New Mexico Register / Volume XXXVII, Issue 8 / April 21, 2026

STATE GAME COMMISSION MEETING AND RULE MAKING NOTICE

The New Mexico State Game Commission (“Commission”) will be hosting a meeting and rule hearing on Friday May 28, 2026 beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the NM Institute of Mining and Technology, Fidel Student Union Building, 801 Leroy Pl., Socorro, NM 87801. Please check the Department’s website for any changes at https://wildlife.dgf.nm.gov/commission/meeting-agendas/. The purpose of this meeting is to hear and consider action as appropriate on the proposed changes to the Turkey Rule and the Javelina Rule.

Synopsis:

Turkey Rule

The proposal is to amend the Turkey Rule 19.31.16 NMAC which will become effective April 1, 2027. The most recent version of the rule will expire on March 31, 2027. The proposed changes are as follows:

1. Adjust hunt dates based on calendar dates

2. Increase up-to permit number for Gould’s once-in-a-lifetime hunt in GMU 26 and 27 to 15

3. In unit 8, increase permits from 15 to 20

4. Require the purchase of a license at least one day prior to hunting.

Javelina Rule

The proposal is to amend the Javelina Rule 19.31.21 NMAC which will become effective April 1, 2027. The most recent version of the rule will expire on March 31, 2027. The proposed changes are as follows:

1. Increase licenses in OTC areas - Any-legal weapon: 1,200 increasing to 1,300 (8%)

2. Expand the validity of the GMUs 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 (bootheel) javelina licenses to include OTC areas (excluding GMU 28), effectively making these “statewide” licenses. This approach is consistent with an existing youth hunt, which already allows this.

3. Eliminate GMU 28 hunt of 10 licenses (only 30% of hunters show up for hunt and its logistically challenging for the military to implement).

4. Require the purchase of a license at least one day prior to hunting.

A full text of changes for all rules will be available on the Department’s website at: https://wildlife.dgf.nm.gov/. Interested persons may submit comments on the proposed changes for the Turkey Rule to DGF-Gamebird@dgf.nm.gov, and for the Javelina Rule to DGF-Javelina-Rule@dgf.nm.gov . Individuals may also submit written comments to the physical address below. Comments are due by 1:00 p.m. on May 26^th, 2026. The final proposed rules will be voted on by the Commission during a public meeting on May 28, 2026. Interested persons may also provide data, views or arguments, orally or in writing, at the public rule hearings to be held on May 28, 2026.

Full copies of text of the proposed new rules, technical information related to proposed rule changes, and the agenda can be obtained from the Office of the Director, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, 1 Wildlife Way, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507, or from the Department’s website at https://wildlife.dgf.nm.gov/commission/proposals-under-consideration/. This agenda is subject to change up to 72 hours prior to the meeting. Please contact the Director’s Office at (505) 476-8000, or the Department’s website at https://wildlife.dgf.nm.gov/ for updated information.

If you are an individual with a disability who is in need of a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter, or any other form of auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in the hearing or meeting, please contact the Department at (505) 476-8000 at least one week prior to the meeting or as soon as possible. Public documents, including the agenda and minutes, can be provided in various accessible formats. Please contact the Department at 505-476-8000 if a summary or other type of accessible format is needed.

Legal authority for this rulemaking can be found in the General Powers and Duties of the State Game Commission 17-1-14, et seq. NMSA 1978; Commission’s Power to establish rules and regulations 17-1-26, et seq. NMSA 1978.