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More Elk Hunts Available For Youth & Late-Season Archery Hunters

New Mexico Game and Fish

SANTA FE, NM --(AmmoLand.com)- More than 2,200 elk hunting licenses, including 1,995 set aside for youth hunters, will be available soon in a first-come, first-served sale on the Department of Game and Fish Web site.

Only hunters who were unsuccessful in the regular drawings or did not hold a 2009-2010 elk license are eligible to purchase the late-season licenses, which will be available only on the Department Web site.

The sale for Youth Encouragement Elk Hunts will begin at 10 a.m. Oct. 28. The sale for archery bull elk licenses for hunters of any age will begin at 10 a.m. Nov. 4. Please consult the 2009-2010 Big-Game Rules and Information Booklet for more details. It is available at all Department offices and license vendors statewide, and on the Department Web site, www.wildlife.state.nm.us.

Hunters are strongly advised to obtain an online customer account or review their existing account, user name and password before the sales begin. The sale is first-come, first-served and popular hunts sell out quickly.

Youth Encouragement Hunts sale, 10 a.m. Oct. 28
Youth hunters who were unsuccessful in any of the drawings for deer, elk, antelope, oryx, ibex or bighorn sheep are eligible to purchase licenses for Youth Encouragement Hunts. Available hunts for any legal sporting arm include 190 either-sex licenses and 1,605 cow elk licenses in Game Management Units statewide. Another 200 either-sex muzzleloader or archery licenses also are available. A list of available hunts, dates and units is available in the Big-Game Rules and Information Booklet and on the Department Web site. Eligible youth hunters must be younger than age 18 before the opening day of the hunt and have successfully completed an approved hunter education course before buying a license.

Late-season archery bull elk hunt sale, 10 a.m. Nov. 4
The Department is offering 275 late-season archery hunts for trophy bull elk in three Game Management Units. The bag limit for all three hunts is one bull elk with antlers that have at least six points on one side. Hunters who did not hold a 2009-2010 elk license are eligible for the hunts. Available hunts:

• Unit 12: Nov. 21-25, 25 licenses.
• Unit 34: Dec. 12-16, 200 licenses.
• Unit 37: Dec. 5-9, 50 licenses.

More late-season archery elk licenses may become available as the Department continues to assess annual population and harvest information, regional herd management objectives and additional harvest needs. Because these assessments require information gathered during fall aerial surveys and regular fall hunts, the licenses are made available via online, first-come, first-served sale. Distributing them through the normal draw process is unrealistic as it requires significantly more time than is available to ensure all successful hunters receive their licenses before the start of their hunt.

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Hunter Photographs Mountain Lion In Northwest Kansas
First official documentation of live wild mountain lion in state.

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

WAKEENEY KS —-(AmmoLand.com)- Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) staff have verified that a mountain lion was photographed by a deer hunter northwest of Wakeeney. The sighting is the first ever live wild mountain lion documentation in Kansas although many other reports have been received in the past.

The hunter who took the photographs was setting in a tree stand when the mountain lion materialized near a pile of corn the man was hunting over. The hunter grabbed his camera and took multiple photos as the lion approached within 10 feet of the tree stand. The animal looked up at him, then moved out of site. The entire encounter lasted less than a minute, and the lion never stopped walking.

“KDWP received photographs of the animal, and staff were able to verify that the location was in Kansas, and the story seemed legitimate,” said Matt Peek, KDWP furbearer research biologist.

Although the origin of this mountain lion is unknown, mountain lions have appeared with varying frequency in other Midwestern states since the 1990s, presumably moving from western populations that have increased for decades. Most of these animals have been young males, which are capable of moving hundreds of miles in search of females and suitable habitat.

This is the second apparently wild mountain lion verified by evidence in Kansas in modern times. In November, 2007, a young male mountain lion was shot by a landowner in Barber County. Prior to that, the last documented occurrence was in 1904.

“KDWP receives numerous reports of mountain lion sightings annually,” Peek added, “but almost all have either been cases of mistaken identity or lacked physical evidence indicating a mountain lion had been present.”

There is no open hunting season for mountain lions in Kansas. Landowners may kill wildlife on their premises, including mountain lions, for damage to property or for being in or near buildings, but such animals may not be possessed with intent to use.

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