LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Jim Bates didn't know he was doing something illegal.
He and many other sportsmen had long hunted along the banks of the Rio Grande, bringing home the dove, quail and waterfowl drawn to the water.
There were "no trespassing" signs on the federal levees nearby, but there was an understanding that no one seemed to mind the sportsmen, bikers, dog walkers and others who enjoyed the federal land, Bates said. Hunting and shooting were technically prohibited, though enforcement was left up to local law enforcement agencies.
"Everyone was under the same impression that, as long as nothing happened, it was OK," Bates said.
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