Take Back Your Elk: Las Cruces

139 North Main Street,Las Cruces NM 88001

01 February, 2023

Description

Las Cruces— Many New Mexico public land hunters know from bitter experience that it’s getting increasingly difficult to draw an elk tag. While hunters commonly go years without drawing a tag in the public draw, many don’t know why. We’re here to tell you. The New Mexico Wildlife Federation and the New Mexico Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers recently released a comprehensive report showing that our state’s system of allocating elk licenses skews hard in favor of private interests and wealthy individuals. In preparing the report, the groups obtained data from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish that reveals nonresidents got over 35 percent of the total elk licenses issued by the state in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available. Other states in the West, including neighboring Arizona, limit nonresident hunters to a maximum of 10 percent of licenses. While 22,000 elk licenses go into New Mexico’s public draw every year, private landowners are given nearly 14,000 tags through the program known as EPLUS – the Elk Private Land Use System. Through this program authorizations are given to landowners, most of whom sell the authorizations to the highest bidder, the data shows these are most often nonresident hunters.. Nonresident hunters also get the vast majority of tags set aside in the public draw for hunters who retain an outfitter prior to the draw. The NMWF and BHA believe the best way to address this situation is through educating New Mexico hunters about how the system is treating them. We need everyday hunters to understand what’s going on so we can increase pressure to change the current system. It simply can’t stand the light of day. The event will focus on getting people to explore how NM Elk Tags are distributed, privatized, and ensure that solutions meet the needs of New Mexicans and wildlife. Make plans to join us from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the following events: Wednesday, February 1, at the Boneyard Cantina, 139 N Main St., Las Cruces. Thursday , February 2, at Wrangler’s Bar and Grill, 2005 US-180 Suite 400, Silver City.