This is not a sympathetic news source, but if this indeed happened, there should be other sources soon. Reuters is cited as the news source, and they are reputable.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news ... ar-killing
Thomson Reuters February 18, 2014 8:27pm
Chair of New Mexico Game Commission resigns after cougar killing
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By Jonathan Kaminksy
(Reuters) - The chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission has resigned after he was accused of helping to illegally hunt a cougar on his family's cattle ranch earlier this month, the agency said on Tuesday.
Scott Bidegain was charged with one misdemeanor count of being an accessory to the unlawful killing of a cougar, said Department of Game and Fish spokeswoman Rachel Shockley.
The commission enforces hunting and fishing regulations.
Bidegain was accused of unlawfully releasing his dogs to pursue a cougar without the hunter being present on his ranch near Tucumcari, 170 miles east of Albuquerque, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper
Cougar hunting is legal in New Mexico, and tracking and hunting them with dogs is common, but the hunter must be present from the time when the dogs are released to when the cougar is killed.
In a resignation statement released Monday, Bidegain acknowledged he took part in the cougar hunt, and commended the officers who cited him even as they were under his authority in his role as chairman of the seven-member commission.
"Unfortunately, I was present during a hunting incident earlier this month that will result in charges being filed shortly," he said. "I believe that it is in the best interest of the Commission and the Department that I step down at this time."
Bidegain was appointed to his post in 2011 by Governor Susana Martinez, a Republican.
"We count on our game commissioners to set wildlife policy. To blatantly engage in illegal activity like this sends exactly the wrong message and I'm glad he resigned," said Phil Carter, wildlife campaign manager for Animal Protection of New Mexico.
Bidegain was already under fire from environmentalists over his participation in a coyote-killing contest in December.
Together with a partner, Bidegain placed sixth in the World Coyote Calling Championship in Elko, Nevada, by shooting and killing eight coyotes. The pair collected $1,300 in prize money, contest results show.
(Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky in Olympia, Washington; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Lisa Shumaker)
illegal lion hunt causes NM game commissioner to resign
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Re: illegal lion hunt causes NM game commissioner to resign
Story on same subject in Alburqurque Journal
http://www.abqjournal.com/354451/news/b ... ident.html
NM Game Commission chairman resigns after cougar killing
ABQnews Seeker
Journal North
Journal North News
New Mexico News
News
By John Robertson / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Monday, February 17, 2014 at 10:11 am
Scott Bidegain
Scott Bidegain, chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission, has resigned from from the commission, says a news release from the Department of Game and Fish.
Bidegain’s resignation letter over the weekend said: “I am honored to have served on the commission and as its chair. Unfortunately, I was present during a hunting incident earlier this month that will result in charges being filed shortly. I believe that it is in the best interest of the Commission and the Department that I step down at this time. I think you should be proud to know that throughout this incident, the officers at the Department acted honorably and professionally.”
The Game and Fish news release said department officers filed a misdemeanor charge against Bidegain in Quay County Magistrate Court on Monday, alleging he was was an accessory to the unlawful killing of a cougar.
Vice Chairman Thomas “Dickie” Salopek will for now head up the commission, the department said.
http://www.abqjournal.com/354451/news/b ... ident.html
NM Game Commission chairman resigns after cougar killing
ABQnews Seeker
Journal North
Journal North News
New Mexico News
News
By John Robertson / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Monday, February 17, 2014 at 10:11 am
Scott Bidegain
Scott Bidegain, chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission, has resigned from from the commission, says a news release from the Department of Game and Fish.
Bidegain’s resignation letter over the weekend said: “I am honored to have served on the commission and as its chair. Unfortunately, I was present during a hunting incident earlier this month that will result in charges being filed shortly. I believe that it is in the best interest of the Commission and the Department that I step down at this time. I think you should be proud to know that throughout this incident, the officers at the Department acted honorably and professionally.”
The Game and Fish news release said department officers filed a misdemeanor charge against Bidegain in Quay County Magistrate Court on Monday, alleging he was was an accessory to the unlawful killing of a cougar.
Vice Chairman Thomas “Dickie” Salopek will for now head up the commission, the department said.
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Emily
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Re: illegal lion hunt causes NM game commissioner to resign
more from the ABQ Journal
http://www.abqjournal.com/354790/news/n ... signs.html
NM Game Commission head resigns
ABQnews Seeker
New Mexico News
News
By Charles D. Brunt / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 12:05 am
The embattled chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission resigned over the weekend after game officers filed a misdemeanor charge alleging he was an accessory to the unlawful killing of a cougar earlier this month.
BIDEGAIN: Took part in coyote-killing contests
In his resignation letter, Scott Bidegain, a Tucumcari-area rancher, said, “I am honored to have served on the commission and as its chair. Unfortunately, I was present during a hunting incident earlier this month that will result in charges being filed shortly. I believe that it is in the best interest of the Commission and the Department that I step down at this time. I think you should be proud to know that, throughout this incident, the officers at the Department acted honorably and professionally.”
The charges were filed Monday in Quay County Magistrate Court, said Game and Fish spokeswoman Rachel Shockley.
A court clerk in Tucumcari said copies of the complaint against Bidegain would not be available until today.
Although New Mexico has a year-round cougar hunting season, there are several ways that a cougar can be taken illegally, ranging from releasing hunting dogs when the hunter who kills the cougar is not present to killing a female cougar accompanied by a spotted kitten. Other possible infractions include baiting, using an illegal weapon and hunting in a restricted area.
Bidegain, appointed to the commission by Gov. Susana Martinez in March 2011, came under fire by nine conservation groups earlier this month for participating in a coyote-killing contest in Nevada.
Bidegain and his partner, Jim Bob Allen, placed sixth in the contest by shooting and killing eight coyotes during the Dec. 6-7 World Coyote Calling Championship in Elko, Nev., according to contest results. Bidegain also has appeared in coyote-hunting episodes of “Carnivore,” a hunting show aired on the Pursuit Channel.
In a Feb. 3 letter to Martinez, the conservation groups asked the governor to replace Bidegain and fellow commissioner Robert Espinoza for their “callous disrespect for wildlife.”
Espinoza, a Farmington businessman, helped organize coyote-killing contests in New Mexico while he was executive director of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife New Mexico, the letter said.
The governor took no action on the groups’ request.
Shockley said commission vice chairman Thomas “Dickie” Salopek, a Las Cruces pecan farmer and businessman, will serve as interim chairman.
Salopek said he enjoyed working with Bidegain, but that he believes Bidegain made the right move by resigning.
“It’s disappointing that a person would get themselves in a position like that,” Salopek said by phone Monday. “I still don’t know everything that happened but, in Scott’s defense, he made a mistake, ‘fessed up to it and resigned – just like I would do and just like anyone else on the board would do. It’s the right thing to do.”
The seven-member, governor-appointed Game Commission is responsible for protecting the state’s wildlife and natural resources.
The statewide cougar hunting season started last April 1 and runs through March 31 of this year, according to the Game & Fish Department’s website.
http://www.abqjournal.com/354790/news/n ... signs.html
NM Game Commission head resigns
ABQnews Seeker
New Mexico News
News
By Charles D. Brunt / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 12:05 am
The embattled chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission resigned over the weekend after game officers filed a misdemeanor charge alleging he was an accessory to the unlawful killing of a cougar earlier this month.
BIDEGAIN: Took part in coyote-killing contests
In his resignation letter, Scott Bidegain, a Tucumcari-area rancher, said, “I am honored to have served on the commission and as its chair. Unfortunately, I was present during a hunting incident earlier this month that will result in charges being filed shortly. I believe that it is in the best interest of the Commission and the Department that I step down at this time. I think you should be proud to know that, throughout this incident, the officers at the Department acted honorably and professionally.”
The charges were filed Monday in Quay County Magistrate Court, said Game and Fish spokeswoman Rachel Shockley.
A court clerk in Tucumcari said copies of the complaint against Bidegain would not be available until today.
Although New Mexico has a year-round cougar hunting season, there are several ways that a cougar can be taken illegally, ranging from releasing hunting dogs when the hunter who kills the cougar is not present to killing a female cougar accompanied by a spotted kitten. Other possible infractions include baiting, using an illegal weapon and hunting in a restricted area.
Bidegain, appointed to the commission by Gov. Susana Martinez in March 2011, came under fire by nine conservation groups earlier this month for participating in a coyote-killing contest in Nevada.
Bidegain and his partner, Jim Bob Allen, placed sixth in the contest by shooting and killing eight coyotes during the Dec. 6-7 World Coyote Calling Championship in Elko, Nev., according to contest results. Bidegain also has appeared in coyote-hunting episodes of “Carnivore,” a hunting show aired on the Pursuit Channel.
In a Feb. 3 letter to Martinez, the conservation groups asked the governor to replace Bidegain and fellow commissioner Robert Espinoza for their “callous disrespect for wildlife.”
Espinoza, a Farmington businessman, helped organize coyote-killing contests in New Mexico while he was executive director of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife New Mexico, the letter said.
The governor took no action on the groups’ request.
Shockley said commission vice chairman Thomas “Dickie” Salopek, a Las Cruces pecan farmer and businessman, will serve as interim chairman.
Salopek said he enjoyed working with Bidegain, but that he believes Bidegain made the right move by resigning.
“It’s disappointing that a person would get themselves in a position like that,” Salopek said by phone Monday. “I still don’t know everything that happened but, in Scott’s defense, he made a mistake, ‘fessed up to it and resigned – just like I would do and just like anyone else on the board would do. It’s the right thing to do.”
The seven-member, governor-appointed Game Commission is responsible for protecting the state’s wildlife and natural resources.
The statewide cougar hunting season started last April 1 and runs through March 31 of this year, according to the Game & Fish Department’s website.
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Emily
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Re: illegal lion hunt causes NM game commissioner to resign
more from ABQ Journal
http://www.abqjournal.com/355305/news/e ... ougar.html
Ex-game official had released dogs to track cougar
Journal North
New Mexico News
News
By Journal and wire reports
PUBLISHED: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at 12:05 am
Scott Bidegain, a Tucumcari-area rancher who resigned as chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission last weekend, was cited by a state game warden for releasing hunting dogs to track a cougar without the hunter who ultimately killed the cougar being present – a violation of state hunting regulations.
SCOTT BIDEGAIN: Also took part in coyote-killing contests
The infraction occurred Feb. 9 on the Bidegain family’s sprawling T4 Ranch in San Miguel County, according to the misdemeanor criminal complaint filed Monday in Quay County Magistrate Court.
The citation was issued by Game and Fish conservation officer Ty Jackson, according to the complaint.
Citing his involvement in the illegal killing of a cougar, Bidegain resigned as chairman. Vice chairman Thomas “Dickie” Salopek of Las Cruces will serve as interim chairman, according to department officials.
If convicted, Bidegain can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $500, according to state regulations.
http://www.abqjournal.com/355305/news/e ... ougar.html
Ex-game official had released dogs to track cougar
Journal North
New Mexico News
News
By Journal and wire reports
PUBLISHED: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at 12:05 am
Scott Bidegain, a Tucumcari-area rancher who resigned as chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission last weekend, was cited by a state game warden for releasing hunting dogs to track a cougar without the hunter who ultimately killed the cougar being present – a violation of state hunting regulations.
SCOTT BIDEGAIN: Also took part in coyote-killing contests
The infraction occurred Feb. 9 on the Bidegain family’s sprawling T4 Ranch in San Miguel County, according to the misdemeanor criminal complaint filed Monday in Quay County Magistrate Court.
The citation was issued by Game and Fish conservation officer Ty Jackson, according to the complaint.
Citing his involvement in the illegal killing of a cougar, Bidegain resigned as chairman. Vice chairman Thomas “Dickie” Salopek of Las Cruces will serve as interim chairman, according to department officials.
If convicted, Bidegain can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $500, according to state regulations.
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Emily
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Acual press release from Fish and Game
http://wildlife.state.nm.us/publication ... signs.html
Media contact: Rachel Shockley, (505) 476-8071
Rachel.shockley@state.nm.us
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, FEB. 17, 2014:
Chairman resigns from State Game Commission
SANTA FE – Scott Bidegain, chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission, tendered his resignation from the commission over the weekend. Bidegain represents Game Commission District 4.
In his resignation letter, Bidegain stated: “I am honored to have served on the commission and as its chair. Unfortunately, I was present during a hunting incident earlier this month that will result in charges being filed shortly. I believe that it is in the best interest of the Commission and the Department that I step down at this time. I think you should be proud to know that throughout this incident, the officers at the Department acted honorably and professionally.”
Department conservation officers diligently pursue all wildlife violations in their efforts to protect and conserve the state’s wildlife. Department officers filed a misdemeanor charge in Quay County Magistrate Court today against Bidegain alleging he was an accessory to the unlawful killing of a cougar.
Vice Chairman Thomas “Dickie” Salopek will lead the commission following Bidegain’s resignation.
###
Media contact: Rachel Shockley, (505) 476-8071
Rachel.shockley@state.nm.us
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, FEB. 17, 2014:
Chairman resigns from State Game Commission
SANTA FE – Scott Bidegain, chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission, tendered his resignation from the commission over the weekend. Bidegain represents Game Commission District 4.
In his resignation letter, Bidegain stated: “I am honored to have served on the commission and as its chair. Unfortunately, I was present during a hunting incident earlier this month that will result in charges being filed shortly. I believe that it is in the best interest of the Commission and the Department that I step down at this time. I think you should be proud to know that throughout this incident, the officers at the Department acted honorably and professionally.”
Department conservation officers diligently pursue all wildlife violations in their efforts to protect and conserve the state’s wildlife. Department officers filed a misdemeanor charge in Quay County Magistrate Court today against Bidegain alleging he was an accessory to the unlawful killing of a cougar.
Vice Chairman Thomas “Dickie” Salopek will lead the commission following Bidegain’s resignation.
###
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