If you’re going hunting this year in New Mexico, you know that you probably need to have a license in order to take any game. The standard way that most people approach this is to purchase the license first, go hunting, and then use the license when they’re dropping the game off for processing.
However, you may not be all that confident that you’re actually going to shoot anything. Are you allowed to just hunt without a license and then buy one if you actually do take any animals?
The license needs to be purchased in advance
Unfortunately, doing this is not allowed. As the state government notes: “A license must be purchased and possessed by anyone hunting game species in New Mexico.”
As you can see, this says that a license has to be owned by someone who is hunting, not just by someone who is actively taking game. There are many times that you may go out hunting and not even see anything, let alone be successful. But you still need to have a license at these times to give you permission to go on those hunting excursions.
This does mean that buying a license is something of a risk. You could theoretically buy a license and never even see any game, making you feel like you wasted your money. But if you run into fish and game officers without a license, they are certainly not going to take for an excuse the fact that you were going to buy one after you’d had a successful hunt.
If you do find yourself facing any charges, be sure you know what legal options you have. An experienced defense can help you obtain a positive outcome to your case.
