SC Living Outdoors
Well-known member
NM has been pretty good to me, but I've never drawn my 1st choice. I'll just keep taking the bad tags other people don't want if they'll give them to me.
NM Draw Apps Open 22
- Thread starter Valley1320
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Valley1320
Well-known member
Sure some of you have seen this email, really like the change that could possibly happen for the pronghorn hunts.
Bluffgruff
Well-known member
In regards to the committee meeting, they were vague on the particulars of each plan in the email, and I couldn't find the specifics in the online documents either. Does anyone have that info? Or is it still in the "give us some ideas" phase?
A question for the New Mexico residents, what is your typical timeframe for drawing tags on public land areas, whether it’s exotics or big game? I have a older friend that lives in southern NM that never seems to draw any tags, but I don’t if he was putting in for really tough units or not. Is it a every year thing for elk and deer, or several years apart? Just curious and I like their approach at limiting non-residents and completely random draws. Thanks
Not sure about the potential antelope changes, upsides and downsides to everything. If you move everything into September you start overlapping/interfering with elk and deer hunts. Bow hunting antelope in hot weather can be beneficial if sitting water.
I don't have a strong opinion one,way or another, but would like them to keep at least some August seasons for archery and perhaps muzzy or rifle in northern New Mexico. I think it was that way a few years ago, with some seasons in September, particularly in southern New Mexico.
If he never draws anything he;
1) Only puts in for hard to draw hunts
or
2) Is not paying attention or doesn't really care.
There are a lot of hunts that have resident draw odds less than 3%, if that's all you apply for and never draw, sorry.
I'd say they only apply for hunts everyone applies for or they have never filled out a harvest report.
I get real suspicious when I hear a resident say, "I have not drawn an elk tag in 20 years".
3rd for sure is not paying attention or don't know/care.
I get real suspicious when I hear a resident say, "I have not drawn an elk tag in 20 years".
3rd for sure is not paying attention or don't know/care.
SummitsCalling
Member
NRs are fighting for scraps, no outfitter should receive welfare. Be nice if the government mandated X amount of customers HAD to utilize my business yearly. However NM, could be argued is a broken system, especially when you start talking how many tags are given to landowners in the eplus system(anyone have good stats on this?). That's probably where R should start complaining, reign in LO tags eliminate the outfitter welfare, kick up NR total to 10% and call it a day. Be surprised how many R would all of a sudden be drawing tags. On top of which I'd wager most land owners don't even use all of their allocation or sell it.
RobertD
Well-known member
Pushes them a little further along into the rut too, which I'm sure changes the calculus of the whole thing in some way.
I see both sides. My one hunt was a late one, last few days of August and in a more northerly unit. Probably the most perfect weather one could have for antelope hunting. But I can imagine some of the units down further south can be brutal in early August.
Being able to bow hunt them while they are acting nuts would be fun, but if I had to choose, I'd still pick August, mostly because of calendar issues.
LopeHunter
Well-known member
I have hunted pronghorn in several states and several times. I prefer pre-rut over rut but perfer rut over post-rut. Too late in the year and bucks toss off their horns. During the rut, bucks are harder to stalk as are more eyes in a harem with the buck and the buck is running all over the place so meat is not as good, imho. Now, if you are asking if I prefer to hunt in 100F temps or 70F then 70F is more fun. Have sat in a pop-up blind near water in my underwear as sweat trickled where was aggravating to experience even with the 30mph winds rocking the blind. Hot, dusty wind on hot day in hot blind is not the answer for a fun hunt. That still beat being at my desk that day.
I've shot a couple in my underwear (insert Groucho Marx joke) sitting in a 100 degree blind, it is certainly an exercise in patience and mental stamina, but it does work!
LopeHunter
Well-known member
I think that is reasonable and fair and not a single F&G is asking me so we are tilting at windmills. The game is the game and if anything each state is squeezing the non-residents seeking big game tags harder today than anytime in the past. My attitude is the various systems are all needlessly complex and meant to squeeze nonresidents though, I assure you, these are the good old days for anyone reading this a decade from now.
September is to busy already for me so keep it in august! Honestly i have been on fence about no longer applying in NM and if antelope shifts into September it may be final straw. I will not apply for a antelope tag when i can be hunting rutting elk. If i dont apply for antelope that also reduces some averaged value of the license i had to buy just to apply. All my elk and deer apps are below 4% odds, while i have drawn a elk tag is it worth it with recent applications increases? Kind of torn but will see where this goes but is the plan(if changed) to make these changes this season?
Valley1320
Well-known member
I dont know forsure but I dount the changes will be this season I havnt put in for antelope yet so havnt looked at the hunt dates for them in the units ill put in for. Id be game if they stay in August if the weather tunes down to about 80° that ground can get awfully hot when your trying to stalk one in 100° heat.
ImBillT
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2018
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Increase resident quota from 84% to 90% and suddenly we will be surprised by how many residents draw tags? The math isn’t there.
Eliminating EPlus would not add a single tag to the public draw. It might reduce it. Ranches currently receiving unit wide tags would become closed to the public and ranches currently receiving ranch only tags would remain closed to the public. Ranches in NM have always been allowed to kill elk at will for depredation and the EPlus system has given them incentive to leave those elk be. If suddenly those ranches aren’t allowed to sell a tag, or use a tag, and get some value out of feeding those elk, as well as deter a few of them from spending all day on those alfalfa fields eating what the rancher is attempting to grow to feed his cattle what do you think is going to happen? Those elk are going to die, but it will not be at the hands of a hunter, and it won’t be a human who eats most of them. You might even see a tag reduction.
NM has very functional draw system. It’s actually my favorite. The only issue with NM is supply. It is a hot desert state that cannot produce the number of animals that WY, CO, ID and MT can.
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ImBillT
Well-known member
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I liked August for lopes. I’m not an archer though, so I wasn’t stuck in a blind. That would suck.
Valley1320
Well-known member
Being a butcher one thing we noticed when they changed the hunts from October to August a few years back, the care for the meat and capes. Its absolutely pathetic how some guys did. First year that it was in August saw numerous ruined capes and meat that definitely wasn't cooled quick enough. Which I know that is just irresponsibility on the hunters part which is sad
ShinOakMZ
Member
You’re making the assumption that ALL outfitter tags are going to NR’s, I can’t find the data to support but I doubt that is the case. Those units with 3% resident odds jump to 10% in the outfitter draw. Many units aren’t filling the outfitter quota and shifting tags to residents also.
For elk, residents received 88.8% of tags in 2021, NR’s 4.23% and outfitter welfare made up 6.96%.
I agree that NM’s system is the way to go, at least I always have a chance to draw but you’ll never convince me that doing away with outfitter welfare will reduce NR opportunities.
NMGuy
Well-known member
Wait, you mean I'm not supposed to throw an entire un-skinned antelope/deer/elk in the bed of my dark colored pickup truck in 90+ or 100+ degree heat and drive back to Texas?
