The NMDGF undertakes protection, conservation and propagation, and regulates the use of game and fish to ensure there is an adequate supply for recreation and food.

[2] A seven-member body appointed by the governor, the State Game Commission authorizes regulations and the department implements and enforces them.

On many Pueblo lands and reservations, Game and Fish staff work with the people responsible for wildlife management.

[7] At the suggestion of big-game hunter Frank C. Hibben, between 1969 and 1977 the Department of Game and Fish introduced 93 captive bred Oryx into the White Sands Missile Range, intending them to be hunted for sport.

The oryx found the environment ideal and rapidly increased in numbers, as of 2012 reaching between 3,000 and 6,000 animals, and spread into the White Sands National Monument and private lands where public hunting is not allowed.

The department has undertaken an expensive program to fence the White Sands National Monument and then remove all the oryx from the park.

[citation needed] The Carson National Forest is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture - Forestry Service.