New Mexico’s hunters and anglers depend on a simple promise: our wildlife is to be held in the public trust for the benefit of the people. Right now, state legislators are asking whether the system used to allocate hunting licenses on public lands is living up to that promise. 

In a formal request to New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, state legislators have raised constitutional concerns about how hunting tags are distributed, questioning whether the current system is consistent with the state’s obligation to manage wildlife “for the benefit of the people.” Today, 10 percent of tags are reserved for hunters who contract with an outfitter in order to apply, and the overwhelming majority of those tags are going to nonresident hunters. 

When layered on top of the Elk Private Lands Use System (EPLUS), which allocates additional opportunity outside the public draw, the outfitter set-aside compounds the overall impact on resident access and contributes to a system that shifts opportunities away from New Mexico residents and toward those with the financial means to access it. 

That raises real questions about fairness, transparency, and whether public wildlife is being managed in the public’s interest and if this system complies with New Mexico’s Anti-Donation Clause.  

Outfitters play an important role in New Mexico’s hunting economy and will continue to be part of that landscape. This effort is about making sure the overall system remains balanced and transparent so that resident hunters have meaningful access to public wildlife through a fair and open process. 

Now is the time to speak up and make sure decision-makers hear from the people who rely on these public resources. 

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