How many of you have received a New Mexico antelope survey in the mail? It's time to get fired up and get as many of your buddies to submit a survey as possible.
New Mexico's current rifle public draw tag system is a total joke! I get fired up every time I think about it! Currently you have to apply for a group of units and get assigned a ranch. Going into the draw you have no clue which ranch you will draw or where you will hunt. If you draw you have no choice but to hunt the ranch you are assigned (whether it is 2,000 or 10,000 acres). Believe me, there is no way to research, scout, or plan a hunt until you arrive a night or so before the season! If after 10 years of applying you draw a crummy ranch you are out of luck!
Supposedly the rancher is required to give public hunters free and equal access to the ranch. Most (if not all) of these ranchers have paying clients on the ranch at the same time and you can only imagine how the public hunters are often treated! I can't say this happens all the time but would think this system is a pain in the rear for the landowner, outfitter, NMG&F, public hunters...and likely even the pay clients?
Rifle antelope are the only species in New Mexico that are dealt this way. Why not have a draw system similar to deer and elk? I really think it is time that New Mexico residents step up to the plate and make needed changes to this system! There are millions of acres of public land available in New Mexico to hunt antelope and currently rifle antelope hunters don't have free access to this public land when they draw tags! If you ask me this is really a travesty to the public hunters and especially the guys that like to do-it-yourself hunts!
Guided hunters get a chunk of the public drawn New Mexico antelope tags...and there are also a chunk of tags that go to landowners. I really think public draw hunters are getting shafted with this system!
I haven't had time to look on the NMG&F website to see whether the survey forms are available there, but everyone that reads this post ought to submit a survey to try changing this system! Hopefully Garth, Eastmans, and others will advertise this as well so this system will change! If you like to hunt antelope I can guarantee you this will open up some incredible options in the near future!
New Mexico's current rifle public draw tag system is a total joke! I get fired up every time I think about it! Currently you have to apply for a group of units and get assigned a ranch. Going into the draw you have no clue which ranch you will draw or where you will hunt. If you draw you have no choice but to hunt the ranch you are assigned (whether it is 2,000 or 10,000 acres). Believe me, there is no way to research, scout, or plan a hunt until you arrive a night or so before the season! If after 10 years of applying you draw a crummy ranch you are out of luck!
Supposedly the rancher is required to give public hunters free and equal access to the ranch. Most (if not all) of these ranchers have paying clients on the ranch at the same time and you can only imagine how the public hunters are often treated! I can't say this happens all the time but would think this system is a pain in the rear for the landowner, outfitter, NMG&F, public hunters...and likely even the pay clients?
Rifle antelope are the only species in New Mexico that are dealt this way. Why not have a draw system similar to deer and elk? I really think it is time that New Mexico residents step up to the plate and make needed changes to this system! There are millions of acres of public land available in New Mexico to hunt antelope and currently rifle antelope hunters don't have free access to this public land when they draw tags! If you ask me this is really a travesty to the public hunters and especially the guys that like to do-it-yourself hunts!
Guided hunters get a chunk of the public drawn New Mexico antelope tags...and there are also a chunk of tags that go to landowners. I really think public draw hunters are getting shafted with this system!
I haven't had time to look on the NMG&F website to see whether the survey forms are available there, but everyone that reads this post ought to submit a survey to try changing this system! Hopefully Garth, Eastmans, and others will advertise this as well so this system will change! If you like to hunt antelope I can guarantee you this will open up some incredible options in the near future!
