New NM Gov. asks for Game Comish resignations

[noharleyyet]

We need an acronym glossary gents.

 

[elkduds]

We need an acronym glossary gents.

NS, NHY

 

[OldTexicanNewMexican]

It's a long shot, but I wonder if NM would entertain the idea of ranch specific and tailored management. I only mention this because in Texas (I know, I know...this ain't Texas, but hear me out) you can enroll your property in a program called Managed Lands-Deer (or MLD). You have a Parks & Wildlife biologist come your property and over a period of time they survey the land and animals. Then they make recommendations for improvement. Based on the surveys for your land, Parks & Wildlife issue a certain number of tags. The goal being to bring the animal numbers to at or below carrying capacity and secondly, balance the buck to doe ratio, while improving herd maturity. Parks & Wildlife issued tags to the landowner based on the surveys. So each ranch would receive so many doe tags and so many buck tags, with recommendations on how to allocate those tags, meaning that only a select few would be for mature "trophy" class deer, so many mid-aged "average" bucks (management) and then so many "cull" tags for inferior deer, like spikes or other inferior traits.
As the plan progresses, the ranch becomes responsible for hiring an approved biologist and conducting it's animal survey from year to year. The ranches that I've been involved with that participated in MLD saw huge improvements to their rangelands, as well as deer herds.
I guess, I'm wondering from a conservation perspective, if a landowner participated and made improvements to the rangeland, thereby having the ability to maintain greater numbers of elk, and then needing more tags to control those numbers.
I realize that elk are much more nomadic than whitetail deer but some sort of conservation/management plan is better than nothing and could ensure more tags for participating landowners.

 

[hank4elk]

NM has no resources for that fine a review I'm afraid. Not enough staff.
E-plus program has increased elk herds & health, 60-100 B/C ratio here in my unit.
That is main reason for new grading system and the Habitat Improvement Incentives, and it was long overdue IMHO.

I just spent 2 days with NRCS, USDA-FS, and NMG&F staff and local ranchers just talking habitat improvement & getting suggestions. Very worthwhile & might just save me lots of needless expenses.
Simpler the better they say. No til,no mow enhancements. Plant what is lacking & that will help the natives that have recovered....my simplification.
Use the good fortune of my well to make a wetland/riparian zone....liquid gold in NM.
Got some excellent leads for seed & such. Even got a rare Native Grasses of Catron county,NM book from a FS rangeland manager, a very cool gift.

 

[OldTexicanNewMexican]

NM has no resources for that fine a review I'm afraid. Not enough staff.
E-plus program has increased elk herds & health, 60-100 B/C ratio here in my unit.
That is main reason for new grading system and the Habitat Improvement Incentives, and it was long overdue IMHO.

I just spent 2 days with NRCS, USDA-FS, and NMG&F staff and local ranchers just talking habitat improvement & getting suggestions. Very worthwhile & might just save me lots of needless expenses.
Simpler the better they say. No til,no mow enhancements. Plant what is lacking & that will help the natives that have recovered....my simplification.
Use the good fortune of my well to make a wetland/riparian zone....liquid gold in NM.
Got some excellent leads for seed & such. Even got a rare Native Grasses of Catron county,NM book from a FS rangeland manager, a very cool gift.

Sadly, politics and government economics will stand in the way of progress.

 

[Labman]

We need an acronym glossary gents.

SCR Small Contributing Ranch
MB Mature Bull
ES Either Sex
RO Ranch Only
UW Unit Wide

Hope that helps.

 

[Labman]

New list out.
Those ranches scored high too I imagine,or something. There are discrepencies in scoring still. I did know they all got 1 tag too. Just about everyone except the very big places got 1. To keep the locals calmer? LOL It also goes on deeded acerage and folks who claim 10 sections are including leased lands still......like they own it, as always...lol
Also there is no choice in what tag you get in SCR, MB,A,ES. It is what G&F decides that year now. This year I heard it will be A,or a cow tag. Next year a ES or bow tag and it will be MB again the following...this is all speculation from locals & G&F folks I have talked to. Won't know for sure about anything til the mail comes this summer.

All the vouchers that didn’t get redeemed from the previous year go into the SCR allocation this year though. Maybe I got bad info but I don’t think the Atarque ranch burns through their 70+ MB and ES tags. If they do it must be return clients because they sure don’t advertise elk hunts, or their marketing is the worst ever. If I was a betting man my money would be on the SCR guys getting MB and ES tags again this year. G&F wants/needs those vouchers redeemed, if they don’t get turned into a license they lose big money.

 

[hank4elk]

I know the guy that runs the hunts on Atarque and they have always only used a few tags. I'm sure they are pricey too.
The info you got about rolling the unused tags to SCR is the same as what I was told by G&F,several times.