Game Commission Re-cap 8/22/19

The NM State Game Commission held their most recent meeting last Thursday in Santa Fe at the State Capital building. The meeting was well attended, as is typical anytime an issue regarding a predator species is on the agenda. 

Subsequent Discussion on the Bear and Cougar Rule

PLEASE NOTE: The Dept. has specifically requested outfitter industry input regarding their proposal to change the start date of the bear season in Zones 10, 12, & 13. If you hunt bear, please provide either public comment to the Dept. email address below or simply reply to this email. 

The Dept. provided an updated presentation to the Commission on their proposed changes to the next 4-year cycle of the Bear and Cougar Rules. The Dept. has made a couple of changes to their proposal in response to their research as well as the public opinions that were voice at the recent public meetings. The Dept. is proposing the following changes to the Bear and Cougar Rule. This rule was being presented for discussion purposes only and will be approved at the Commissions September meeting. This rule is currently open for public comment. Please voice your opinion by sending an email to [email protected]. The Dept. plans to have the updated proposal including season dates and maps on their website to be reviewed in the next week. You can find the Dept.’s summary of their proposed changes HERE.

BEAR

• There are no proposals to adjust Bear Management Zone boundaries for any zones.
• Change the start date for the bear general weapon type season to September 25th in Bear Management Zones 10, 12, and 13, and extend the closing date to December 1st. The bear archery season will still begin September 1, during which the use of dogs is still not allowed.
• Group the Barker and Colin Neblett Wildlife Management Area (Hunt Code BER-1-104) and Valle Vidal (Hunt Code BER-1-105) draw licenses as a single license, and include the Urraca Wildlife Management Area in the areas open to hunting with that license.

COUGAR

• No longer allow traps as a method for sport harvest
• Harvest limit adjustments to align with data (reduce maximum allowable harvest numbers to be more in line with actual harvest numbers).
• Move Game Management Unit 25 from Cougar Management Zone J to Cougar Management Zone L.
• No longer allow additional harvest over the 2 bag limit.

Initial Discussion on the Fair Chase Rule

The Dept. provided a presentation on the development of a rule that deals with the idea of “Fair Chase”. The rule is in response to Senate legislation that was signed into law during the past legislative session. The legislation provides for a prohibition on the distribution of wildlife location data collected by the Dept. Basically the Dept. now has the ability to delay releasing collar or other location gathering data so as to prevent hunters or other public individuals from knowing exactly where wildlife are located at any given time. The rule would also withhold (temporarily) some of the Dept. aerial and ground survey data. This agenda item was presented to the Commission for discussion purposes only and will be addressed again at the next meeting. 

Initial Discussion on the Trapping and Furbearer Rule

The Dept. provided a presentation on their proposed changes to the Trapping and Furbearer Rule. First and foremost, the Dept. is going to propose making this rule a 4-year rule which would open for every 4-year cycle just like the other big game rules. Wildlife Chief Stewart Liley provided a lengthy presentation on the current trapping rule, why trapping is a completely necessary part of wildlife management, how the NM trapping regulation compare to other states, and how trapping is the only method of take that is actually recognized and regulated internationally through a 1997 agreement made between the US and the EU. The Dept. is proposing the following:

• Mandatory trapper education
• Proposing closures in the following areas:
• The Sandia Ranger District
• The eastern portion of the Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks National Monument
• Forest Service lands within ½ mile of:
• NM Hwy 475 (road to Ski Santa Fe) on the Santa Fe national Forest
• NM Hwy 150 (road to Taos Ski Basin) on the Carson National Forest
• Increase setback distance to ½ mile from:
• Designated trailheads
• Designated roadside rest areas
• Water sets must be fully submerged
• Every other day check on all kill traps
• Land sets cannot be within 30 feet of bait greater than 2 ounces weight and visible to airborne raptors
• Open racoon season from May 16-Aug 31st with restricted trap types
• Open a nutria (found only in the Rio Hondo) season from April 1-March 31st

Final Discussion on the Migratory Bird Rule

The Department presented their final proposed changes to the Migratory Game Bird Rule. The changes being proposed were determined in conjunction with information from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as is a requirement of the Pacific Flyway Council. The proposed amendments are as follows:

• Duck Season in the north zone of the Central Flyway will run from October 12, 2019 to January 15, 2020.
• Duck Season in the south zone of the Central Flyway will run from October 28, 2019 to January 31, 2020.
• Duck Season in the Pacific Flyway will run from October 19, 2019 to January 31, 2020.
• Decrease bag limit for northern pintail to 1 per USFWS regulatory framework.
• Move youth crane hunt back 1 week to December 7.
• Changes to the number of sandhill crane permits issued, based on allocation.
• Extend Middle Rio Grande Valley dark goose season from 25 to 42 days.
• Extend hunting hours and open days on McAllister, Wagon Mound, Tucumcari, and Charette Lakes Wildlife Management Areas to be open all days of established migratory game birds seasons from ½ hour before sunrise to sunset.

The Commission voted unanimously to approve the Migratory Bird Rule. 

Odds, Ends, and Public Comment

The Dept. also provided an update regarding the Laguna del Campo (Burns Lake) transfer to the Tierra Amarilla Land Grant Association as well as presented an application to establish the La Joya Farm Game Shooting Preserve. The Commission voted to approve the Dept.’s fiscal year 2021 budget requests and also approved a request by the Holy Pursuits Dream Foundation to become a “qualified non-profit wish granting organization” eligible to receive donated licenses or permits. 

During the general public comment segment of the meeting a large group of landowners from the Pecos Canyon area spoke in opposition of the Commission’s moratorium (which was passed at the last meeting) of the Landowner Certification of Non-navigable Waters Rule. Additionally, the assistant attorney general, who is required to be in attendance during Commission meetings, indicated to the Commission that it would likely be in the best interest of the Commission to not "enforce" the moratorium until the AG’s office has time to review the issue. Chairman Prukop alluded that a rescinding of the moratorium would require a formal Commission vote in accordance with the Open Meetings Act which will likely take place at a future meeting. 

Next Commission Meeting – September 18, 2019 (Cloudcroft, NM)

COMMISSIONER CONTACT INFORMATION
(You are encouraged to contact the Commissioners any time to voice your opinion)

Joanna Prukop - Chairwoman
District 4: Santa Fe, Taos, Colfax, Union, Mora, Harding, Quay, San Miguel, Guadalupe and Torrance counties.
[email protected]

Roberta Salazar-Henry – Vice Chairwoman
District 2: Catron, Socorro, Grant, Hidalgo, Luna, Sierra and Doña Ana counties.
[email protected]

Gail Cramer
District 1: Curry, De Baca, Roosevelt, Chaves, Lincoln, Otero, Eddy and Lea counties.
[email protected]

Jeremy Vesbach
District 3: San Juan, McKinley, Cibola, Valencia, Sandoval, Los Alamos, Rio Arriba. counties
[email protected]

Jimmy Bates
District 5: Bernalillo county.
[email protected]

David Soules
Appointed At-large – Conservation Position
[email protected]

Tirzio Lopez
Appointed At-large
[email protected]