Hunting New Mexico

I'm not so sure. According to the rules, "Legal shooting hours for big game, furbearers, upland game and turkey are from one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset, unless otherwise noted. Legal shooting hours for migratory game birds are one half-hour before sunrise to sunset." In the furbearer rules it says shooting hours are "Restricted to the period one-half hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset, except licensed furbearer hunters who are authorized to hunt for and take raccoons by use of artificial light..."

Coyotes are non-game animals (not furbearers) and thus don't fit in the categories above.

The rules further outlaw the use of artificial light: "It is illegal to use a spotlight or any other artificial light to hunt any furbearer (except raccoons, see Legal Shooting Hours above) or nongame species including coyotes and rabbits, even if you are on private land and have landowner permission, unless you
have an artificial light permit." And in more detail, the rules also state that it is illegal to: "Shine spotlights or other artificial lights into areas where big-game species or livestock may be present, while in possession of any sporting arm."

So, loophole time. I would interpret this to mean that if you only hunt coyotes (no cats, foxes, etc.) and you only use thermal, you might be legit. However, I would not recommend using a flashlight or headlamp to navigate, because you be would shining an artificial light ..."into areas where big-game species or livestock may be present, while in possession of any sporting arm." In fact, a prickly game warden might even bust you for having the capability to project light. I have spoken with several guys who hunt public land under this very loophole. I haven't tried it, but I'm curious. :)
 
Back to the OP - welcome to NM. As has been stated, there is a lot of public ground in NM. I've never hunted predators up around Santa Fe, but I have to imagine competition is pretty fierce because you're within easy striking distance of Albuquerque with almost a million people. If you're ready to ranger a little farther and wider than your competition, you could have some good times.

Remember that to hunt other predators than coyotes you will need the furbearer license. You may still be considered non-resident for a few months after moving here (I don't remember the time needed to become a resident), and the N-R furbearer license isn't cheap.

If you want to head south, I've been known to go north to meet up with guys to call country I don't normally hunt in. Send me a note when you get moved and settled and we'll see what we can work out!
 
@DesertRam thanks for the welcome and the invite. I am naturally a roamer; have been my whole life. Spent most of my youth and formative years working as a migrant farm hand with my family. As such, home is where my head rests. To establish residency I think I need 90 days and to show proof of living in NM. I'm gonna have to call NM Wildlife to get a clear answer on the thermal hunting issue.
 
AWS I think that warden was referring to the hunting with lights/NV rule which has been in place for a long time.

DesertRam ya that’s basically that’s how guys are getting around it. I think it’s more so that the coyotes are unprotected and that there is no mention of thermal in any of the rules. I wanna say my friend even had his lawyer look into it and it basically came down to verbiage, oh the money guys spend just to kill coyotes haha.

I have never used thermals or hunted at night so it really doesn’t bother or effect me. I kinda wish they would just ban thermals, there are a handful of guys in our city using them all year round. Another reason they need to be banned is a lot of guides and outfitters have been using them to locate big game animals which isn’t fair chase at all.
 
Lazer32 said:
@DesertRam thanks for the welcome and the invite. I am naturally a roamer; have been my whole life. Spent most of my youth and formative years working as a migrant farm hand with my family. As such, home is where my head rests. To establish residency I think I need 90 days and to show proof of living in NM. I'm gonna have to call NM Wildlife to get a clear answer on the thermal hunting issue.
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For that first 90 days, just buy a non-resident game hunting license. It's $90, but will let you chase quail while you hunt coyotes and is way better than the $500 furbearer (trapper) license.
 
I hunt Southern NM on a regular basis. You have plenty of great country to call coyotes within an hour or two of Santa Fe. On a backpacking trip last summer I came across a coyote at 11,500 feet of elevation just NE of Santa Fe but I would focus most of your effort in the lower country. If you put in the work of getting permission from landowners, you could have great coyote hunting close to Santa Fe that don't get as much calling pressure. Personally I enjoy exploring public land and don't make much effort trying to get on private land.

I agree with Desert Ram and AWS. Thermal hunting at night on public land is more than just a "gray area" in NM. NM has stated that they will confiscate your vehicle and other hunting equipment if you are caught spotlighting. If you run into the wrong officer, you could have a very expensive court date. One downside to NM is it is a "blue state". Santa Fe is deep blue. It could go from bad to worse if you get a judge and/or county prosecutor that dislikes predator hunters. I would get something in writing from the Game and Fish before I would do it. I've heard of people doing this in NM. I would also contact the local game and fish officer before thermal hunting at night and have some sort of proof of permission from him.

I did get a thermal binocular as a toy last month after using some friends the last couple years. I'm thinking about buying a thermal scope because there are 3 other states I regularly hunt I could use itl. I would expect NM to follow other states and make thermal illegal for big game in the future. Hopefully NM clarifies the rules and makes thermal legal but I'm not expecting this to happen anytime soon.
 
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