This is a very interesting thread and I would like to throw something in the mix to see what you guys think. I was reading what Paul wrote in this thread about how the only thing that keeps our passion alive is the amount of people that are interested in hunting. I completely agree with this perspective that Paul gave and that tougher draw odds is a natural course that will continue.
But where I have an issue is how G&F over the years have ran campaigns through social media to get people to apply. We have all read the responses of people on these Social Media posts ranging from "when is the deadline," or "I would be happy to apply if they would print some proclamations." These people have enough tech knowledge to log into FB or Tinder but they are too lazy to check the G&F website to see that there is a calendar that shows important dates, and a link to publications.
I have always felt that getting your apps in is part of the process of hunting and it should be on you to get it done. If someone is so incompetent or lazy that they can't find these easy to find resources, then can you really rely on them to tell the difference from a Bighorn vs a Barbary sheep, a FAWTD vs a FAMD, or to even pay attention to what land they are on or the rules that go with that land? Do these people actually even read any of the rules to hunting? A few years back while hunting with my dad a gentlemen asked us at camp if we could help him recover his mule deer, it was bigger than he expected. Well it turned out to be a really nice bull elk. I was on the first archery elk in 53 and came across a person hunting Turkey. I explained to them that unit 53 was not open to fall turkey. Their response was "eh, I do not see any game wardens around." how many times have we read about someone in CO shooting a moose while elk hunting?
Right now our passion is being flooded with people that want nothing more than to post a picture of themselves with a trophy animal on social media and have never been taught anything about ethics, etiquette in the field, or how to properly identify an animal. How many of you have come across a road that is closed to motorized vehicles at which point you get out and walk the rest of the way just to hear an ATV or side by side coming up that road that is closed? Some of you may not agree with the use of trail cameras, but I am confident that all of you on this forum would not steal a camera or someones hunting blind. Why? Because you all have been taught to leave other peoples property alone. I did draw a turkey tag in GMU 8 and I am loving it. But yesterday I encountered another hunter in the field that had his blind stolen, he found it set up a few hundred yards away. You would think that on a hunt like this that people carrying tags wouldn't do that kind of garbage.
Hunter Safety was actually a pretty influential experience for me as a kid. I remember a lot of discussions about ethics and etiquette in the field and how doing the right thing is not about the likelihood of getting caught, but that doing the right thing is the right thing to do. In my opinion, I feel like much of this has been lost over the years, with exception to those who either attended Hunter Safety or had a positive role model with them in the field growing up.
So my rant is leading to I think that Hunter Safety should be a requirement for all people wishing to apply for hunts in NM. I know many may disagree but take a moment and think of all the liabilities and potential for incidents that goes with each license that the department issues every year. I feel like the way the department campaigns for more applications with little requirements to be met by applicants is nothing more than "here is you tag, please don't do anything to hurt our heritage."
If Hunter Safety was a requirement in order to apply it would discourage those that do not really care about hunting from applying. This may lead to less apps, but I think that quality representation outweighs quantity of representation. And yes it would help improve our draw odds. I wanted to be sure to mention that before somebody called me out on that haha. Thoughts?
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