New Mexico Hunters: Expect Roadblocks this Hunting Season
Russ Chastain 10.16.14
Welcome to New Mexico, land of enchantment. Prepare to be randomly stopped on the road without cause.
Enchanted yet?
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish recently released a statement announcing their intention to erect roadblocks “to collect harvest data and to detect wildlife law violations” during 2014 hunting seasons.
The statement reads, in part:
“At roadblocks, conservation officers also will check for compliance with the Off Highway Motor Vehicle Act and the Aquatic Invasive Species Control Act. Drivers of vehicles hauling wood products will be asked to produce documentation as required by the Forest Conservation Act.
“Department officers may be assisted by other law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Police or county sheriff’s offices. As a result, the public may encounter minor delays.”
What they’re saying is that the government pretty much owns us and may detain us whenever it wishes in order to see whether or not we are behaving according to their standards. I’m not a fan.
Listen, I hate poachers as much as anyone, and I want them to be caught and prosecuted. But I do not believe in police agencies harassing citizens just because they’re traveling a certain road at a certain time, delaying their travel, forcing them to produce their “papers,” and to look for violations that may or may not exist.
No doubt other folks have other opinions, and that’s fine. Either way, the bottom line is the same: NM officials will be searching for reasons to arrest and impose fines upon folks during hunting seasons. Don’t give them any.
