Young hunters and others who need to complete a hunter education course to be eligible to hunt in New Mexico and many other states now have another free option to help them.

The Department of Game and Fish and Huntercourse.com are offering a free online manual and interactive hunter education course that qualifies as the homework requirement for the New Mexico course. The department spent $20,000 to provide the online course and manual to students at no charge through April 30, 2013. It is one of two online courses offered on the Department website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us. The second course, through Hunter-Ed.com, costs $24.50.

New Mexico law requires anyone younger than age 18 to have successfully completed an approved hunter education course before hunting with a firearm or bow or applying for a firearm or bow hunting license.

The department offers two types of hunter education courses: an accelerated eight-hour course for students ages 11 or older, and a standard course that includes 16 hours of class time. Both courses require students to have read the manual and have completed the online or paper homework assignment before the class begins.

Registration for all classes is online through the department website by clicking on the “Hunter Education” button on the home page. Students will be assigned a free customer identification number, which is required to register for all classes. The same number is required to buy hunting, fishing or trapping licenses online or to apply for any of the Department’s special drawing hunts.

Students can acquire free hard copies of the manual at department offices or other specified locations following registration.

Students without Internet access can get customer identification numbers and register for hunter education classes at Department offices in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Raton, Roswell and Las Cruces during regular business hours.

For information about the Hunter Education Program please call (505) 222-4731.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Free Online Hunter Education Courses and Manuals Offered by New Mexico DGF

Bear season begins soon at a trash can or dumpster near you.

To make this a safe spring and summer for bears and humans, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is encouraging the public to manage their trash properly.

“Everyone needs to keep their trash in an enclosed container stored in a secure building,” said Rick Winslow, large carnivore biologist for the department. “Only put your trash out on the morning it will be collected and hauled away.”

Every year, bears that come into towns searching for food are caught and relocated or killed by department employees. Bears are killed when conservation officers determine the bears are a threat to public safety. Bears that regularly feed on garbage can lose their fear of humans and consider humans as a source of food. This year, the department will increase its efforts to eliminate trash-habituated bears.

“This is potentially a very dangerous situation,” Winslow said. “If people care about bears and their own safety, they won’t let this happen.

Populations of bears and humans have grown significantly in New Mexico. In 1925, just prior to bears being protected as game animals, a conservative estimate of the bears on U.S. Forest Service land was 660 animals. Today, the statewide estimate exceeds 6,000 bears.

To illustrate the problem trash creates for bears and bear managers, the Department of Game and Fish produced a short documentary about bears and trash in the City of Raton.

The department is working with Raton and San Miguel County to address their trash management issues. The agency is trying to obtain grant money to purchase new bear-resistant dumpsters. Raton has 3,200 residential dumpsters and 800 business dumpsters for a population of 7,000 residents.

“The City of Raton has agreed to enter into an agreement with Game and Fish to get rid of all the dumpsters in town and replace them with larger, bear-proof, containers, which should reduce human/bear conflicts in the community,” said Officer Clint Henson.

“We have worked toward this goal for many years,” he said. “This will reduce potential human injury and will assuredly keep many bears from becoming habituated to human food.”

• A screening of the department’s video, “The Modern Black Bear: Born Wild, Raised on Trash” and a news conference is scheduled at 1 p.m.  May 3 at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park’s Education Center in Albuquerque. Other screenings will be shown around the state, and dates and times will be available soon on the department’s website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us.

In addition to improved trash management, the department encourages homeowners to:

• Pick fruit as it ripens and do not allow it to rot on the ground.
• Do not feed seed to birds in mountain communities between April 15and Nov. 1.
• Remove hummingbird feeders if bears are using them.
• If water is attracting bears, do not provide it. That includes decorative fountains and bird baths.
• Do not feed pets outside.
• Clean barbeque grills thoroughly and place them in a secure building.
• Do not stack wood against your home as bears are attracted to rodents.
• Pick up trash immediately if it is scattered by bears or other animals.

“We recognize that it’s a thrill to see the bears in town or being released back into the wild on the TV news, but fed bears are dead bears,” Winslow said.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Trash Management Key to Managing New Mexico Bear Issues

Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) announce the hiring of Jake Swafford as the organizations’ initial Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist in New Mexico. Swafford is located at the NRCS Portales Field Office in Portales, New Mexico, and covers Chaves, Curry, De Baca, Eddy, Guadalupe, Lea, Quay and Roosevelt Counties. Swafford started March 26, during the third week of CRP General Sign-up 43. For the duration of the sign-up, which continues until April 6, Pheasants Forever and partners are actively working to re-enroll a fourth of New Mexico’s total CRP acres, which are set to expire by the end of this year.

“From Ring-necked Pheasants to Lesser Prairie Chickens, New Mexico is a state well-known for its upland wildlife and unique habitat,” says Steve Riley, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist Coordinator, “A Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist, like Jake, is just what the state needs to further its outdoor culture, and the timing of his start coincides with the especially critical CRP General Sign-up 43. CRP acres, which will disappear if we don’t act quickly, are the main vehicle for keeping New Mexico’s wildlife in sustainable populations—especially the Lesser Prairie Chickens. To meet the goals of the partnership, Jake will be working with partners from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), New Mexico Game and Fish (NMGF) and other local conservationists.”

Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists work to provide technical assistance to farmers and ranchers—through one-on-one consulting—regarding the benefits of conservation programs (such as the Conservation Reserve Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program). By working with landowners to develop and implement individual wildlife management plans, these biologists represent Pheasants Forever’s on-the-ground efforts in ensuring landowners are aware of conservation program options. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever initiated the Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist Program in 2003 with 4 positions, and it has since grown to more than 100 partnership positions located throughout the country.

Swafford grew up in Columbia, Missouri, in an avid outdoor family. His favorite activities included deer hunting, hiking and spending weekends canoeing local streams with his father. Through his time outdoors, Swafford found he had a passion for wildlife. He later used this passion to earn a dual bachelor’s degree in Forestry and Fisheries & Wildlife from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

While in school, Swafford was a key member of Missouri Department of Conservation research teams that gathered data on river otter populations in the Missouri Ozarks and prairie chicken populations in the plains of northwest Missouri. In the Ozarks, he worked with local anglers and landowners to better communicate the department’s otter-management goals. Upon graduation, Swafford worked as a wildlife resource aide for the Missouri Department of Conservation, which gave him the opportunity to gain hands-on wildlife and land management experience. “It is great to now be working with landowners towards common management goals,” Swafford noted.

Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists are employees of, and supervised by PF/QF with daily instruction and leadership provided by NRCS and NMGF. Grant funding is provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to focus attention on upland wildlife—especially Lesser Prairie Chickens. Funding from NFWF includes contributions from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Additional funding support has been provided by local sources such as NRCS—New Mexico, NMGF, PF/QF, Grasslands Charitable Foundation and the Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management.

Swafford can be reached at (575) 201-8117 or Email Jake. For more information on Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever in New Mexico, please contact Steve Riley at (402) 433-5078 / Email Steve.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - First Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist in New Mexico Starts During CRP Sign-up

The New Mexico Game Commission will hear several proposals from the Department of Game and Fish involving wildlife management and conservation during its meeting Thursday, April 5, in Gallup.

Thursday’s meeting will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Council Chamber of Gallup City Hall, 110 W. Aztec Ave., in Gallup. The full agenda, detailed agenda-item briefings and other information are available on the Department of Game and Fish website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us, or by calling (505) 476-8008. Details of proposed rules and opportunities to comment about them also are available on the website.

Agenda items include:

• Proposed amendments to the Bear and Cougar Rule to separate depredation and road kills from hunting harvest limits, modify bear zones, extend Valle Vidal spring bear season to May 15, increase cougar season to yearlong statewide and increase the cougar bag limit to two adult cougars. The amendments are not expected to increase total bear and cougar mortalities compared to previous years. An additional amendment would modify cougar management objectives to protect the Dry Cimarron bighorn sheep herd.

• Proposed amendments to the Antelope Private Land Use System and Pronghorn Antelope rules to address implementation concerns and adjust deadlines to the system used to allocate antelope hunting authorizations to private landowners.

• Proposed amendments to the Bighorn Sheep Rule to add two enhancement licenses approved by the 2012 Legislature, and to adjust license numbers to reflect changes in bighorn sheep populations.

• A proposal to reorganize Department of Game and Fish staff and divisions to more efficiently address Department business needs and customer service.

State Game Commission meetings are broadcast live over the Internet and can be accessed from Gov. Susana Martinez’s website, http://www.governor.state.nm.us/Webcast.aspx. Information about how to view the streaming video is available on the website.

The State Game Commission is composed of seven members who represent the state’s diverse interests in wildlife-associated recreation and conservation. Members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. Current members are Chairman Jim McClintic, Vice-chairman Thomas “Dick” Salopek, Tom Arvas, Bill Montoya, Scott Bidegain, Paul M. Kienzle and Robert Espinoza Sr.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - New Mexico Game Commission to Meet Thursday in Gallup

Hunters and anglers who purchased hunting and fishing licenses while applying online for New Mexico’s 2012-13 big-game licenses should have received them by e-mail Thursday evening. The licenses, needed April 1 for fishing, and to purchase a spring turkey license, also are available for printing from customer accounts on the Department of Game and Fish website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us.

The application deadline for 2012-13 deer, elk, antelope, oryx, ibex, bighorn sheep, Barbary sheep and javelina was 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 28. Results will be available May 9 on the Department website and May 23 by phone.

Hunters and anglers are advised to carry a printed version of the receipt while in the field, as it serves as the customer’s license. Receipts include personal information about the customer and verification of which types of licenses, stamps and permits were purchased. Each receipt also will include an authorization number, which on its own serves as a license.

For more information, please call toll-free (888)248-6866.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - New Mexico 2012-2013 Hunting Licenses are in the Mail

Landowners in easternNew Mexicomay see low-flying helicopters this spring as state wildlife agencies conduct a large-scale aerial survey of lesser prairie chicken booming grounds across the High Plains region.

Helicopters will fly at 35 to 40 mph about 80 feet above ground over 200 85-square-mile blocks of property in and around the estimated range of the species in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. Flights were scheduled to begin around March 30 and to conclude in mid-May. Towns, feedlots and houses will be avoided, and pilots will make special efforts to avoid disturbing livestock.

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish will join wildlife agencies fromTexas,Oklahoma,Kansas, and Colorado, West Ecosystems, Inc., andTexasTechUniversityin the survey. The lesser prairie chicken is under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“These surveys will allow state fish and wildlife agencies to monitor population trends of the species range-wide,” said Grant Beauprez, the Department’s Portales-based lesser prairie chicken biologist. “The data, combined with other ongoing conservation efforts, will help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service make a decision about whether to list the species.”

Information from the surveys also will be used to help conserve the bird in partnership with landowners and private industries, including oil and gas, wind energy and electric utilities.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Low Flying Helicopters Assist New Mexico Prairie Chicken Surveys

Hunters who need help applying online for New Mexico big-game hunting licenses before the March 28 application deadline can get it either on the telephone or by attending one of several computer-assisted sessions at various communities this weekend.

This year, the Department of Game and Fish eliminated paper application forms in favor of a paperless online system designed to streamline the application and licensing process and make drawing results and refunds available much sooner.

The application deadline is 5 p.m. March 28 for 2012-13 deer, elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, Barbary sheep, ibex, oryx and javelina licenses. Hunters are encouraged to start the online application process early as the application program will shut down promptly at 5 p.m. March 28. Applications still in process at 5 p.m. will be rejected. The Department began accepting applications Jan. 4.

Hunters without computer access or who need assistance applying can call toll-free, (888) 248-6866 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. Telephone application assistance will end at 4 p.m. March 28.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Apply for New Mexico Hunting Licenses by Mar. 28 Deadline

The beautiful, talented and accomplished turkey caller Mikayla Nixon, still a senior in high school, continues to actively compete in contests across the country as her schedule allows. She strives to hold her existing titles, and is looking to grab even more! It is very exciting to see a young girl actively involved in the outdoors and hunting, and amazing to see her competing in calling contests around the country!

Mikayla began competing at the early age of 4 when she took 2nd place in a calling competition, with her sister Marlaina winning first place. The two girls’ father, Shaine Nixon, an avid turkey hunter, has raised both of his daughters to appreciate and participate in hunting in the great outdoors. He is the motivational inspiration for Mikayla and her calling ventures, and supports her ambitions and strives to make it all happen for her with the limited time that she has. Mikayla has been limited to contests she could attend as a senior in high school and is very involved in many extra curricular activities. Shaine Nixon explains, “Since then she has been limited to contests she could attend with school and all that she is in. In January she didn’t get to defend her title (reigning State Champion Senior Friction) because she was on one side of Dallas at a Future Business Leaders of America convention as a high school senior representative from her school, while the rest of us were at Bass Pro in Grapevine at the state calling contest.”

Here are just a few of Mikalya’s latest accomplishments while she works to add even more!

• 2011 – (4 time Winner) Texas Junior State championship.
• 2011 Winner State Senior Friction – Her first time in that division (see report here:  http://www.nwtf.org/texas/2011_calling_contest.html)
• 2012 Mack’s Prairie Wings calling contest Stuttgart, AR. This event was billed as the “King of the Delta” and had all the major junior and senior callers participating.
• 10th in the friction which included ten of the best pro callers in the world.
• 3rd in the Intermediate Division
• 2012 World Championships in Mobile, AL
• 3rd place in the Amateur which was opened up to all the junior callers
• 4th place in the Juniors which had three winners competing from the NWTF Grand Nationals Calling contest in Nashville this year, 2012.
• 13th place in the Friction Division, competing against professional men, which places Mikayla 13th in the world.

Up coming events:

• 2012 Clay County World Champion Turkey Fest in Henrietta, TX, referred to as the “Battle of the Beards”.

Mikayla is looking forward to being one of a three person team with her father, Shaine Nixon and good friend Bobby Woods. Bobby is 2012 NWTF Grand Champion Friction Caller, and 4 time 2012 World Champion Friction Caller. If all goes well, this will be both Bobby and Mikalya’s first Rio Grande Turkey! Check out their facebook page now for events and list of all teams that will include even more celebrities isuch as Hal Shaffer, Ken Cobb, Mike Stroff, Jamie Satterfield, and many more.

2012 World Turkey Calling Contest, L-R 2nd Place Anna Leigh McGraw, 1st Place Emily Oliver, 3rd Place Mikayla Nixon. History was made with these awards, as it was the first time a female has won this division, and the first time females took all three places!!

The picture above makes a statement in history. See a detailed article here about this history making event: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/03/arkansas_teen_becomes_first_fe.html

Mikayla has had her plate full these last few years along with honing her “Gift for Turkey Gab”.  She played varsity softball as a freshman and sophomore on a very competitive team that won 36 games one year and lost in the state semi-finals n Austin. She has served as president of Harleton High School FFA. She is currently a Member of Future Business Leaders of America and coaching her sister Maleigha’s “12 and under” softball team. Mikayla has received the Presidents award for Academic Excellence and attendance. She has traveled 30,000 miles in one year with father Shaine, for turkey calling competitions, and she did not miss a day that year of school, and maintains an honor roll report! Mikayla is a giving person and volunteers for NWTF‘s “Women in the Outdoors” and JAKES programs. She has accomplished 4 time state junior championships, and won the Texas State Friction in 2011 beating the senior men.

“Mostly. I just love being with her. She has an incredible personality and her hunting skills are awesome. She loves people, and really talk to anyone!” says Shaine Nixon, a father full of admiration.

Since meeting Shaine and speaking with Mikayla, I have been anxious to spread the news and commend this remarkable young woman. I am hoping that you too will share this story which will help to inform, encourage, and inspire other youth to get involved in outdoors activities, calling in turkeys is fun, and all forms of competition is good for the soul!

There are so many resources available for children of all ages such as NWTF Jakes check out events in your area, http://www.nwtf.org/jakes/, NRA focuses on many outdoor activities in addition to gun safety, including Wildlife Art! http://www.nra.org/programs.aspx, also check OutdoorHub.com for current youth news,events and programs! http://www.outdoorhub.com/category/general-outdoors/youth-outdoors/

One form of inspiration may not be immediately obvious, but after recently attending a Hunter Education Class myself, I am acutely aware that this class is not just for hunters, it should be presented to all persons of all ages that would like to begin any outdoor activity. It addresses firearm safety, and being familiar with gun safety is a plus, whether or not you plan to ever handle one. Wildlife Management Agencies in most states also offer special programs and activities for youth, so check your with your local agencies here http://www.fws.gov/offices/statelinks.html.

Shaine Nixon, Mikayla's Dad provides some insight to this great moment... "Mikayla in Cloudcroft New Mexico in April 2011 with her Merriams turkey, elevation 8600 ft, after 12 hours chasing the same turkey. We got on him at 7 am and she shot him at 6. 40 pm. We were always n sight of him but he wouldn't come n so we stayed with him all day. It was the greatest hunt I have ever shared with someone and I've called n 376 turkeys as of last weekend."

Congratulations to you Mikayla on all of your accomplishments and good luck in all of your future endeavors! Kudos to her dad Shaine for the support and encouragement he shows for his girls!

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - High School Senior Mikayla Nixon Can Talk Turkey with the Best of Them!

Honored American Veterans Afield [HAVA] hosted retired Army Corporal Nick Orchowski, his wife and 2 children on a once-in-a-lifetime 5-day Barbary Sheep hunt on the Felix Canyon Ranch in Flying H, New Mexico. Nick is a severely disabled Iraq war veteran who has recovered partial use of his legs and left arm after an explosion near Baghdad in 2004 threw him almost 60 yards and damaged his cervical spine and right side. Now ambulatory after many months in a wheelchair, he relished stalking sheep over miles of shale and cactus covered mountains at 5,500 feet in below freezing temperatures, with only an occasional assist from a nearby Tomcar all-terrain vehicle.

“It was truly inspirational to walk beside this American hero and his family for 5 days of hunting and watch his joy at returning to the outdoor life that he loved before his deployment,” said HAVA Outreach Manager Heath Gunns. “Stalking an animal was a major challenge for Nick in this rough terrain, but there was nary a complaint and always an infectious enthusiasm as he struggled over that next ridge.”

“This was the first hunting vacation that we have had as a family since Nick got hurt,” said wife Jamie. “What a blast to see him relish the challenge, and despite not getting the ram that he had dreamed of, to have him know that he will be ready for his next hunting adventure – you could see the joy all over his face. HAVA has done for Nick what all of the doctors could never do for him – give him back his confidence.”

For more information about HAVA, please visit www.honoredveterans.org.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - HAVA Hosts Recovering Quadriplegic on Barbary Sheep Hunt

Hunters who need access to computers or need help with the Department of Game and Fish online-only license application system can find both at locations statewide beginning Saturday, Feb. 25.

Department representatives and staff will be available at 17 locations around the state to help hunters apply for 2012-13 licenses for deer, elk, antelope, oryx, ibex, bighorn sheep, Barbary Sheep and javelina. Sessions will be Feb. 25, March 10, March 11, March 24 and March 25. The application deadline is 5 p.m. March 28.

This year, the Department eliminated paper application forms in favor of a paperless online system designed to streamline the application and licensing process and make drawing results and refunds available much sooner. Hunters who need help with the online process can attend one of the statewide sessions or call the toll-free assistance line, (888) 248-6866. Trained representatives will guide customers through the application process in person or over the phone.

For more information about the online application process and other changes that will affect hunters this year, please visit www.wildlife.state.nm.us or call (888) 248-6866.

Here is a list of times, dates and places where hunters can get access to computers and help with their online license applications:

Feb. 25 (all sessions 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

• Ruidoso –Eastern New Mexico University branch,709 Mechem Drive, Gateway Lab No. 100.
• Silver City –Western New Mexico University,Besse-Forward Global Resource Center, corner of Florida and 12th streets, Room 103.
• Tucumcari – Mesalands College, 911 South 10^th St., Room A114.
• Belen –Teacher Resource Center Lab,997 Esperanza Drive, NW, behind McDonald’s.

March 10 (all sessions 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

• Portales – Eastern New Mexico University, 1305 W.Second St.,University Computer Center, Room 107.
• Las Cruces – Dona Ana Community College, 3400 South Espina St, General Classroom Building, 171.
• Clayton – Clayton High School, 323 South 5^th St., Room 12.
• Farmington – San Juan Community College, “Copper Top” Building, Information Tech Building, Parking Loop P off College Ave., Room 7126 (downstairs).

March 11 (all sessions 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

• Roswell – Eastern New Mexico University, 23 W. Mathis, Instructional Technical Center, Room 105.
• Truth or Consequences –WesternNew MexicoUniversity, 601 Sunset, Room 1.
• Chama –Escalante High School,State Highway 531, Tierra Amarilla.

March 24 (all sessions 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

• Carlsbad –Carlsbad Library,101 S. Halagueno St.
• Socorro – New Mexico Tech, northwest corner of Leroy andBullock Ave.,ISDBuilding, training room 106.
• Las Vegas –New Mexico Highlands University, corner of Baca and Mora avenues, Purple Pub Computer Lab,Student Center, second floor.
• Santa Rosa –LunaCommunity College.

March 25 (all sessions 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

• Alamogordo –New Mexico State University,2400 Scenic Drive,RoomSC 135.
• Quemado –Quemado High School,U.S. 60 east of the intersection with N.M. 36.
• Raton –RatonHigh School,1535 Tiger Circle, Room 220.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Help Available for New Mexico Online Hunting License Applications