New Mexico Administrative Code

To establish general rules, restrictions, requirements, definitions, and regulations governing lawful hunting, fishing, or trapping and the lawful taking or killing of game animals, furbearers, game birds, and game fish, water pollution, possession of wildlife, permits and licens…

A. "Angling" shall mean taking or attempting to take fish by angling hook and line, with the line held in the hand or attached to a pole or rod or other device that is held in the hand or closely attended. B. "Angling hook" shall mean a single, double, or treble (triple) point at…

It is unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or municipality to introduce, directly or indirectly, into any public water of this state any substance that may stupefy, injure, destroy or drive away from such water any protected species or may be detrimental to the growth and r…

It is unlawful to possess, sell or offer for sale all or part of any protected species except as provided below: A. License or permit: A person may possess protected species or parts thereof that they have lawfully taken under a license or permit, in any jurisdiction, or for whic…

New Mexico department of game and fish.

A. Zone closures: Bear and cougar may be hunted or taken only in zones designated as open on the department hotline or website. Zones will close within 72 hours of when the reported number of bears or cougars harvested is within ten percent of the total limit or female sub-limit …

A. Over-the-counter bear hunts for the 2024-25 through 2027-28 seasons: The following table lists bear zones, open GMUs, sporting arm restrictions, season dates, total harvest limits and female harvest sub-limits Bear zone open GMUs bow only any big game sporting arms 2024-25 tot…

A. Over-the-counter cougar hunting season shall be from April 1 through March 31, or until the total harvest limit or female sub-limit, whichever comes first, is met in any given cougar zone. B. The following table lists cougar zones, open GMUs, total harvest limits and female ha…

Sports persons interested in bear and cougar management and hunting. Additional requirements may be found in Chapter 17 NMSA 1978 and Title 19 NMAC.

Sections 17-1-14 and 17-1-26 NMSA 1978 provide that the New Mexico state game commission has the authority to establish rules and regulations that it may deem necessary to carry out the purpose of Chapter 17 NMSA 1978 and all other acts pertaining to protected mammals, birds and …

April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2028.

April 1, 2024, unless a later date is cited at the end of a section.

Establishing open hunting seasons and regulations, rules and procedures governing the distribution and issuance of bear and cougar licenses and permits by the department.

A. "Bear entry permit" shall mean a permit awarded through a public drawing which entitles the holder of an over-the-counter bear license to hunt in a limited entry area during season dates established in rule. B."Bear zones" shall mean hunt areas consisting of one or more game m…

A. The director, with verbal concurrence of the chairperson or their designee, may adjust the number of licenses, permits or harvest limits, up or down by no more than twenty percent within a bear zone or cougar zone, to address critical department management needs, significant c…

New Mexico department of game and fish.

A. The director or their designee may authorize population management hunts for oryx, Barbary sheep or Persian ibex when justified in writing by department personnel. B. The director or their designee shall designate the sporting arms, season dates, season lengths, bag limits, hu…

Barbary sheep hunts shall be as indicated below, listing the open GMUs or areas, eligibility requirements or restrictions, hunt dates, hunt codes, sporting arms, number of licenses, and bag limit. Public draw Barbary sheep licenses for GMUs 29, 30, 32, 36, and 37 are available on…

A. Oryx once-in-a-lifetime and once-in-a-youth hunts for any legal sporting arms type shall be as indicated below, listing the open GMUs or areas, eligibility requirements or restrictions, hunt dates, hunt codes, number of licenses and bag limit. open GMUs or areas 2023-2024 hunt…

Persian ibex hunts shall be as indicated below, listing the open GMUs or areas, eligibility requirements or restrictions, hunt dates, hunt codes, number of licenses and bag limit. Holders of the off-mountain license (IBX-1-528) may apply for any Florida mountains ibex hunt unless…

Sportspersons interested in Barbary sheep, oryx and Persian ibex management and hunting. Additional requirements may be found in Chapter 17 NMSA 1978, and Title 19 NMAC.

Sections 17-1-14 and 17-1-26 NMSA 1978 provide that the New Mexico state game commission has the authority to establish rules and regulations that it may deem necessary to carry out the purpose of Chapter 17 NMSA 1978 and all other acts pertaining to protected mammals, birds and …

April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2027.

April 1, 2023, unless a later date is cited at the end of an individual section.

Establishing open hunting seasons and regulations, rules and procedures governing the distribution and issuance of Barbary sheep, oryx and Persian ibex licenses by the department.

A. "Broken-horned oryx" or "BHO" shall mean an oryx of either sex that possesses at least one horn missing at least twenty-five percent of its normal growth. This may be determined by comparing the broken horn's length to the remaining horn or where it is readily apparent the ter…

The director, with the verbal concurrence of the chairperson of the New Mexico state game commission or their designee, may adjust the number of licenses for oryx, Barbary sheep or Persian ibex up or down to address significant changes in population levels or to address critical …

A. Veteran hunts: It shall be unlawful for anyone who is not qualified for the veteran oryx hunt to apply for or hold a veteran oryx license. B. Persian ibex once-in-a-lifetime: It shall be unlawful for anyone to apply for a once-in-a-lifetime Persian ibex license if he or she ha…

New Mexico department of game and fish.

The director has the authority to designate possession criteria to any deer hunter where CWD is a concern. It is unlawful to transport dead deer, or their parts, taken from any GMU or area identified by the director in which the presence of, or possibility of, exposure to CWD has…

Quality hunts for deer are as follows: A. Hunt codes DER-1-115, DER-1-116, DER-2-121, DER-2-122, DER-2-123, DER-2-420 B. All hunts in GMUs 2C, 5B, 8, 17, 23-Burro mountains hunt area, 27, 33, 41, the Valle Vidal, all private land deer incentive program hunts and all hunts on the …

A. Deer enhancement program: (1) Program description: The director shall collect all proceeds generated through the auction and lottery of special deer authorizations, and such monies shall be deposited in the game protection fund. These monies shall be made available for expendi…

A. The director or their designee may authorize population management hunts for deer when justified in writing by department personnel. B. The director or their designee shall designate the big-game sporting arms, season dates, season lengths, bag limits, hunt boundaries, specifi…

A. Public draw (and private lands in GMUs 2A, 2B, 2C, 4 and 5A) deer hunts, listing the open GMUs or areas, eligibility requirements or restrictions, hunt dates, hunt codes, big-game sporting arms, number of licenses and bag limit shall be as indicated below. The state game commi…

Sportspersons interested in deer management and deer hunting. Additional requirements may be found in Chapter 17 NMSA 1978, and Chapters 30, 31, 32 and 33 of Title 19 NMAC.

Sections 17-1-14 and 17-1-26 NMSA 1978 provide that the New Mexico state game commission has the authority to establish rules and regulations that it may deem necessary to carry out the purpose of Chapter 17 NMSA 1978 and all other acts pertaining to protected mammals, birds and …

April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2027.

April 1, 2023, unless a later date is cited at the end of an individual section.

Establishing open hunting seasons and regulations, rules and procedures governing the distribution and issuance of deer licenses by the department.

A. "Antlerless deer" or "A" shall mean a deer without antlers. B. "Deer" as used herein, shall mean any wild cervid of the genus Odocoileus. C. "Deer enhancement program" as used herein, shall mean the department activity that allows the issuance of not more than two authorizatio…

The director, with the verbal concurrence of the chairperson of the New Mexico state game commission or their designee, may adjust the number of licenses for deer up or down by no more than twenty percent of the total licenses available in the GMU to address significant changes i…

A. Persons applying for private-land only deer licenses in GMUs 2A, 2B, 2C, 4 and 5A must obtain an authorization number from participating landowners in these GMUs. B. Participating landowners in GMUs 2A, 2B, 2C, 4 and 5A are required to provide proof of land ownership to obtain…

New Mexico department of game and fish.

The director has the authority to designate possession criteria to any elk hunter where CWD is a concern. It is unlawful to transport dead elk, or their parts, taken from any GMU or area identified by the director in which the presence of, or possibility of, exposure to CWD has b…

Quality hunts for elk are as follows: A. all Valle Vidal hunts; B. the first three mature bull hunts and both bow hunts on the Sargent WMA as follows: ELK-1-165, ELK-1-166, ELK-1-167, ELK-2-163 and ELK-2-164; C. elk hunts in GMUs 13, 15, 16A, 16B/22, 16C, 16D, 16E and 17 as follo…

A. Elk enhancement program: (1) Program description: The director shall collect all proceeds generated through the auction and lottery of special bull elk authorizations, and such monies shall be deposited in the game protection fund. These monies shall be made available for expe…

A. The director or their designee may authorize population management hunts for elk when justified in writing by department personnel. B. The director or their designee shall designate the big-game sporting arms, season dates, season lengths, bag limits, hunt boundaries, specific…