Why was the Jenning law passed because of crop and property damage, If you have 300 head eating on your land you're losing feed for your cattle period. The lawsuits that ranchers and farmers filed cost the STATE alot of Money due to this fact.
Kind like a business in town, You have a certain amount of stuff in your store BUT do you let some-one come in and just take a little bit of your stuff without paying, Hey it's ok it the cost of doing Business right, the same thing is happening with deer,antlopes,elk eating grass or browse off the private land,They each just take a little.
Without the private land that ranchers make better NM wouldn't have a hunting paradise that it has now, Unimproved land just don't carry the feed a improved piece does.
Once I had 26 head of horses and my dad said to me Son for everyone of those horses I'm losing feed for 26 cows that are worth twice what those horses are worth, so what do you think we should do from a business stand point. Well I sold alot of Horses that summer, and that the way ranchers look at it NO MORE elk means more beefcows for them to run and sell.If those animals belong to the state those same ranchers will say let the state feed them we are done picking up the food bill.
So if they can't sell elk tags for a return they will move those elk out and make room for what does bring in money more cows,I don't know many ranchers who will let any animal(wild) bring on a forecloser of there way of life.
BullBreath
I love that you're passion about what you dream will happen, But I think it will about a 180 degree turn around from where you think it will end up. Me I hope like hell you're right and nothing will change in how those ranchers operate(selling trespass rights instaed of tags) in regards to the wildlife you see on their ranches.But I have seen those same tough SOB's that did alot of hard years of ranching with no help get by, I think most will do so again, put them in a corner and you might not like how they fight the A-PLUS thing.Jenning law or not they wouldn't be crippled by the State, It will just mean more lawsuits and bigger pay-out to those have the huge ranches because they can claim more damage.
So saying the ranchers need the hunters to take off animals in real life just don't happen.
A plus it will hurt the small rancher a hell of lot more then the 20-30 thousand acres guys.
If those small ranchers have to sell out who do you think buys up those small ranches, Bigger ranchers or worse yet Developers.
Seen this happen in South dakota with the small farmer they had to sell out and now a bunch Corp's owns most of it now.
But if anyone thinks they will have those ranchers over a barrel wake up and smell the rose's I think hell will have a huge snowstorm in it before you see them ranchers asking for hunters to please come out to the ranch and shoot a few elk off it so I can graze more cattle for a small trespassing fee.(and someday my train will coming)Not in this lifetime.
They might talk funny and wear a big hat,BUT They don't have any trouble getting a ELK tag every year so they can hunt. LOL
Now those who don't have a ranch can't draw a tag, I wonder if there something to it. I know those greedy SOB's ranchers.
Me I like my rancher friends, they are the salt of the earth coming fighting time I don't have to look over my shoulder to see if they are there backing me,it's a given they are right next to me.
Wish a had 40 arces in NM so I could put in watertank and get a tag.
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
