Himalayan Tahr in New Mexico

ICgamer said:

Not sure if the OP already got the info they needed, but I was just exchanging some info with an Associate Prof that studies some stuff related to asian goats so I happened to be looking this very subject up and wanted to share what I've learned from previous research.
So I moved to NM when I retired from the military in 2010, didn't start hunting for several years but once I did, like our OP, I took an immediate notice to the line that appeared every year in our Hunting rules and info...In the 2024-2025 guide Himalayan Tahr are listed on page 29 and 157 as "non game" species.
So, I too went on a bit of a quest.
As it turns out, it's not that big of a mystery, but it did take me a while to find, and it's actually not that difficult or pricey to do.
You'll spend more money shooting a domestic ram that's been released into a big pasture in TX than to hunt a Tahr in NM.
The story goes something like this, and please keep in mind, I'm no hunting historian, just a curious guy who did some "internet research".
It turns out that one of the Native American tribes (in this case the Laguna Pueblo tribe) decided to follow in the footsteps of previous New Mexicans and try to cash in on the "exotics" boom like Ibex, Oryx and Barbary Sheep. So they imported a handful of Himalayan Tahr into the state and released them on Tribal Land...emphasis on TRIBAL.
So you can go through the Tribal authority and book a hunt, it's way cheaper than I thought. I'll list links below. For the 2024-2025 season it's showing $800 for the tag, but only a single tag available for non tribal member. Don't let this get anyone too excited about the price though. Most Tribal hunting requires you hire a Tribal member as a guide and I read somewhere that Tahr hunting requires a helicopter for access, so take that for what its worth.
As to why the state of NM would bother listing Tahr at all, well what I heard was that if they could turn back the hands of time, they would never allow the importation of Ibex, Oryx or Barbary sheep. I know the Barbary Sheep for sure are putting pressure on mule deer. So the goal is to make sure that any Tahr that wander off of Reservation property and killed ASAP, they don't want a breeding population to expand.
Now if I can find it, i'll post it, because I came across an interesting story of a guy who found all this same info out yet took the time to travel to NM from out of state and sit his butt right on the Reservation boundary where the Tahr were purported to be at, and was patient enough to wait until one came off the Res and he got himself one, so it can be done, but it wasn't easy.
Anyway, I hope this helps shed some light, and if I made any mistakes I'm confident they're slight and not intended. GL and please share any further updates.

Hunting Information | Pueblo of Laguna

www.lagunapueblo-nsn.gov

https://www.lagunapueblo-nsn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-25-Over-the-Counter-Permit-List.pdf

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