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Lion and Bear Proposals.

They rarely if ever meet harvest quota in highly populated lion areas. Why would they cut out any forms of take?

http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/commission/proposals-under-consideration/

BEAR - There are no proposals to adjust harvest limits in any zone at this time. New data was incorporated in the previous rule development cycle to adjust harvest limits in those zones in which research was conducted, and ongoing research in a new zone is still in the data collection stage. Data collected from harvested bears does not suggest any significant trends in population dynamics that would call for adjustments to harvest limits.

- Possible adjustments to Bear Management Zone boundaries if needed to better distribute harvest pressure and opportunity. If any zone boundaries are adjusted, harvest limits will be adjusted accordingly to account for the corresponding addition or subtraction of bear habitat.

COUGAR

- No longer allow traps and snares as a method of sport harvest for cougar on private and State Trust lands. - Adjust cougar harvest limits to align with recent data. o Data collected in 2018 in Cougar Management Zones B, F, and N is being analyzed to update density estimates for those zones. Harvest limits will be adjusted as needed if the new population estimate is different from that used to set the current harvest limits. o Adjustments to harvest limits in other Cougar Management Zones using extrapolated density estimates from the 2018 study and recent studies in neighboring arid areas.

These proposed changes will be updated and posted to the Department website as further details become available.

If you would like to comment on the proposal, please send an email to: [email protected]

There are also four public meetings. They are after hours for once, like 6 PM-7:30 PM, so those that work can attend. If you live in the area and don't have to drive 1 to 2 hours.

The reason to adjust take is because the SLO has banned trapping on state land. Since so much private and state land is checker boarded I guess they are applying it to both.

SLO screws sportsmen again.

The only thing we can hope for is the gov't in NM will flip before it goes downhill like CA has...

Not to be an alarmist but if you guys want to keep this as it or even more opportunity you need to get involved. The Cougar and Bear groups are very well organized and will be very vocal. They are seeing this as once in 4 year opportunity to make change. I do believe that the North American Model of Conservation is on our side on this and we need to push that and focus on that.

At minimum submit clear, concise comments via email at link.

Jason is correct: the Cougar & Bear groups are very well organized and vocal. They will implore NMDGF to stop hunting for both "apex predator" species every time. They have no clue how many bears and lions are in the wild (plenty) and they don't care. They want ZERO hunting of either species.

We need to point out facts, which the bear and cat lovers rarely if ever do. They base their case on emotion and feelings.

I do think that one change that would help the public (not the bear and cat lovers - they'll never change) be more accepting of hunting these animals would be to require salvage of the meat. Lion is delicious and the one bear I've killed was too...

I'm sure everyone would like to be there. Problem is, most that have a vested interest to support keeping the ability to hunt bears and lions have jobs to prohibit the ability to be there.

Not making excuses, it's just reality. Submitting precise and concise comments is the best route to take for most people.

Agree HDE. It's tough. Our spare time is spent scouting and hunting. The bear and cat lovers' spare time is spent fighting to end hunting bears and cats. That's what they do for fun and it is their passion.

But submitting comments via email is something we can all do.

I agree. Send a comment even if you feel like it won't be listened to. I don't hunt either species but that doesn't mean I wouldn't. I might get a bear tag this year because I have a good chance of running into one.

Yes, but in the time it took you to post in this thread you could have sent them a message. You don't need to be at the meetings, by law they need to review all comments that were submitted. Not being a jerk but those that were in favor of contests got rolled this year because they weren't engaged. We can't afford to get rolled again because we are absent. We need to get engaged on these issues NOW because once the session starts or the comment period opens up we are going to be behind.

Regardless of comments for and against, the G&F needs to get off their collective asses, grow a set of nutz, and do what they are supposed to do and that is preserve hunting, and uphold the NAHM and not get caught up in the pay to play politics involved. Just do their freakin jobs damn it!

Don't you mean 'freaking' jobs...?

Asking for a friend.

Lol yes that's exactly what I meant HDE. Darn auto-correct ;)

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