State: NM

Predator hunting and hunting tournaments, often referred to as “contests,” are time-honored traditions that have recently been subjected to extensive scrutiny by the anti-sportsmen’s community and misinformed general public. Across the nation, both practices serve legitimate and effective purposes towards fish and wildlife conservation efforts. Hunting tournaments are effective management tools of varmint species, such…

Several states have passed legislation that allows non-resident, full-time college students to obtain hunting and/or angling licenses at the same price as state residents. The intent of these bills are to increase hunter and angler recruitment and retention within a subset of sportsmen and women which are especially prone to being restricted from hunting due…

In an effort to improve the quality of young people’s lives, several states have introduced or passed legislation to require some form of educational opportunity for hunting, fishing and nature appreciation as part of a student’s elective academic curriculum. These programs aim to connect students with the natural world and can play an important role…

The vast majority of states throughout the nation offer an online component of the hunter’s safety course, which provides potential hunters a way to receive their hunter safety certification at their own pace. By offering new hunters an easy and efficient way to gain hunter safety certification, more people will have the opportunity to begin…

Why It Matters: For over 80 years, hunters, anglers, trappers, and recreational shooters have played a crucial role in funding conservation efforts in the United States through the American System of Conservation Funding (System). Specific to New Mexico, 98% of the Department of Game and Fish’s budget comes from sportsmen’s dollars (to the tune of over $45…

Recent advances in technology, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s), which can assist in the tracking and taking of game, have posed an ethical debate within the hunting community. Legislators and sportsmen should be mindful of Fair Chase issues and, on a state-by-state basis, determine if legislation is warranted to ensure hunting is practiced ethically…

Why It Matters: State fish and wildlife agencies are instrumental in setting the frameworks that result in the successful conservation and management of a state’s fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Sportsmen and women (including hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and trappers) have played a crucial role in funding conservation efforts in the United States for over…

Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States Senior Coordinator Why it Matters: Baseless restrictions on magazine capacity creates unnecessary burdens on responsible firearms owners who would then have to purchase additional equipment for their firearms to be legally operational. Such restrictions come at high costs to firearm manufactures and consumers, with little to no evidence indicating…

Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States Senior Coordinator Highlights: Why it Matters: Sportsmen and women are conservationists, period. Not only do hunters, anglers, trappers, and recreational shooters pay for the vast majority of state-based conservation efforts through the American System of Conservation Funding, they more often than not also volunteer their time, resources, and money…

Last week during the National Trappers Association’s (NTA) Annual Convention, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) Rocky Mountain States Senior Coordinator Ellary TuckerWilliams was a recipient of the President’s Award for her hard work and leadership in the fight to protect and advance trapping in New Mexico, Montana, and Colorado during the 2021 legislative session. “I…

Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States Senior Coordinator Highlights: Why it Matters: New Mexico Senate Bill 32 is another example of an urban-dominated legislature making decisions that negatively impact rural communities. By banning trapping on public lands, SB 32 will not only limit the ability of state and federal wildlife agencies to use science-based wildlife…

Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States Senior Coordinator and Internal MARCOMM Liaison Sportsmen and women have made their voice loud and message simple – public land trapping is not going down without a fight in New Mexico. Despite passing through the Senate Conservation Committee on a 7-2 vote, Senate Bill 32 (SB 32) – Wildlife…