NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — Wildlife law violation checkpoints pop up in the state periodically throughout the year. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) announced last week the public may be seeing some of those checkpoints as the current license year carries on.
NMDGF Communications Director Darren Vaughan says common wildlife violations include failing to tag harvested animals, hunting without a license, or even possession of a protected species without a license. The department also finds people who have harvested more animals than legally allowed.
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If there’s any confusion as to what these violations entail, Vaughan recommends checking out the rules and information booklets provided by NMDGF.
“If you’ve got any sort of question of is this legal, is this not legal – generally that answer is going to be available in that rules and information booklet,” said Vaughan. “Our licensed vendors have them in print, our offices have them in print, you can also find them on our website. If there’s any question as to whether something is above board or not, just make sure you check that out, and generally you can find the answer to that.”
These checkpoints partly serve to collect biographical data. Vaughan explains that this means the department is tracking the total harvest amount. There are also some areas to watch out for disease presence, and if you bring in a specimen that looks a bit off, the department may be able to check on that.
To NMDGF, the checkpoints are an important part of protecting New Mexico’s wildlife.
“Not only helping to reduce or eliminate these kind of violations and conserving New Mexico’s wildlife for all of us to enjoy,” said Vaughan. “The wildlife belongs to all of us here in the state, so we’re trying to make sure that nobody is taking advantage of that or taking more than they’re legally allowed to.”
Vaughan added that it’s also a good opportunity to educate the public. Sometimes people going through the checkpoints have information about something they saw in the field, or they may be looking for advice on where a good hunt is, and where to enjoy the outdoors.
The current hunting license year started up on April 1, and those licenses will stay valid until March 31. The first hunts will take place over the next couple of weeks. Cougar hunts are taking place, as well as both youth and adult turkey hunts. The youth starts this weekend, while the adult starts next weekend.
Vaughan wanted to remind participants that a turkey license is a vital part of partaking in these hunts.
“If you’re getting your turkey hunt through our draw process, make sure you buy that turkey license before you go out in the field,” said Vaughan. “Because the way our turkey license draw works is you get at least a permit to hunt, but you still have to buy a license separately, so make sure you buy that license before you go out in the field.”
All in all, Vaughan asks you to get in touch with NMDGF if you have any questions about whether something hunting-related is legal or not. The information center is open during normal business hours, Monday through Friday. They should be able to answer your questions or point you in the direction of someone who can. You can also take a look at the rulebook online.