryx, (easy draw for resident.....I'm hearing the off range orxy hunts may go over the counter next year) ibex, Aoudad or barbary sheep, (over the counter for most of the state) javalina, Big horn, bear, turkey, cougar. In addition we have some awesome goose and duck hunting, and great dove & quail hunting too. NM has some real quality hunting and you can get drawn for at least one or two hunts for big game every year. Most years I hunt elk, deer, and oryx. You can always hunt bear, turkey, barbary sheep, cougar,dove and quail OTC not to mention yotes and bobcats too.