Photo courtesy of
the New Mexico Game & Fish Dept.

NEW MEXICO BEAR HUNT REGS for 2004 thru 2005

For current information go to www.wildlife.state.nm.us/recreation/hunting.

A harvest limit total of 335 bears and/or 171 sows for 6 mountain regions. Each mountain range has different limits depending on population estimates and quality of habitat.

Hunt dates

August 15 to 24 (northern and southern areas)
August 28 to September 19 (bow hunt only in northern and southern areas)
September 27 to November 15 (northern area hunt)
September 27 to November 30 (southern area hunt)
October 15 to November 15 (Sandia and Manzano Mountains) (no sows, dogs only)

Sandia Mountain BearWatch does not support a New Mexico spring bear hunt and/or bear pursuit season for the follow reasons.

Pursuit Season

• Out of the 9 western states that have bear hunting, 7 states do not allow a pursuit season; only 2 states allow this regressive practice. A NM pursuit season would draw a large number of houndsmen from surrounding states that don't allow pursuit seasons which will create an enormous pressure on our already depleted bear population.
• Pursuits encourage abuses. It took California three years using under-cover officers to shut down their hound pursuit. The under-cover officers found that 50% of the houndsmen were killing bears and taking gall bladders, etc.
• Bears need time to recuperate and gain weight after a 5-month torpor/hibernation. A pursuit makes bears expend energy and weight most can ill afford to lose.
• Young cubs are vulnerable to hounds during a pursuit.
• Some bear biologists believe that pursuits will cause some bears to become problem bears because of lost weight.
• One study showed that some bears were chased and treed as many as 6 times by hounds.
• Bears can die from brain stem death from overheating during a pursuit.
• New Mexico bear hunters have 12 weeks in the north and 14 weeks in the southern part of the state to hunt bear including an early August hunt. No other species except cougar is given this much hunting time. Houndsmen can/do use the August hunt to train their hounds.
• What about the rest of New Mexicans that use our forests in the summer months. We believe a pursuit with hounds while large numbers of people are enjoying the mountains is inconsiderate.
• Pursuits are unnecessary and considered unethical by a large majority of the public.
• A pursuit by hounds would be damaging for NMG&F's image.
• Permitting a pursuit season would be regressive. The NMG&F Commission has never voted for a pursuit season in New Mexico.

Spring Hunt

• Sandia Mountain BearWatch along with a large portion of the hunting and non-hunting public believes that hunting a species in the spring when they have young babies is unethical. Many houndsmen and outfitters argue that they can hunt the males when the nursing sows are in the dens. In the southern mountains of New Mexico, males and nursing sows come out of the den within 4 days of each other, which is statistically insignificant (see enclosed graphs). In the northern part of the state there is a 19-day difference.
• During spring hunts, some sows may abandon their cubs due to stress or try to move their cubs. One study found that every cub that was moved from the birthing den was dead within a short time due to depredation and/or the elements.
• Many western states no longer have a spring hunt or spring hunt with hounds. Only 2 western states allow hounds in their spring hunts. For example Colorado discontinued their spring hunt because they found that many nursing sows were killed even when regulations prohibited it.
• We believe that it is also unethical to hunt a species when physiologically; it is in a weakened state from a prolonged hibernation/torpor. In the spring, bears also have tender feet, which makes it difficult to escape hounds and hunters. This makes for an unfair hunt.
• The limited habitat available during the spring season and subsequent concentration of black bears creates a situation where bears are too vulnerable.
• A spring bear hunt would create a negative image for NMG&F.
• Opening a spring hunt would be regressive. The last one was over a decade ago.
• And finally, we ask why the bear can be hunted in the spring but not deer and elk. Why is there a double standard for this species?