Poaching trophy game may become felony

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - Wildlife officials say it's a cruel crime affecting animals across the state: poachers killing big game, leaving the meat to rot and taking the heads for money.

Now Department of Game and Fish officials are pushing state lawmakers to approve tougher punishment for these criminals.

House Bill 55, which would make trophy poaching a fourth-degree felony, is making its way through the Roundhouse as the session ends toward adjournment on Saturday. Those who support the law said it'll serve as a better deterrent for these crimes.
    
Some of the images shared by authorities are disturbing. Deer and big game are part of the landscape in New Mexico. They're often close to urban areas this time of year, making them vulnerable to poachers.

A photo from Game and Fish from a case this week south of Roswell near Dexter shows the headless carcass of a buck.

"The key word is criminal.  This has nothing to do with hunting," said Col. Robert Griego of the Game and Fish Field Operations Division.  "This is blatant criminal activities.

"They're not hunters.  They're just severe poachers."

The mature buck's carcass was found in a field with the meat left to rot. Game and Fish said this is just one of hundreds of cases they've investigated over the last couple years.

"Those are just the ones that we know about, so we can safely assume that there's several more," said Griego.   "It's an easy way to make big money.  You get a big mule deer or a big elk, it's tens of thousands of dollars they can make on these heads."

Depending on the size, a trophy head can net hundreds to thousands of dollars on the black market," he added.

With current law, poachers face misdemeanors, which means investigators have two years to solve the case. The offender faces a maximum $1,000 fine and six months in jail for a first offense but often receives less.
    
Making trophy poaching a fourth-degree felony would give investigators five years to work cases and add more jail time and higher fines for those convicted.

There's something else Griego believes will be a deterrent.  A felon cannot possess a gun.

"Just the connection that individuals often have to a particular firearm, the thought of losing that firearm also serves as a good deterrent for us," he explained.

If the new law passes, officers would also be able to extradite criminals from other states for poaching. Aside from protecting wildlife, state Rep. Alonzo Baldonado, R-Los Lunas, said stopping poachers is important for legitimate hunting.

"It's an economic driver for our state," Baldonado told KRQE News 13.  "Folks come from all over the world to hunt in New Mexico.

"It helps our economy, and it's an important thing to protect our resource."

The House already has approved Baldonado's bill, and on Wednesday night the Senate Judiciary Committee approved it 8-1. Supporters still need a full vote on the Senate floor before it can go to the governor for her signature or veto.

Griego said the bill does have the governor's support. He added, the new law would give officers more time to link DNA evidence when they come across trophy heads while serving search warrants.