more tags

vinihunt · Mar 2, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MARCH 2, 2017:
300 cow elk licenses added to 2017-18 draw;
residents only
SANTA FE ? The Department of Game and Fish has added 300 more hunting licenses for antlerless elk in Game Management Unit 34 in southeastern New Mexico to this year?s annual draw. Only New Mexico residents are eligible to apply for these licenses.
Applications currently are being accepted through the department online licensing system, www.wildlife.state.us, or by calling the Information Center, (888) 248-6866. Hunters who already have applied have the option of adding the new hunts to their applications by calling (888) 248-6866.
Licenses will be added to three hunts, all in the Sacramento Mountains east of Alamogordo in Game Management Unit 34:
? ELK-1-310 ? Nov. 25-29, 400 licenses (up from 300). Any legal sporting arm.
? ELK-1-311 ? Dec. 2-6, 400 licenses (up from 300). Any legal sporting arm.
? ELK-1-312 ? Dec. 9-13, 400 licenses (up from 300). Any legal sporting arm.
The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. March 22. The deadline to change applications by phone is 4:30 p.m. March 22.

Ltsheets · Mar 2, 2017

Seems like a lot. Would like to hear what NMPaul thinks on this.

efnm · Mar 2, 2017

I like that it must mean they have too many cows, but it also makes me think there will be too many hunters out.

DoeNob · Mar 2, 2017

unit 34 soon to be the new unit 9!

Way to go NMGF!

NMPaul · Mar 2, 2017

They are trying to exterminate the elk in 34. No other explanation possible.

What happened to their 4 year plan where they do not adjust tags?

I guess they only increase tags not decrease tags if they violate the 4 year plan.

Not happy trying to exterminate the mule deer in 34, now they want to exterminate the elk also.

ixsolracxi · Mar 2, 2017

I also thought of Unit 9 when i first read the email. They are going to destroy a wonderful hunting unit!!!

BUGLEnmIN · Mar 2, 2017

Is there any way that our input matters to these people?

Ltsheets · Mar 2, 2017

Thanks for the input Paul. You're echoing how I felt.

ducksbucksandbulls · Mar 2, 2017

All you residents buy up the tags and don't go hunting.
Every cow killed has another com or bull killed too that time of year.
that will help.
Buy tags for family members and friends that don't hunt.

Bolt Tripper · Mar 2, 2017

There were way too many tags in 34 even before this. What a freaking joke to add 300 more!

NMhunter4life · Mar 2, 2017

I would bet it comes back to the Jennings' law and grazing lease and private land holders complaining that the elk are eating them out of house and home. They are probably threatening to shoot them and let them rot.

That is the #1 law that I wish we could get overturned in this state.

NMPaul · Mar 2, 2017

So depressing what they are doing to this unit. No unit has so many tags dumped into it.

One of the lowest success rates for deer and one of the lowest satisfaction ratings also.

NMBOWHNTR27 · Mar 2, 2017

LAST EDITED ON Mar-02-17 AT 09:53PM (MST)[p]Another 300 licenses for cows. I have not hunted 34 so I don't know the pop. Maybe hunters are not killing enough cow elk, maybe it does have to with ranchers and grazing damage. It could be also that the mescalaros Rez. Might not be killing enough elk mainly cows. I highly doubt it will be the new unit 9. The biologists obviously have a reason.

WapitiBob · Mar 2, 2017

Magazines that are 10 years behind the times pushing it as the best thing going have the bull odds on par with 16D. The poor saps reading that stuff don't realize the dept is doing their best to turn it into another Colorado.

ELKMAN · Mar 3, 2017

"The biologists obviously have a reason."

Since when did biology play any roll in this state, in game management?

I have seen them add cow tags in units, and then send out bull tags as "MB-A". I have seen it in unit 9, and I believe they did this in 34 in the 90's. That would be another great move.

Having 900 rifle cow tags, is diffently going to hit that unit. As stated above, unit 9 is a great example of what could happen. It sure is easy to knock the population way down, but it is sure hard to bring it back up. It is like a good atheletic program. It is easy to tear it down, but hard as hell to bring back.

elkfanatic · Mar 3, 2017

Biology plays a role but it does not play as much of a role as the public opinion of the local area. If ranchers are having the elk overgraze, the G&F are going to take that into account first. But you all are right, 34 is like a firing zone when you go in there for a rifle hunt. You have to be way off the beaten path to even slow down the amount of people you see. I will never hunt there with a rifle and I will only go hunt there with a bow to try and fill my tag with a whitetail. Other than that I will not be going there because it is managed so bad and there are too many people.

NMPaul · Mar 3, 2017

900 cow tags. No that does not include the unit wide and private land cow tags given out. Easily over a thousand and more likely 1500 cow tags. This does not include youth, mobility impaired and either sex tags. Lastly they dumped another depredation hunt in 34 a few weeks ago.

They are raping this unit of wildlife. If ranchers are grazing leased land and there is nothing in it for them they want the elk exterminated. Maybe they need their palms greased to like the land owners. Whatever it takes, it is better than destroying the unit as they seem to want to.

mcloakey · Mar 3, 2017

I must be missing something because I see things differently. I hunt 34 all the time and I always see hundreds of cow elk in the small areas that I hunt. 34 is a big unit and I have always thought that they needed to add more antlerless hunts but I also wanted them to have ML antlerless hunts not more rifle. I have only seen the herds get bigger not smaller. Just my opinion.
Mike

NMBOWHNTR27 · Mar 3, 2017

LAST EDITED ON Mar-03-17 AT 11:33PM (MST)[p]I also read a couple of things I believe in the game and fish website in one of the meetings with I think the game commission (not sure how long ago) that the Mescaleros were not killing enough cows nor was the public hunters and that the population had around a 1,000 animals to many to what was sufficient for the unit. Don't quote me on that. Also to whom it concerns make a phone call/email or go to a game commission meeting and ask.

NMPaul · Mar 3, 2017

Name one unit in NM where they dump anywhere near the number of tags they dump in 34. The closest is 51 and it is not even close.
There are decent numbers of elk in this unit now, but, they are working to end that.

mcloakey · Mar 4, 2017

You are right about that, just look at what they did to the deer in 34. Now they have been cutting deer tags in the unit. I have been seeing more elk in the unit every year and I am with you on the fact that we have good numbers now. Hopefully they stop dumping more tags. Depredation hunts I believe will continue due to the ranchers complaining.
Mike

wilhille · Mar 5, 2017

I don't believe for one second that Game and fish is doing it to make money.

I think game and fish is trying to do everything in their powers to keep the hunts in that unit available to a majority of the public. I think there are a lot of landowners who are seeing more elk and trying to cash in on some easy money. Instead of handing out a few ES E-plus tags they are putting cow tags in the unit to actually deal with the problem elk they are having. If they just give those tags away in E plus, we would never hear about it and once those landowners get those tags, getting them back would never happen. It's a slippery slippery slope that Game and Fish does not want to go down.

Or maybe they just want to shoot all of the elk in that unit, but doubt it.

ELKMAN · Mar 5, 2017

When do the E-plus tags get released?

It would be interesting to see, if those increased also.

A few wheels can get a lot of grease from just a couple influential people.

ELKMAN · Mar 5, 2017

I did not realize that there were 250 permits last year per hunt. There is going to be a + 450 tags in 17. That will do a number on them.

DoeNob · Mar 7, 2017

I see in the proclamation it says they found CWD there - any chance this is why they are trying to knock down the herd or totally unrelated?

NMPaul · Mar 7, 2017

>I see in the proclamation it
>says they found CWD there
>- any chance this is
>why they are trying to
>knock down the herd or
>totally unrelated?

I think if that was the case they would say so. CWD has been a concern in 34 I think for around 10 years. I do not know the stats on it, but, it has to be pretty rare. I cannot say I have ever seen an animal exhibiting the symptoms. It has always been a robust elk herd in 34, but, it can only take so much hunting.