New Mexico Bear question

[Earl Hickey]

I have a question about hunting New Mexico. If you are turning dogs loose, do you need to have a kill tag? Does NM have bear pursuit tags?

If my buddy has a bear tag, can I just go run my dogs and try to get him a bear? Or do I need to also have my own tag before I can legally run dogs?

Any of you NM boys know? gracias.

[Benny G]

Big Mike should answer this question so that you don't get led astray. I wouldn't want to share my beliefs, and then not be on the mark.

[oswald]

I BOUGHT A KILL TAG YESTERDAY. I CALLED[WILDLIFE DEPT] AND ASKED COULD I PURSUE LATER IN THE YEAR IF I FILLED THE TAG AND THEY SAID NO. SO I GUESS THERE IS NO PURSUIT.

[Benny G]

You are right - there is no pursuit season in New Mexico. The part that I can't answer 100% sure on is whether or not the dog owner/handler is required to have a valid license and tag in order to provide the dogs when there are no monies changing hands. My own personal opinion has gotten me in trouble through the years in various situations. Just because it makes sense to me, doesn't make it leagal.

[jkcasey]

In NM there is no pursuit season (that's why there are hogs in the mountains). The proclimation says that there has to be a licensed hunter present once the dogs are released. So the way I read it as long as you are not recieving money for the service of you and your dogs you can run your dogs to help someone else get their bear. But here read for yourself this is straight from the proc. NOTE: When dogs are used in hunting bears, the licensed hunter intending to harvest the bear must be present continuously once any dog is released. There is no “pursuit” or “training” season outside the regular open season. Here is the link to the whole proc. http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/publica ... B_2010.pdf

[Benny G]

Good answer Kiel, but I believe you know my story about being told I had to give up my other lion tag after all the paperwork was finished. The rules/law that was quoted to me wasn't one that I had access to. In my experience, the proclamation, altho it's what we as hunters go by, isn't all there is to the ins and outs of the game laws.

[jkcasey]

I say it doesn't make any diffrence, these are the laws I have on hand. If they want to add or take away from them on a wim then so be it. If it needs to be in the proc. then they should have put it in there. Hell, it's just paper and ink,that comes from our taxes anyway. I have won my fair share of arguements with just a proc. Knowledge is power my friend.

[Big Mike]

No pursuit seasons here. if your coming from out of state and say have three guys all coming and only one has a bear tag but all three have dogs. All can turn loose their dogs on a bear and as long as they stay together (the hunters) everything would be legal. Once a bear is killed no dogs can be turn out again. Now say if the three hunters get seperated and Joe game warden comes along and runs into one of the guys without a license with his dogs in the feild. Well that guys gonna get a ticket or have to post bond from jail.

So moral to the story, trying to dance around laws has lead to bad reputations for houndsman. This senario is one of the most common reasons. Dont do it! Buy license and hunt legal that way you dont put yourself in a jackpot.

And if you tell a game warden you came all the way from out of state to chase hogs and it just happens to be the first week of bear season, be prepared for a trip to the clink

[Cowboyvon]

Bear tags are over the counter so I think it would be best to purchase one and avoid a problem..

So is it illegal to come from out of state and run hogs during bear season.. or just the first week

[Big Mike]

In order to be an out of stater and run hogs without a bear license you would have to buy a non game license. Thats only for out of staters, residents dont need a license to run, kill, gore, mame as many of then dam disease infested hogs as they want.

An out of state bear license or any other big game hunting license would allow an out of state person to hunt hogs legally without buying a non game license.

[broncobilly]

In order to be an out of stater and run hogs without a bear license you would have to buy a non game license.

Last I heard, all hogs in NM, domestic and wild, are considered livestock and are under the jurisdiction of the livestock board, which would mean that you don't need a license, you just need the permission of the owner. That fact might not stop a game warden from giving you a ticket, but it should make it pretty easy to beat the ticket in court.

[Benny G]

As far as the ferral hogs, it depends on who you talk to. SOME brand inspectors believe that they are "the authority" over seeing them, while others accknowledge that they are wild varmints, and need to be eradicated. The brand inspectors that I have talked to that believe they are in charge see another way to generate revenue by issueing citations to anyone killing, transporting, or having in thier possesion, unmarked livestock. By being unmarked, in thier eyes, the hogs then become the property of the state. I know that to many of us this sounds beyond stupid, but it's just another fine example of someone with a little authority run amuck!

It sure is easy for me to get on my soapbox sometimes!!!

[Big Mike]

You are correct, feral hogs unbranded/marked free ranging livestock fall under the jurisdiction of the livestock board. Try to get them to do something about them is another story

But the hunting activities fall under game and Fish. Just like the non residents who come and catch jack rabbits to train greyhounds they have to have a non game license.

If a non resident was actually hunting hogs nobody is going to care. Now if they were using "hunting hogs" as an excuse to run bears with out a license thats where the issue would arise.

[jkcasey]

It seems that if a man had an earmark he could catch all the feral hogs he wanted, instate or out. The last I checked it was $75 for a four year mark. Ezzell got on her "soapbox" and started running her head about things she had no education in and getting laws past that can't be enforced. Now we are under the jurisdiction of whoever it is that is on the biggest ego trip that day. In my humble opinion, the law needs to state this, DON'T TURN LOOSE WILD OR DOMESTIC SWINE. IF YOU GET CAUGHT YOU WILL BE FINED. As far as hunting hogs during bear season, where does it say it is against the law? It says you can't hunt bear with dogs during some of the elk hunts, in some units, but not hogs. The reason it doesn't is because the NMDGF doesn't want to take responsibility for the hogs, hell I wouldn't want too either. So until it's a law you won't stay in the clink very long, unless that is, that the authorities are making up the rules as they go. Fair is fair and the law is the law. If you are running bear buy a tag, if running hogs, do what you can, but you can't kill 'em all. Those are my two pennies.

[Big Mike]

If you are running bear buy a tag, if running hogs, do what you can, but you can't kill 'em all.

Exactly!!