New Mexico Pronghorn - NR Unguided

[bobbydean]

The changes makes it difficult for residents also. Daughter wants to hunt antelope again. Most antelope are on private. Not worth applying.

The only exception may be in the NE corner. Still on big ranches, but I think a lot is BLM. Not sure.

To appease her, we may apply separately and search for public.

 

[Bluffgruff]

Residents are spoiled rotten. Find a guy with antelope on his land, ask to hunt, buy tag, kill antelope. Or draw from 84% of the tags allotted for public land. Youth hunts are easy draw too.

 

[NMGuy]

I'd love to know how I join this "spoiled rotten" crowd you refer to. I don't feel spoiled to have applied for a Resident Antelope tag for the past 13 years and never drawn. Or when I ask a rancher to hunt antelope on his land and be told he sells tags for $3,500 a pop. These split hunts aren't much better with my whopping 9% chance to draw a tag now in the unit I want. This year I'll try to get a tag at about 29% odds in a unit with a low amount of fragmented public land. The same unit I have a 9% chance in is 4.8% for youth, so not exactly spoiled there either.

 

[Blackcats06]

Residents are spoiled rotten. Find a guy with antelope on his land, ask to hunt, buy tag, kill antelope. Or draw from 84% of the tags allotted for public land. Youth hunts are easy draw too.

nonresidents can also buy a tag otc if they have access to private land

 

[HONEYBADGER]

Odds got much worse with the changes....

 

[bobbydean]

I believe that it is harder for a resident to draw antelope than elk. It took 30 + years for me to draw elk. NMG&F screwed everybody with the new antelope regs. (nonresident and resident alike).

If I wanted to buy a trespasser right to hunt private, I probably could. I think that right in available in most states or go high fence. That is not a hunt I am interested in.

 

[Bluffgruff]

I'd love to know how I join this "spoiled rotten" crowd you refer to. I don't feel spoiled to have applied for a Resident Antelope tag for the past 13 years and never drawn. Or when I ask a rancher to hunt antelope on his land and be told he sells tags for $3,500 a pop. These split hunts aren't much better with my whopping 9% chance to draw a tag now in the unit I want. This year I'll try to get a tag at about 29% odds in a unit with a low amount of fragmented public land. The same unit I have a 9% chance in is 4.8% for youth, so not exactly spoiled there either.

Your same 9% hunt for residents was probably 2% for nonresidents before they changed the "round-up fractions greater than .5" rule last fall. Guessing it's going to be less than 1% now. You can't argue that your situation is somehow worse, or that it isnt "better enough."

 

[pojoaque40]

Changes to the regs shouldn't change anyone's strategy. You're still applying for a goofball piece of land that you can't stray off of, and it's not like one unit is better than another. Used to be you couldn't leave the ranch, even for public. Now you can't leave the public (or even access many landlocked parcels of it). Ranchers are notorious for posting "no trespassing" signs on public, or shutting down legal easements to public access. It's frustrating, no matter what side of the fence you're on.

 

[huntin' lunatic]

So if I read this right, if a unit has less than 17 tags available, non residents need not apply due to the odds? thanks

its amazing how many hunts have less than 17 tags, thus unavailable for nonresidents

 

[rmauch20]

From what I’ve read and researched on my own I believe this is correct. I am far from the New Mexico draw expert I barely understood how it was before the changes.

 

[ImBillT]

I believe that it is harder for a resident to draw antelope than elk. It took 30 + years for me to draw elk. NMG&F screwed everybody with the new antelope regs. (nonresident and resident alike).

If I wanted to buy a trespasser right to hunt private, I probably could. I think that right in available in most states or go high fence. That is not a hunt I am interested in.

It only took you thirty years to draw elk because you were unwilling to hunt somewhere with better draw odds. There are elk hunts with near 100% draw for residents.

But yes, it’s easier to draw elk in NM, for residents and non-residents, than to draw rifle pronghorn.

 

[ImBillT]

So if I read this right, if a unit has less than 17 tags available, non residents need not apply due to the odds? thanks

Pretty much. The only times I’ve seen a resident awarded a tag for a code with fewer than 17 tags, there were leftover tags in the outfitter or resident pool. I’m not sure if the leftover went directly to the non-resident draw or if it happened to be awarded to a non-resident as a fourth choice. It doesn’t matter. I don’t think there are going to be an leftover tags in any pool for pronghorn.

 

[ImBillT]

Changes to the regs shouldn't change anyone's strategy. You're still applying for a goofball piece of land that you can't stray off of, and it's not like one unit is better than another. Used to be you couldn't leave the ranch, even for public. Now you can't leave the public (or even access many landlocked parcels of it). Ranchers are notorious for posting "no trespassing" signs on public, or shutting down legal easements to public access. It's frustrating, no matter what side of the fence you're on.

I even contacted a GW about a gate across a county road being locked, and the CR sign being torn down. The county road went to what was almost the only BLM land in the unit that had public access. He said “I’ll look into it for you, but access can be defined in different ways. You can still walk to it from state land(over two miles), or hop the gate and walk down the county road”(about a mile) I said “but you can’t get to it from state trust land unless you corner cross”. He said “I have no problem with corner crossing. If it’s still locked when you get back there, walk in from state trust land and corner cross”.

Being walk-in only is great for hunting, but when it’s the only legal place in an entire unit to camp, should you really have to walk two miles just to pitch your tent every night? I ended up paying to camp at a state park on an adjacent unit.

 

[Valley1320]

You'll never draw a rifle tag if you're trying to. Archery tags are something that could happen, but no reason to drive passed Wyoming or Colorado, where you can hunt archery every year.

You'll forsure never draw if you don't put in. Lol

 

[Valley1320]

I agree. Those counties are top notch, but they are only two of the six counties that have produced the 90+“ bucks that make up the top ten in New Mexico. Lincoln, Grant, Harding, and Otero are also in the group. Sierra has some beauties too.

Due to being a butcher and knowing a taxidermist

The changes makes it difficult for residents also. Daughter wants to hunt antelope again. Most antelope are on private. Not worth applying.

The only exception may be in the NE corner. Still on big ranches, but I think a lot is BLM. Not sure.

To appease her, we may apply separately and search for public.

Have you not hunted east Central nm? I know where there's good numbers of goats on state land that has access.

 

[bobbydean]

Have mostly finished my applications, but still undecided on antelope. I think the paper booklet come out this week. Will review the booklet and may add 1-3 species. Currently have applied for 3. Much prefer the booklet to online.

Valley 1320, thanks for suggestion.

 

[Blackcats06]

So if I read this right, if a unit has less than 17 tags available, non residents need not apply due to the odds? thanks

Correct

 

[Brentc]

Due to being a butcher and knowing a taxidermist

Please explain. I'm not picking up what you're putting down.

 

[Valley1320]

Please explain. I'm not picking up what you're putting down.

Due to being a butcher and knowing a taxidermist there was also alot of really high scoring bucks killed in eastern NM also this last year. More than I've seen ever

 

[Brentc]

Due to being a butcher and knowing a taxidermist there was also alot of really high scoring bucks killed in eastern NM also this last year. More than I've seen ever

Thanks for clarifying.