Scott Wyland, The Santa Fe New Mexican

Sat, Jul 15, 2023, 8:33 PM PDT·5 min read

https://sports.yahoo.com/mexico-debates-raising-hunting-limits-033300816.html

Jul. 15—State wildlife managers are considering increased hunting limits for black bears and cougars in New Mexico, citing research that indicates their populations are growing in some areas of New Mexico.

The state Game and Fish Department will hold meetings in Albuquerque, Roswell, Las Cruces and Raton this week to gather public comment on whether the hunting limits should be raised to manage the populations.

Opening bears and cougars to more hunting is often a contentious issue throughout the West, with conservationists decrying the increased killing of animals they say are vital to the ecosystem while ranchers generally support the effort to thin the number of predators that might attack their herds.

Although the agency doesn’t mention ranchers in its proposal, they are almost always a consideration when a state looks to kill…