New
Mexico Department Of Game And Fish
Handicapped Licenses
Mobility Impaired Hunts
- Villagra Building
P.O. Box 25112
Santa Fe, NM 87504
Ph. (800) 862-9310
The Dept. of Game And Fish
offers reduced-fee hunting and fishing licenses for handicapped residents only. In
addition, elk and antelope licenses are available for Mobility Impaired hunters,
residents, or nonresidents. "Handicapped" and "Mobility Impaired" are
not the same thing; please read this information, then call if you have questions.
HANDICAPPED
HUNTING AND FISHING LICENSES
To comply with the
Americans with Disabilities Act, the regulation regarding handicapped licenses reads as
follows.
"To hold a handicapped
fishing or handicapped general hunting license, any individual must show proof of a severe
disability by reason of one or more physical disabilities resulting from amputation,
arthritis, blindness, burn injury, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular
dystrophy, musculo skeletal disorders, neurological disorders, paraplegia, quadriplegia
and other spinal cord conditions, sickle cell anemia, and end-stage renal disease, or who
has a combination of permanent disabilities which cause comparable substantial functional
limitation. Reasonable accommodation will be made, relating to these licenses, upon
request."
Effective for the 1997-98
license year, a hunter can purchase a reduce-fee handicapped license from any license
vendor by presenting proof of his residency and one of the following:
- written proof of his
disability signed by his physician
- an orange Disabled
Sportsman's Card
- a letter from the Veteran's
Administration verifying disability
The Disabled Sportsman's
Card and/or the Form MI are not required to purchase a handicapped license.
Please note: The
purchase of a handicapped license does not authorize the hunter to any special privileges
or assistance; he/she must request a Reasonable Accommodation.
MOBILITY
IMPAIRED HUNTS
To provide Mobility
Impaired hunters with hunting opportunities, the Dept. offers special elk and antelope
hunts for individuals with severe mobility restrictions. The regulation regarding Mobility
Impaired elk and antelope hunts reads as follows:
To hold a mobility impaired
elk or antelope license, "any individual must show proof of a permanent mobility
restriction which limits their activity to a walker, wheelchair, or two crutches, or
severely restricts the movement in both arms or who has a combination of permanent
disabilities which cause comparable substantial function limitation."
If you want to apply for a
mobility impaired elk or antelope hunt, and believe that you qualify under the above
regulation, your physician must complete and sign the Form MI. Please note that "a
combination of permanent disabilities" requires explanation and must involve
significant impairment of extremities which severely limits the ability of a hunter to
walk or hold a weapon.
REASONABLE
ACCOMMODATION
A holder of a Disabled
Sportsman's Card is authorized to shoot at and kill protected species during open seasons
from a stationary motor-driven vehicle that is not on a public road or highway. That
hunter may be assisted by another person in reducing a wounded animal to possession.
Many other hunters who
believe they need such privileges must receive a "reasonable accommodation;"
merely holding a handicapped license does not entitle a hunter to such privileges. Please
address your written inquiries regarding a "reasonable accommodation" to Shirley
Baker, Dept. of Game And Fish, P.O. Box 25112, Santa Fe, NM 87504
Hunters must carry their
Disabled Sportsman's Card or their reasonable accommodation form along with the
appropriate license during their hunts. If you have any questions, please contact the
Public Affairs Division at (505) 827-7911.
Call or write for
further information, Form MI, Disabled Veteran licenses, or any other application.
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