Hunting

GilaCoues1 · Dec 30, 2018

What do hunters want?

Big bucks/bulls? We all do. Or do we?

Killing males will not affect a population. Killing females "manages" a population. As hunters, why don't we comment and direct the Game and Fish to what we want??????

60-70,000 thousands of elk/deer hunter applicants per year....yet couple of hundred written comments during the past year's regulation cycle..really???

We all "care" but nobody comments........ Let's step up and start making a contribution to our hunting future........

Which is getting involved and telling the NMDGF to quit BSing the public!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Conduct a hunter survey. Quality vs. Opportunity. Which is Social Management. WHERE IS THE BIOLOGY?????? I'll answer that on the front end..... There is no biology, NMDGF does not have the data....... But, hunters get sidetracked on social management and NMDGF slides into obscurity.... with no accountability........

Until hunters want to get involved and have a real discussion/dialogue with NMDGF, we can throw rocks all we want, nothing is going to happen.....

Hello????

JACOB2006 · Dec 30, 2018

Problem is they don't listen anyway. Look at what they did to antalope hunts. I have tried in the past without even a response.

GilaCoues1 · Dec 30, 2018

"They" don't listen because hunters are not committed as a "group". A comment here and there does not do anything..... As hunters, we are just as divisive as any group. NMDGF thrives on that......Except for landowners.......... which NMDGF bends over backwards for.....

Until sportsmen actually use one voice to get NMDGF to use common sense, instead of made up "biology", nothing is going to change. Instead, sportsmen are going to "fight" over the scraps...

Hello? Two or three commenters on MM (or any other social forum) will do nothing.....

You want to make a difference? PM me.

nmbighorn · Dec 30, 2018

Comment periods are usually during hunting season, they need to have big game comment periods Jan-May when more hunters can participate and are not distracted by their upcomming hunts.

I have commented at some meetings and have seen others comment to deaf ears. If hunters ideas/comments don't align with game wardens's or biologist ideas our comments go no where. I do agree more hunters NEED to show up.

roadrunner · Dec 31, 2018

First and foremost, NMDGF manages the wildlife of NM for all the public to enjoy and support an ecosystem, hunting is just a tool to accomplish that.

Be interesting to see what the 2019 proc brings...

rockn9858 · Dec 31, 2018

LAST EDITED ON Dec-31-18 AT 08:39AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Dec-31-18 AT 08:38?AM (MST)

Why can't we just petition the game and fish to include comment areas in the harvest reports in stead of did you hunt how many days and how satisfied were you.

The harvest report should be our voice every year and it is a mandatory report. we could get some actual feed back on quality vs opportunity,

Ropinfool · Dec 31, 2018

your making it too complicated....it's only about money

ELKMAN · Dec 31, 2018

Agree Rock and Ropin!

efnm · Dec 31, 2018

>LAST EDITED ON Dec-31-18
>AT 08:39?AM (MST)
>
>LAST EDITED ON Dec-31-18
>AT 08:38?AM (MST)
>
>Why can't we just petition the
>game and fish to include
>comment areas in the harvest
>reports in stead of did
>you hunt how many days
>and how satisfied were you.
>
>
>The harvest report should be our
>voice every year and it
>is a mandatory report. we
>could get some actual feed
>back on quality vs opportunity,
>

That's a great idea! They don't make it clear where to send general feedback because they steer you to different places if it is feedback for a website, proposal, or plan. That said, it looks like this is where to send your thoughts to:

[email protected]

I'm giving it a try.

GilaCoues1 · Dec 31, 2018

That is a really great idea. Have a place to put down what units we want to be quality vs. opportunity. If 10,000 hunters put unit "x" down for opportunity and only 2,000 hunters put that unit down as quality, opportunity unit it is.

we should go straight to the commission with these ideas.

roadrunner · Dec 31, 2018

"Why can't we just petition the game and fish to include comment areas in the harvest reports in stead of did you hunt how many days and how satisfied were you."

Because it makes too much sense. When you have to do extra to express thoughts or opinions, they know they will receive fewer comments...

JACOB2006 · Dec 31, 2018

You really think they will read it?

NMBOWHNTR27 · Dec 31, 2018

Biggest problem nobody shows up to meetings.

elkfanatic · Jan 1, 2019

I definitely think a comments section would be a good idea. Maybe along with how many deer you saw, what's the biggest buck you saw, that type of stuff. It's hard to manage individual areas because everybody hunts their spot and the game and fish is managing by a region not by your spot.

MQ1_4_LIFE · Jan 1, 2019

I think it would be pretty easy to go with the above suggestions of adding a comments box to the harvest report, but to be completely honest, just having a blank field for people to fill in however they see fit is probably not going to yield the desired results. I think it would be easier to just expand the harvest report with a few extra "on a scale of 1-10" fields.

Things such as, On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied were you with the number of *species* you saw during your hunt?

On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied were you with the number of other hunters that you encountered during your hunt?

On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied were you with the maturity of the *species* you saw during your hunt?

On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you be to recommend this hunt and unit to another hunter?

You could also have fill in the number fields, such as:

On average, what was the herd size of *species* that you encountered?

What was the largest "trophy" animal that you saw? (6x6, 300, etc...)

If you were looking for a mature animal, what would you consider a "shooter" bull or buck? (6x6, 300, 8 point buck, etc)

How many "shooter" bulls or bucks did you see on your hunt that meet the above criteria?

You could then add a small comment box for these, among other fields, to kind of drill down a bit more and ensure that the responses of "the hunt sucked" or "it was BS", etc are more limited. In order for there to be any change, there has to be some level of consensus about the information that is going to be submitted. For example, look at any given thread on this website and look at the wide ranging disparity between replies, things get off topic and out of control rapidly. There has to be some kind of "fail safe" to ensure that the submitted comments aren't just a complete hodge podge mess.

The harvest report is a great place to start since its mandatory, and will ensure that at a minimum, the information is provided to the biologists.

ELKMAN · Jan 1, 2019

I have been through this for years. Show up to meetings etc etc. You know who shows up! The dude's in the cowboy hats etc. Hard for someone to go to Santa Rosa on a Tues.

The hardcore dude's that show up to these meeting or some org. are generally older guys. Good for them, but then they just B and moan about no one showing up etc. It is a bad cycle.

I get back to Ropin all about $$$$!

How many times have you guys ran into a G and F warden hot on the trail because some landowner called? I have several times. You call them because some 340 ish bull got poached at 9 pm someone as been on for a week. GOOD LUCK! They will show up the second tues of next week!

rockn9858 · Jan 2, 2019

I agree but there has to be a way for us to get what we want and still get the money to the game and fish.

I still have yet to see an organization that is for the hunters and not mixed up in some political BS. I think that all organizations are started with the best of intentions but someone all ways becomes the lead and steers the org in a self directed, direction. hard to stand behind an org that can not stay the course.

Hunters in NM need a voice for the hunters.

Ropinfool · Jan 2, 2019

in case nobodies figured it out yet, landowners and outfitters call the shots in this state. g&f is just their puppet.

OCHO · Jan 2, 2019

If there is any question on whether money is or is not relative just look at the big horn sheep situation. 10 plus years ago not nearly the talks or movement there is now regarding big horns . But now we're spending are every last dollar moving sheep all over this state, trading public animals to Mexico and reservations for more sheep.

We specifically target predator control more so in areas where the big horns are around (cougars) We can't hunt Barbary sheep in areas where big horns are at. Barbary sheep shot on the spot by the base and other areas with big horn populations are being monitored and pushed to grow.

These animals are the dumbest animals in the world but we spend more money on them combined than all the other species in the state. More BHS get killed by trains than any amount of hunters will kill in a year. They get sick and die constantly. But they bring the money so gues what. We are going to cater to them anyway. Low tag numbers, high apps and big draw for big money tags/apps.

Everything else is an opportunity hunt. If a specific animals population gets high we will raise tag numbers and lower it back by shooting the crap out of them. Hell will even allow high power weapons in primitive units. Very clear to me what the goals and concerns are. None of the objectives match the true need imo.

So shame on the animals than can survive on their own unlike BHS.

If indeed the money raised is set by legislation than lobbying for change would be in order. However, the allocation of the money once it's hits G&F is still controlled by the persons spending it now. More money would fix things for all animals only the things set on high priority for the department.
JMO

Muleman · Jan 2, 2019

>
>If indeed the money raised is
>set by legislation than lobbying
>for change would be in
>order. However, the allocation of
>the money once it's hits
>G&F is still controlled by
>the persons spending it now.
>More money would fix things
>for all animals only the
>things set on high priority
>for the department.
>JMO

I agree they have money their budget is 40,000,000 a year or something close to that. It's getting them to spend it correctly. Have you seen the new office in Alb bet they could have spent those millions to improve mule deer instead on a freaking office REALLY!!

On another note I went to the Barbary sheep meetings and the people who showed up didn't like the part of their proposal, they got it changed with their input cuz they SHOWED UP!!

I think the harvest survey idea is a great one. Squeaky wheel gets grease. I give my opinion every chance and don't let up. Can?t change it all but..............

TerynItUp · Jan 2, 2019

I can't say for certain so don't quote me but I would be willing to bet the funds for the new office came from a different source. Typically the state department that all new builds goes through is GSD not the actual end user of the building. I'm not saying G&F spends their money perfectly but it's probably not being spent on their new office.

Hunt Hard. Shoot Straight. Kill Clean. Apologize to No One.

maxxbob1 · Jan 7, 2019

I've read this thread twice and I must be missing the point. I guess the consensus is that most of you want quality instead of opportunity??? (And I guess you resent land owners getting tags?) I personally love the way the NM system works. I like the opportunity to bring meat home, and do so almost every year. I'm perfectly happy with a cow or 5x5 bull or 3 point buck. And I can nearly always draw an opportunity area by my third choice. For those that are looking for quality, there are undersubscribed or easy to draw units that have monster bucks and monster bulls. You may have to hike 2,000 feet to the top of a mountain and spend a night or two in a bivy sack to get the big buck, but they are definitely there for the hunting. The big bull may be at the bottom of a nasty canyon and you may regret the pack out, but they are there in areas that are pretty easy to draw also. NM is a great state to hunt, but you do have to spend the time and effort. I mostly bow or muzzy hunt so that accounts for more options and when I harvest something (like a cow) with my bow, I consider it an accomplishment. Good luck and have fun!