New Mexico Department of Game & FishWildlife Management DivisionEric Rominger/Elise GoldsteinP.O. Box 25112Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504 or Booth #1505New Mexico Desert Bighorn Sheep PermitIn 2012 the New Mexico Legislature created a 2nd Special Bighorn Sheep Permit. Therefore, for the 1st time the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is to auction a special desert bighorn sheep permit AND a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep permit. NMDGF is pleased to have selected the Wild Sheep Foundation to auction this permit. As authorized by state law, the Bighorn Sheep Enhancement Program will receive 90% of the proceeds for projects to benefit bighorn sheep with 10% of the proceeds retained by the Wild Sheep Foundation. Anyone, including previous special permit holders, may submit a bid to obtain the 2013 special desert bighorn permit unless their hunting privileges have been revoked. The permit may be transferred by the successful bidder to an individual qualified to hunt.The 1st state-wide desert bighorn sheep hunt is currently underway. At press time twenty rams have been harvested with fifteen measured as B&C record book rams. This includes a ram officially scoring 187 B&C. Seventeen of the last 22 desert rams harvested in the Peloncillo Mountains, have been B&C record book rams. Jim Hens, World Record Pope and Young desert bighorn sheep is from New Mexico and the state record harvested ram, is Russ Young€™s 188 2/8 B&C ram taken in 2006. Currently there are six populations with hunts for the 2013 season. The successful bidder must select by June 1, 2013 one hunt from any unit open for desert bighorn sheep hunting in New Mexico, including