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Dept of Game & Fish: Web site records 1.8 million hits for lottery results
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By KARL F. MOFFATT | For The New Mexican
June 27, 2007
Editor's note: This story has been corrected with the number of permits available and the number awarded at the end of the file. The New Mexican regrets this error.
The state Department of Game and Fish?s Web site is up and running again after hunters seeking online drawing results overloaded the system last week.
?We did have some problems initially that overtaxed the system,? said Game and Fish spokesman Dan Williams. ?But most hunters have called us or gone into to the Web site and have their results.?
Hunters deluged the system on June 18 and 19 looking for results of the annual drawing for hunting licenses.
The site recorded 1.8 million hits on June 19, Williams said, adding that he suspects hunters were having problems with the system and kept trying. This resulted in multiple hits, which compounded the problem, he said.
After the system went down, it took a couple of days to get it up and running again. In the interim, Game and Fish employees provided results by phone to those who called in.
The computer problem was resolved by dedicating the Web site solely to providing drawing results through a form page. The department's home page and links were unavailable until Tuesday afternoon.
The Web site experienced a similar problem last year, and computer personnel are considering possible remedies such as adding bandwidth to the site to avoid future problems, Williams said.
The department is in its third year of utilizing an online system for hunting-license applicants and is still working out a few kinks, Williams said.
The online system allows hunters to apply for a hunting license online. Hunters pay a $6 administration fee, and if their name is drawn for a license, the final cost is charged to their account.
In the past, hunters were required to submit paperwork and payment up front. Refunds were issued by the department if the hunter failed to draw a license.
The new system has proven to be so much easier and more convenient for hunters that each year more and more hunters are applying online, Williams said. The site?s popularity could also be contributing to the problem.
In the first year of online operation, the department received applications from 145,126 people, about 54 percent of all hunting applications taken that year.
The following year, the number of online applications jumped to 156,024, or 63 percent. This year, online application numbers climbed to 162,978 or 69 percent of all applications, Williams said.
This year?s statistics for show that Game and Fish received a total of 162,978 applications and awarded 56,251 licenses, about a 35 percent success rate.
Williams said some 2,600 hunts that did not draw any initial interest from hunters were still available.
It remains to be seen if and when those hunts will be identified and put up for sale, Williams said. Williams noted that 78 percent of all licenses sold are dedicated to state residents.
The following statistics were released for this year?s hunting season:
There are 66,706 applications for elk; 20,167 were available; and 20,110 have been awarded.
There are 62,652 applications for deer; 34,814 were available; and 32,285 have been awarded.
There are 17,768 applications for antelope; 1,658 were available; and 1,658 have been awarded.
There are 8,451 applications for bighorn sheep; 18 were available; and 18 have been awarded.
There are 4,231 applications for ibex; 175 were available; and 175 have been awarded.
There are 3,170 applications for javelina; 2,005 were available; and 2,005 have been awarded.
Wildlife activities such as hunting and fishing contribute over $1 billion to the state?s economy annually.
(1 comments; last comment posted Today 08:56 am) print | email this story
By KARL F. MOFFATT | For The New Mexican
June 27, 2007
Editor's note: This story has been corrected with the number of permits available and the number awarded at the end of the file. The New Mexican regrets this error.
The state Department of Game and Fish?s Web site is up and running again after hunters seeking online drawing results overloaded the system last week.
?We did have some problems initially that overtaxed the system,? said Game and Fish spokesman Dan Williams. ?But most hunters have called us or gone into to the Web site and have their results.?
Hunters deluged the system on June 18 and 19 looking for results of the annual drawing for hunting licenses.
The site recorded 1.8 million hits on June 19, Williams said, adding that he suspects hunters were having problems with the system and kept trying. This resulted in multiple hits, which compounded the problem, he said.
After the system went down, it took a couple of days to get it up and running again. In the interim, Game and Fish employees provided results by phone to those who called in.
The computer problem was resolved by dedicating the Web site solely to providing drawing results through a form page. The department's home page and links were unavailable until Tuesday afternoon.
The Web site experienced a similar problem last year, and computer personnel are considering possible remedies such as adding bandwidth to the site to avoid future problems, Williams said.
The department is in its third year of utilizing an online system for hunting-license applicants and is still working out a few kinks, Williams said.
The online system allows hunters to apply for a hunting license online. Hunters pay a $6 administration fee, and if their name is drawn for a license, the final cost is charged to their account.
In the past, hunters were required to submit paperwork and payment up front. Refunds were issued by the department if the hunter failed to draw a license.
The new system has proven to be so much easier and more convenient for hunters that each year more and more hunters are applying online, Williams said. The site?s popularity could also be contributing to the problem.
In the first year of online operation, the department received applications from 145,126 people, about 54 percent of all hunting applications taken that year.
The following year, the number of online applications jumped to 156,024, or 63 percent. This year, online application numbers climbed to 162,978 or 69 percent of all applications, Williams said.
This year?s statistics for show that Game and Fish received a total of 162,978 applications and awarded 56,251 licenses, about a 35 percent success rate.
Williams said some 2,600 hunts that did not draw any initial interest from hunters were still available.
It remains to be seen if and when those hunts will be identified and put up for sale, Williams said. Williams noted that 78 percent of all licenses sold are dedicated to state residents.
The following statistics were released for this year?s hunting season:
There are 66,706 applications for elk; 20,167 were available; and 20,110 have been awarded.
There are 62,652 applications for deer; 34,814 were available; and 32,285 have been awarded.
There are 17,768 applications for antelope; 1,658 were available; and 1,658 have been awarded.
There are 8,451 applications for bighorn sheep; 18 were available; and 18 have been awarded.
There are 4,231 applications for ibex; 175 were available; and 175 have been awarded.
There are 3,170 applications for javelina; 2,005 were available; and 2,005 have been awarded.
Wildlife activities such as hunting and fishing contribute over $1 billion to the state?s economy annually.
