Arizona's 10% cap

[fatfootdoc]

I was reading the post in hunting AZ I believe, about the legislation passing a bill to limit non residents at 10% regardless of unit and by making it a bill it would never change from 10%. This has alot of support from the AZ guys which is fine, now I was looking on the NM regs and they give 22 percent of all tags to nonresidents, 12% go to non res with guides and 10% go to non res with no guides!!!! now I may have those numbers reversed, but maybe we need to contact our commission and start talking about reciprocity. We get little support from the AZ guys in the deal there and I think a change is due with us being in a draw situation, there are many more opportunities in AZ to hunt whitetail, so maybe they should just stay there and hunt and they need to make NM a 10% non resident cap, now I support the guides so leave then with 8% and give all the other podunks like me who cant pay a guide 2%. I know alot of those guys hunt here and they dont have to constantly hear about how the 10% non res cap is a good thing, like we do on the site, so maybe we need to start writing and calling about equality with AZ in tag distribution? AG

[bowsniper]

Works for me!

 

bowsniper

(Arizona)

[.270]

i live in Az. and hunt new mex a lot and it works for me. whatever any state wants to do, i'll live with it. it's state's rights. just remember one thing, we can thank uso for all this. in both states. and when the other states get even more restrictive, it will all be because of the uso suit. the whole thing stinks, but what is any state supposed to do? whatever the outcome tho, good luck to ya. i love new mex. Lark.

[fatfootdoc]

Unfortunately it seems like either way you look at it nobody really wins, I would just as soon see it a straight 10% cap now that I think about it, but whatever I guess, just is kind of rankling to put in for a Dec WT hunt and know that only 5 tags will go to non residents in AZ, maybe I just need to get better with my bow and hunt in AZ that way. AG

[KGAINES]

fatfootdoc while it may be harder to draw a tag at least for now you can still buy an archery tag and hunt just about anywhere in AZ, and there are three seperate seasons. What Lark said is true about the uso, I think it created an us against them mentality and now as you said nobody wins. I am curious about archery hunting in New Mexico, do you have to be drawn, pick units, or is it similar to AZ.

Good Luck in the Draw this Year

[Kevin]

Keith,

 

NM bowhunts are draw only for a specific unit. Some units you can hunt in September and January, other are either or.

 

George Taulman's brother-in-law was our governor (Johnson). He decided to help the family out and gaurantee 12% of our tags went to outfitters. Taulman was pissin' people off way before he sued AZ.

 

Kevin

[fatfootdoc]

I have emailed Dutch Salmon, who is the district rep for Silver City,about it just to ask the thinking behind the policy but have not heard anything as of yet. Figures , we thought AZ got hosed by taulman but NM REALLY got hosed by him. AG

[SunDevil]

AG, why do you support the guides? All that does is make hunting even more of a rich mans hobby! Always, always remember that MONEY is the root of all evil! Why does NM have 12% going to non res with guides? MONEY!!! If you want to get NM on the same playing field as AZ then get them to do away with the 12% of the tags that are going to non res with guides! That would be 12% more tags available to NM res. I'm sure you can thank USO for that one also. Just my two cents. CB

[KGAINES]

Thanks Kevin, I thought I had read that before, I guess AZ isn't that bad for non-residents, I really hope it stays that way, I would hate to have to choose between archery and rifle. At least with the AZ archery we all have the chance to hunt and that is all that matters, and I don't even mind sharing a Dec. rifle tag with bowhunters. Good Luck and God Bless.

[SunDevil]

Does anyone know what the non res draw odds for their 10% was before the whole USO thing? I don't think the G & F ever published res vs non res draw odds. I think I remember someone from the dept saying it was easier for the non res to draw one of the 10% tags then a res to draw one of the 90%. Just curious. CB

[DesertBull]

Before the lawsuit, the only deer tags subject to the cap were mule deer north of the Colorado River. Now, all hunts, for all species are capped.

[fatfootdoc]

SunDevil,

The whole guide thing kind of stuck in my craw after my initial post, I have tried to contact the game and fish commissioner for this area to ask him about it but have yet to hear from him. That would be good to just drop the 12 percent that goes to guides as it would leave 10% for non residents, AZ's guides do fine with that . I know that is waffling from the first post but that makes more sense. AG

[hunter4life]

With the way NM is set up it ends up being easier for out-of staters to draw than it is for residents in a lot of the elk units that aren't considered prime units because not many out-of state people put in and they get up to 22% of the tags, while there are still a good number of residents that put in because they know the unit or it is close to them.

[Kevin]

hunter4life,

 

I'm hoping the same holds true for AZ. I don't think very many (I've seen very few) non-residents apply for the hunt that I usually draw in AZ. Its definately not a prime unit nor is it in December. We'll see here in a few months. One way or the other, I will hunt deer in AZ this year because I'll by the bow tag and drag my stick around for a few days if I don't draw. I like that option and wish NM would do the same (if we would require a bowhunter education class for anyone buying a tag).

 

I also make use of my quail license over there since it is just a few hour drive for me. In fact, I've killed more quail in AZ in the last couple of years than I have in NM in 10! I always take my scattergun in November for those days my decrepit body needs a break from the rock piles.

 

As a side note, the deadline for NM is tomorrow at midnight! Better get it in gear if you plan on applying!

 

Good luck,

 

Kevin

[az4life]

I made the call today!Got the impression the answering person has had it up to her eardrums with similar calls. Probably made another hash mark on the tally sheet and added 2 more to the anti side.