What does everyone have against New Mexico

[TexanSam]

Not trying to stir the pot here, just genuinely curious as to what everyone has against New Mexico's policy of "getting assigned to a specific ranch" for their pronghorn antelope hunts. I understand that it would be nice to be able to hunt them on public land with a rifle, but to me, if I were to get assigned to a ranch, then I see it as a way that I just got narrowed down to where to go and might as well go have some fun on someone's deeded dirt.

The success rates don't show that it is a horrible thing I suppose, so what is everyone against it for?

 

[realunlucky]

You could get a ranch with few or no antelope on it happens every year. Also ranch size varies greatly nice when you draw a big spread not so awesome when you can glass the whole thing from one spot. Of course your lucky and will draw a great hunt your first try

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[Steve O]

My problem is not with pronghorn Ranch assignment, that was great the one time I drew a tag. My problem with NM is they already had one of the stingiest quotas in the country on all their other animals for the non resident unguided hunter and a few years ago they cut it in HALF. Lots of other places to go.

 

[Jimss]

I quit applying in NM the year they cut tag quotas for unguided hunters. They already offered landowner PLUS guided hunter tags prior to doing this! Another thing that has kept me from applying is my son got assigned a ranch many years ago. We drove to the ranch the day before the season and the rancher wouldn't allow us to scout things out. He also mentioned that he would drop us off on opening morning and we had to hunt on foot! All the guided hunters on the ranch were driving up and down the road accessing the entire ranch. We hardly saw an antelope until the rancher finally returned to pick us up and said we could then drive on the roads. What a joke!

NM has gobs of public land that is totally off limits to those that apply for rifle tags. It's weird how they assign ranches rather than allowing hunters to have the choice of hunting public or private land within a particular unit that is drawn. It is impossible to research and scout out a unit. You have no idea which ranch you will be "assigned" going into the draw. A few super lucky public hunters may get assigned an exclusive ranch but these are few and far between. NM's rifle antelope system is a total joke. Wealthy hunters that can afford guided hunts definitely have a great thing going. They can hunt the best ranches in the state every year while on your own hunters drawing assigned ranches are totally screwed!

With that said, I'll continue to apply and hunt elsewhere. I'm not willing to contribute $ to such a scam!

 

[elkguide]

The question should be.......

"What does New Mexico have against non-residents."

 

[FLAK]

Definitely a screwed up mess out there. I haven't applied for several years since they went to the 6% B.S.
That and NM doesn't recognize my CC license. I have hunted there and it has some beautiful country and some
great hunting, just some really messed up politics.

 

[Trial153]

The guide and landowner situatuion is bullshit in NM. A 10% guide quota is insane. talk about welfare. The LO situation isnt much better.

 

[OG DramaLlama]

Agree with most of the above. NM system panders to the guides and landowners.


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[BuzzH]

My wife and I drew NM a number of years ago for pronghorn. The ranch we were assigned to had a decent population of pronghorn.The landowner was really good about letting us on to scout a couple days prior. My wife is a GIS specialist and printed a bunch of maps, air photos, etc. and gave them to the landowner when we met for coffee and to go over the ranch boundaries etc. He was really appreciative to have the maps and photos. I killed the biggest buck on the ranch we were assigned to, a decent one.

It wasn't a bad experience at all, but IMO, I'd rather just buy my additional Resident buck tag in Wyoming than apply for an average unit in NM.

 

[amp713]

I've always wondered about applying for NM deer tags and why it seems like so few people do.

 

[TexanSam]

You could get a ranch with few or no antelope on it happens every year. Also ranch size varies greatly nice when you draw a big spread not so awesome when you can glass the whole thing from one spot. Of course your lucky and will draw a great hunt your first try

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I'm really hoping my luck sticks with me this year, I got three dogs in this fight in new Mexico, hoping one of them draws something since it's close to home and i wouldnt have to take off as much

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[TheCougar]

I'm really hoping my luck sticks with me this year, I got three dogs in this fight in new Mexico, hoping one of them draws something since it's close to home and i wouldnt have to take off as much

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You and me both, brother. I’m not going to complain about NM. I wasn’t in the game back before the quotas switched, so 6% is all I know. And you know what? At $13 per species to apply and not having to dick around with preference points? I’ll take that bet every year, even if the odds are poor.

 

[JPD350]

Just wait, soon there will be unlimited Antelope tags for LO's so no more public draw tags for their lands, all public draw tags will be on public lands only. IMO success will be super dependent on public land habitat restoration but I am not sure it is going to work.

I haven't had a NM antelope tag since 1988, I did however quit applying for about 10 years but that still leaves 20 years of applying and no tags!

As a resident I still like the draw system but what I don't like is that all of the tags aren't in the system, the LO's receive a majority of the tags before all of us suckers apply for the leftovers. The second thing I dislike is the outfitter welfare pool, what a sorry program! I can only hope that someday it will self destruct or we get some friendly people in the legislature and forcefully shut it down.

It's crunch time with only two days left to apply, good luck to whoever applies.

 

[efnm]

I'm a NM resident and think it's a joke because even for me the draw odds are so low. I have the same odds of drawing a damn oryx vs what I have to do to draw a nearby antelope. I quit trying.

 

[TexanSam]

You and me both, brother. I’m not going to complain about NM. I wasn’t in the game back before the quotas switched, so 6% is all I know. And you know what? At $13 per species to apply and not having to dick around with preference points? I’ll take that bet every year, even if the odds are poor.

That's how I see it. Plus I spent a lot of time in a certain part, saw lots of decent sized deer, and when I looked into it I saw that there's usually leftovers, so I'm not gonna pout and say "new Mexico won't give me an opportunity".

Plus if I absolutely just wanted to get out there and hunt, I would go buy an OTC black bear tag and get after it

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[orionthehunter1]

I think you guys are confused it is not 13 dollars a species in New Mexico. You pay the full cost up front and then are refunded if you don't draw. You can also opt to have the license fee refunded if you don't draw any tags as well.

 

[codym]

There are definitely problems with our draw especially antelope and the LO stuff, but tell me any other state in the west that you have the same odds at drawing a premium elk or deer tag every single year with no penalty for missing years. I will take our system any day over say Utah where because I didn't start buying points 10 years ago I will never draw a premium tag. As a resident we should get 84% or whatever it is of the tags since we have to deal with this liberal welfare state the rest of the year!

 

[efnm]

I love our system I just hate the allocation of antelope tags to the draw.

 

[TheCougar]

I think you guys are confused it is not 13 dollars a species in New Mexico. You pay the full cost up front and then are refunded if you don't draw. You can also opt to have the license fee refunded if you don't draw any tags as well.

We are both correct. What you said is true, but it ends up costing $13 per species to apply, once they refund everything (assuming you are unsuccessful).

 

[Trial153]

Finished my application this morning, Deer, Elk and Sheep. Holy credit card bill Batman.