Sheep Units

[joesikora]

is sheep hunting easier in NM than some other states the reason I ask is that the amount of hunting days seems shorter in NM than in other states

joe

 

[NMPaul]

NM has high quality sheep hunts, but, I dont think that is the reason they have shorter seasons than other states. I think its just part of G&F strategy for all species. The only long hunts I can think of would be off range oryx and that's because they do not want them off the military ranges.

 

[OCHO]

I don’t know why all of our hunts are so short and the ones that have been longer they continue to shorten. Maybe they are cramming too many hunts in and simply going quantity verses quality. We have had longer hunts and personally I see no downside to them. I mean if you draw say one tag wait all year to hunt 5 days it comes and goes like the wind and it’s a bummer. Only thing worse is no tag. I can’t see why they can’t make the hunts longer. And stop starting them on weekends please.

 

[Servehim]

They make them shorter to accomplish 1. Reduced harvest numbers ( less game harvested per tag ) at the same time. 2. selling more tags by having more seasons ( more revenue for NMGF ) .... in theory its a plan that keeps both critters and hunters in the field.

 

[Muleman]

I assume your talking Bighorn sheep. Yes I would say some of our areas are relatively easy for sheep country, some are not. The areas that have longer seasons, the sheep herds are small pockets and wide spread so more time is needed to locate. Most of our herds the sheep are easy to find and quality rams are abundant so you don’t need long seasons. Most that I know that have had sheep tags are done on the first or second day.

 

[smarba]

I would say in general many of our sheep hunt units are easier than other states. Many you can glass sheep from the truck.

As far as seasons being short it's because during the surveys of number of days hunted most people only hunt 3-4 days, so that justifies to NMDGF that there is no reason to make a season 2 weeks long...

I've provided input to NMDGF that the number of days hunted doesn't necessarily correspond to consecutive days. I.e. if a season is 10 days long, many hunters will hunt both weekends, and maybe add a day so days hunted might only be 5. But by shortening the season to only 5 days it makes it difficult for some to take vacation etc.

Or when BBY seasons used to be nearly a month long. Hunters would check the forecast and skip the weekends when winds were expected to be 55mph. So maybe they only hunted 7 days of the month long season. But when NMDGF shortens the seasons then it makes it where we have to hunt regardless of weather conditions...

Hard to explain in writing. But bottom line is the reason NMDGF keeps shortening seasons is few people hunt more than just a few days so NMDGF can make more seasons, sell more tags, and is perceived as not impacting hunters. Despite many of us wanting to hunt for longer...

 

[StickFlicker]

Those are excellent points smarba.

 

[sbeard4]

A little off topic- do the ewe hunts count towards the BHS OIL? or are they separate?

 

[wyflyguy]

A little off topic- do the ewe hunts count towards the BHS OIL? or are they separate?

Only the ram tags are OIL. You can draw a ewe tag even after having had an OIL ram tag and it's possible to draw a ewe tag more than once.

 

[elkfanatic]

This is completely off topic but what smarba is saying is correct. And what they really should be doing is trying to get themselves separated from the legislature so they’re not fixed in the amount of jobs they can provide. If they were able to add biologist jobs at will then the quality of management would skyrocket. However, they’re only allowed a set number of jobs that are determined by the legislature even though the department is fully self funded through tag sales. It is a very interesting dynamic. In Nevada, biologists get paid way more money and there are way more biologists and seasonal technician workers.

 

[Muleman]

Actually you are not correct. BB sheep season were split to decrease hunting pressure and increase licenses. By splitting the hunt into 4 hunts license increased from 600 in one hunt to 750 in 4 hunts this adding 150 license. Smart move on their part and it made for better hunting with less pressure.

BHS there is just no need for longer seasons. They are easy to kill and you don’t need 3 was to do it.

As for other species I would like longer than 5 days and you are correct it is based on hunter surveys on days hunted. The 5 days is also a function of having so many hunts that’s the only way to fit them in in some units

 

[mozey]

I've yet to have the privilege to hunt bighorns in other states, but the one time I was privileged to do it here, it was relatively easy compared to all of the other species I hunted here. Mine was a two week hunt, but I was done within the first hour of daylight.