New Legislation in New Mexico

The following blog entry is from Billy Hodges, our vice president.  In it, he mentions a piece of legislation passed in New Mexico last year that will be very helpful to our organization and reviews several hunts hosted by good friends of Patriots and Heroes Outdoors - Eric and Debbie Armstrong.

Last summer, New Mexico governor Susana Martinez signed Senate Bill 262.  Dubbed the HUNTS FOR HEROES BILL, it allows wounded warriors a discounted, non-resident hunting licenses fee.  Hunting licenses for deer, antelope, elk, javelina, and turkey may be sold to non-resident, disabled U.S. military members or veterans at resident license fee rates if the applicant is undergoing a rehabilitation program utilizing hunting activities supported by the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) or an authorized non-profit organization.  The passage of the bill is already paying dividends to PATRIOTS AND HEROES OUTDOORS.

CPT Zeno McCoy returned to Cimarron, NM in November.  Eric and Debbie Armstrong had hosted Zeno the year before, but he returned to Fort Hood empty handed.  The elk were much more plentiful this year and Zeno scored his first elk on the first day of the hunt.

New Friends Sharing Good Times

The Armstrongs hosted three more wounded warriors from Fort Hood during November.  Debbie cooked a traditional Thanksgiving meal on the wood stove in the camp house.  The house sits in a five mile long valley flanked by 10,000-foot mountains.  Snow this year covered the peaks down to about 7,000 feet.  On the floor of the valley runs a clear stream rimmed with aspen trees.

Wounded Warrior SSG Pedro Ayala
with elk in New Mexico

Herds of elk move in and out of the trees feeding on lush grass in the valley. In this beautiful backdrop, our guests harvested three cow elk.

Antelope taken in New Mexico

In December, we completed the third of four events being held in New Mexico this hunting season.  The first was an antelope hunt for four wounded warriors from Fort Hood’s Warrior Transition Brigade.

They harvested four trophy “goats” in five days and called in several very unlucky coyotes.  One of the coyotes was even taken with a pistol.