Sharon Salazar Hickey, Chair
New Mexico State Game Commissioners
PO BOX 25112
Santa Fe, NM 87504
Greetings Ms. Hickey,
I am writing to you about my concerns and issues I see with the New Mexico Elk Private Lands Use System (EPLUS) tag system.
First, I have no issues with land owners selling their elk tags, it provides income that assists families and ranchers with retaining their property in rural areas. Ranching is a vital part of our economy, heritage and culture. It’s also free enterprise.
Drawing Quotas: New Mexico state law has established the following quotas for draw hunts for all big-game and turkey licenses and permits:
•A minimum of 84% of draw licenses are awarded to New Mexico residents.
•Up to 10% of draw licenses are awarded to residents and nonresidents applying with a New Mexico registered outfitter.
•Up to 6% of draw licenses are awarded to nonresidents applying without a New Mexico registered outfitter.
•100% of draw licenses for antlerless elk and hunts held exclusively on Wildlife Management Areas are awarded to New Mexico residents. But you already know this.
The rules listed above are just fine and work well from my perspective. But following are issues I have noted that I believe should be addressed for the benefit of New Mexico (NM) residents.
With respect for NM resident only antlerless elk hunts I think these hunts should be unavailable for outfitters. I secured a tag ($250 outfitter fee) this way once and hunted on my own. However, once I drew the outfitter had no more contact with me. I contacted the outfitter to find (my surprise) that I must meet with him personally and provide him with a camping location or I could be cited for failure to do so. I complied.
Outfitters should not have access to these tags, they should be allocated at 100% to the general public (residents only) to provide greater access for hunters who can not afford to hire or go through an outfitter for an antlerless elk hunt (tag) or any elk tag.
With respect to landowners being allocated elk tags through EPLUS this is a great way to open up smaller land bases and assist the landowner with the ability to keep the property in the family.
I have tried many times over the years to purchase antlerless elk tags from landowners in the EPLUS program. Most of the time the landowners do not answer the call and do not return the call even if I leave a message stating the desire to purchase an antlerless elk tag. This year all of the land owners I called and left a message never called me back. Of the landowners who answered my call more than one half had a longstanding agreement with an outfitter who purchased all of the tags. I understand this for the high-priced archery, muzzle loader and rifle bull hunts (trophy hunts).
Outfitters buy antlerless elk tags for $600.00 (high end) and less each and resell them for around $1,000.00 or more. These tags are being sold to residents and nonresidents at a price that is too expensive for most residents. I have contacted several outfitters for antlerless elk tags in the past. The one outfitter who called me back stated he always has his antlerless tags sold several years in advance. My point, many residents would purchase these tags if they were not so costly and tied up for clients of outfitters. I don’t think outfitters should be able to purchase antlerless elk tags, from my experience it has nearly doubled the cost of the tag. Most people just want the chance to hunt.
This year I purchased an antlerless elk tag, Unit 13, for $500.00 (reasonable). One land owner who wanted to sell me a tag contacted local outfitters first and then asked for $1,000.00 (unreasonable) which I declined.
Maybe this puts my point(s) in perspective, Last year I returned to Montana after a 24-year absence. I harvest a great buck that dressed out over 200 pounds as well as a mule deer and white-tail doe for $750.00 in tag/license fees. That was a lot of hunting and I brought home a trophy.
Suggestions:
•All antlerless elk tags should only be sold by the landowner, not outfitters who drive up the cost. There should not be any outfitter referrals. The contact information for landowners is public. Selling an elk tag by the landowner would certainly be less work that applying for the tag(s) through the EPLUS program. This would allow more residents the opportunity to elk hunt from reduced purchase prices. The middleperson has been eliminated.
•Outfitters should not be able to put clients in the draw for antlerless elk tags. This would help reduce the cost of tags and allow more residents of lower means the opportunity to hunt.
•Antlerless elk tags given to Unit Wide landowners should only be sold to residents by the landowner. Exclude Ranch only tags. It would mean the landowner would have to answer phone call or call back on tag availability inquiries.
•Elk tags allocated to landowners who do not use or sell elk tags inclusive (2020) should be charged for the tag fee (resident cost). Better yet, if the landowner does not want to pay the tag fee (or just eliminate a fee) then in the following year those tags not sold (2020) should be denied to the landowner (no excuses) and put into the public draw the following year (2021). This process would create some tracking work but would allow more access to elk hunting for residents and non-residents applying through the draw. The decision to reallocate those tags denied in 2021 for the 2022 EPLUS application would be entirely up to the New Mexico State Game Commissioners. This suggested process would be incentive to sell all of the tags and create greater hunting opportunities, especially for residents. I have met landowners who do not use/sell all of their Ranch Only or Unit Wide tags.
•Outfitters should not be the top priority for elk hunting, the top priority should be New Mexicans.
•Private land owners do not need more elk tags.
Respectfully,
Mark Hammond
New Mexico State Game Commissioners
PO BOX 25112
Santa Fe, NM 87504
Greetings Ms. Hickey,
I am writing to you about my concerns and issues I see with the New Mexico Elk Private Lands Use System (EPLUS) tag system.
First, I have no issues with land owners selling their elk tags, it provides income that assists families and ranchers with retaining their property in rural areas. Ranching is a vital part of our economy, heritage and culture. It’s also free enterprise.
Drawing Quotas: New Mexico state law has established the following quotas for draw hunts for all big-game and turkey licenses and permits:
•A minimum of 84% of draw licenses are awarded to New Mexico residents.
•Up to 10% of draw licenses are awarded to residents and nonresidents applying with a New Mexico registered outfitter.
•Up to 6% of draw licenses are awarded to nonresidents applying without a New Mexico registered outfitter.
•100% of draw licenses for antlerless elk and hunts held exclusively on Wildlife Management Areas are awarded to New Mexico residents. But you already know this.
The rules listed above are just fine and work well from my perspective. But following are issues I have noted that I believe should be addressed for the benefit of New Mexico (NM) residents.
With respect for NM resident only antlerless elk hunts I think these hunts should be unavailable for outfitters. I secured a tag ($250 outfitter fee) this way once and hunted on my own. However, once I drew the outfitter had no more contact with me. I contacted the outfitter to find (my surprise) that I must meet with him personally and provide him with a camping location or I could be cited for failure to do so. I complied.
Outfitters should not have access to these tags, they should be allocated at 100% to the general public (residents only) to provide greater access for hunters who can not afford to hire or go through an outfitter for an antlerless elk hunt (tag) or any elk tag.
With respect to landowners being allocated elk tags through EPLUS this is a great way to open up smaller land bases and assist the landowner with the ability to keep the property in the family.
I have tried many times over the years to purchase antlerless elk tags from landowners in the EPLUS program. Most of the time the landowners do not answer the call and do not return the call even if I leave a message stating the desire to purchase an antlerless elk tag. This year all of the land owners I called and left a message never called me back. Of the landowners who answered my call more than one half had a longstanding agreement with an outfitter who purchased all of the tags. I understand this for the high-priced archery, muzzle loader and rifle bull hunts (trophy hunts).
Outfitters buy antlerless elk tags for $600.00 (high end) and less each and resell them for around $1,000.00 or more. These tags are being sold to residents and nonresidents at a price that is too expensive for most residents. I have contacted several outfitters for antlerless elk tags in the past. The one outfitter who called me back stated he always has his antlerless tags sold several years in advance. My point, many residents would purchase these tags if they were not so costly and tied up for clients of outfitters. I don’t think outfitters should be able to purchase antlerless elk tags, from my experience it has nearly doubled the cost of the tag. Most people just want the chance to hunt.
This year I purchased an antlerless elk tag, Unit 13, for $500.00 (reasonable). One land owner who wanted to sell me a tag contacted local outfitters first and then asked for $1,000.00 (unreasonable) which I declined.
Maybe this puts my point(s) in perspective, Last year I returned to Montana after a 24-year absence. I harvest a great buck that dressed out over 200 pounds as well as a mule deer and white-tail doe for $750.00 in tag/license fees. That was a lot of hunting and I brought home a trophy.
Suggestions:
•All antlerless elk tags should only be sold by the landowner, not outfitters who drive up the cost. There should not be any outfitter referrals. The contact information for landowners is public. Selling an elk tag by the landowner would certainly be less work that applying for the tag(s) through the EPLUS program. This would allow more residents the opportunity to elk hunt from reduced purchase prices. The middleperson has been eliminated.
•Outfitters should not be able to put clients in the draw for antlerless elk tags. This would help reduce the cost of tags and allow more residents of lower means the opportunity to hunt.
•Antlerless elk tags given to Unit Wide landowners should only be sold to residents by the landowner. Exclude Ranch only tags. It would mean the landowner would have to answer phone call or call back on tag availability inquiries.
•Elk tags allocated to landowners who do not use or sell elk tags inclusive (2020) should be charged for the tag fee (resident cost). Better yet, if the landowner does not want to pay the tag fee (or just eliminate a fee) then in the following year those tags not sold (2020) should be denied to the landowner (no excuses) and put into the public draw the following year (2021). This process would create some tracking work but would allow more access to elk hunting for residents and non-residents applying through the draw. The decision to reallocate those tags denied in 2021 for the 2022 EPLUS application would be entirely up to the New Mexico State Game Commissioners. This suggested process would be incentive to sell all of the tags and create greater hunting opportunities, especially for residents. I have met landowners who do not use/sell all of their Ranch Only or Unit Wide tags.
•Outfitters should not be the top priority for elk hunting, the top priority should be New Mexicans.
•Private land owners do not need more elk tags.
Respectfully,
Mark Hammond
