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JAN. 2026 COMMISSION RECAP1/12/2026  The New Mexico State game commission hosted their first meeting of 2026 in Santa Fe on Friday January 9th. The Commission opened by announcing the resignation of former vice-chairwoman Commissioner Sharon Salazar-Hickey. Her resignation creates a second vacancy on the Commission and puts the number of active Commissioners at 5 (just one Commissioner over the quorum requirement). Will Governor Michele Lujan Grisham appoint 2 new commissioners prior to terming out of office at the end of 2026? My crystal ball says it’s not likely, but you never know. First order of business at every January meeting is to elect a new Chair and Vice-chair. Commissioner Richard Stump was reelected to hold the Chairman position and Commissioner Fernando Clemente took over the Vice-chairman position. The Commission also voted on the dates and locations of subsequent meetings throughout the year. Those dates and locations are as follows:
Avid readers may notice that the number of meetings is substantially higher than normal. That is because 2026 is the year that the Commission will be revising each of the Big Game Rules for the next 4-yr cycle (except for Bear and Cougar, which will be revised next year). 2026 is going to be a busy year for everyone involved in the NM hunting industry, so let’s get started! As a refresher, each big game rule will be revised over 3 commission meetings. The “initiation” opens the rule so the Dept. can begin taking public comment. At the “subsequent” meeting the Dept. will present the results of public comment and finalize their recommendations to the commission (the Dept. will also host additional public meetings between the initiation and subsequent phase of the process). The “final” hearing is when the rule becomes finalized for the next 4 years. No changes can be made during the “final” rule hearing. Rules are opened in a staggered order. Javelina, Turkey, Migratory Bird, Barbary Sheep, Oryx, and Ibex opened during the January meeting. Deer, Elk, and Bighorn Sheep will open in February. And Pronghorn will open in March. All rules will be finalized by the November meeting. INITIATION OF THE JAVELINA RULE The Dept. is seeing Javelina populations expand across the state. Biologists are still finalizing population data but are preliminarily proposing to increase the OTC license caps as well as allow the bootheel hunters (GMUs 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, & 27) to hunt the OTC areas. The rule is now open for public comment. If you would like to voice your opinion on this rule, please email [email protected] INITIATION OF THE TURKEY RULE Dept. data showed that turkey populations statewide are steady. Season dates continue to be consistent with breeding objectives and success rates from hunters have remained steady over the past decade. The Dept. is still in the process of determining whether they believe hens should continue to be harvested in the fall. They will report back to the Commission with that recommendation at the subsequent rule hearing. The Dept. is beginning a new study with using GPS “backpacks” to mark hens. This will make gathering biological data on turkey both easier and more efficient. Preliminarily the Dept. is proposing to increase Goulds Turkey permits. The Dept. reports that Goulds Turkey are doing exceptionally well (they were delisted from the state threatened and endangered species list in 2022). The population is expanding into Arizona as well as into Mexico. The Turkey Rule is now open for public comment. If you would like to voice your opinion on this rule, please email [email protected] INITIATION OF THE MIGRATORY RULE The Dept. provided their initial presentation of proposed changes to the Migratory Bird Rule. The Migratory Bird Rule is updated annually, and season selections and bag limits are determined in conjunction with the US Fish and Wildlife Service working through the Central and Pacific Flyway Councils. The Dept. is still waiting to receive this year’s federal framework. Once the framework is received there is not likely to be many changes to the rule. The rule is now open for public comment. If you would like to voice your opinion on this rule, please email [email protected] INITIATION OF THE EXOTICS RULE The Department regulatory framework for Barbary Sheep, Oryx, and Ibex is called the Exotics Rule. Because these game species are non-native to New Mexico they are managed under different strategies. The rule is now open for public comment. If you would like to voice your opinion on this rule, please email [email protected] IBEX Ibex populations are restricted to the Florida Mountains through an agreement with the BLM. In 2013 the Dept. was under pressure from BLM to significantly reduce the Ibex population. Admittedly the Dept culled too deeply, and population numbers have continued to decline since then for reasons unclear to the Dept. Current Ibex numbers are extremely low and trophy quality of Billies is terrible. Although the Dept. does not believe that hunter harvest is a factor in the current decline, they feel a large reduction in licenses is warranted. NMCOG wholeheartedly agrees and has encouraged the Dept. to reduce license numbers to as few as humanly possible until the population stabilizes. The Dept. plans to conduct a thermal imaging study on the population in March and will present those results to the Commission at the subsequent hearing. ORYX Oryx management is focused on populations located on White Sands Missile Range (where they were first introduced) rather than off-range populations that have established as the on-range population has grown. On-range oryx hunts are offered as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Dept. is considering increasing off-range licenses and they are proposing to require private landowners to register their property and obtain an authorization code for private land oryx licenses. The Dept. believes this will help cut down on people using private land licenses to harvest off-range Oryx on public land. NMCOG also agrees strongly with this idea and is pushing to establish ranch authorizations codes for all private land licenses (just like is already done for OTC elk licenses in the secondary units). BARBARY SHEEP (more commonly called Aoudad outside of NM) Barbary Sheep populations seem to thrive in NM and are allowed to flourish in the southeast. The Dept. is trying to discourage the expansion of populations outside of the southeastern region. Barbary Sheep are proven to carry and transmit diseases to bighorn sheep. The Dept. does not want Barbary populations to establish in any Bighorn areas. The Dept. has not determined whether they will increase license numbers for Barbary Sheep. They are interested to hear from hunters. FINAL APPROVAL OF THE SHED HUNTING RULE The Commission also finally voted to approve the new shed hunting rule. As part of Senate Bill 5 (which was passed by the NM Legislature in January) the Dept. is obligated (starting in 2026) to charge a non-resident license fee of $200 for “shed hunting”. The legislation also specified that “a shed hunter license shall not be required for shed hunting by a NM resident.” These two additions to the Game and Fish statute required that the Game Commission promulgate a Rule to define “shed hunting.” The new rule, which was approved, is within the Manner & Method Rule 19.31.10 NMAC. It does not apply to resident shed hunters. Non-residents who collect more than 2 sheds will now be required to purchase a $200 license prior to collecting shed antlers. The rule did not establish a season. Any non-resident who is caught in possession of more than 2 sheds without a shed hunting license will be issued a citation and the antlers will be confiscated. Commissioner Lopez voted against the motion insinuating that he felt the rule should apply to both residents and non-residents. ODDS AND ENDS During the meeting the Commission also adopted the annual resolution to the Open Meetings Act (as they are required to do by statute). The Dept. is also proposing to require that licenses be purchased at least a day prior to the hunt starting. They have seen a recent uptick in the number of people who purchase a license and then immediately use their eTag carcass tag. This indicates that some hunters may be hunting without a license and then purchasing a license if right before (or worse - after) they harvest game. They believe a requirement to purchase the license the day before the hunt will help curb this. NMCOG is in favor of this change. Next Commission Meeting February 20th in Roswell, NM COMMISSIONER CONTACT INFORMATION (You're encouraged to contact the Commissioners any time to voice your opinion) Richard Stump - Chairman Appointed at-large [email protected] Fernando Clemente Jr. - Vice Chairman Appointed at-large [email protected] Gregg Fulfer District 1: Curry, De Baca, Roosevelt, Chaves, Lincoln, Otero, Eddy and Lea counties [email protected] OPEN District 2: Catron, Socorro, Grant, Hidalgo, Luna, Sierra and Dona Ana counties Tirzio Lopez District 3: San Juan, McKinley, Cibola, Valencia, Sandoval, Los Alamos and Rio Arriba counties [email protected] OPEN District 4: Santa Fe, Taos, Colfax, Union, Mora, Harding, Quay, San Miguel, Guadalupe and Torrance counties Dr. Christopher Witt District 5: Bernalillo County [email protected] 
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