Multiple charges, including a fourth-degree felony count of waste of game, have been filed in McKinley County Magistrate Court in connection with a Nov. 6, 2025 deer shooting near Ramah, according to a criminal complaint.
The case was later set for arraignment in the 11th Judicial District Court, court records state.
What Court Records Allege
According to a criminal complaint filed by a New Mexico Department of Game and Fish officer, a Ramah resident reported on Nov. 7 that he heard a gunshot at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Nov. 6 and saw a silver four-door Dodge Dakota leaving the area near his home.
The complaint states the reporting party later located a dead buck lying on the ground behind his residence. The affiant documented an entry wound on the left shoulder and an exit wound on the right shoulder of the mule deer during a field examination. The bullet was not recovered.
Using vehicle registration records, investigators identified a silver Dodge Dakota with a yellow New Mexico license plate registered in Zuni. The complaint states a Game and Fish officer later observed a silver Dodge Dakota with a missing tailgate and yellow license plate parked at a residence in Zuni.
According to the complaint, Gregory Baca told officers he shot the deer with a .270 rifle while seated in the passenger seat of the truck as his 15-year-old brother drove. The complaint states he told officers the deer dropped after he shot it and that they left without retrieving it.
This case follows other recent filings in the region, including a Farmington fleeing charge involving a Camaro previously reported by San Juan Pulse.
License and Season Status
The complaint states there was no active deer hunt in Game Management Unit 10 on Nov. 6, 2025. According to the document, the defendant did not possess a valid New Mexico hunting license and had never purchased one in the state.
Distance From Dwellings
The affiant determined using a department mapping application that the shot was fired within 150 yards of multiple dwellings. The complaint states the rifle used in the shooting was located in the truck.
Charges Filed
- Count 1: Waste of Game (fourth-degree felony)
- Count 2: Unlawful killing of big game out of season (misdemeanor)
- Count 3: Hunting big game without a license (misdemeanor)
- Count 4: Shooting from within or upon a vehicle (misdemeanor)
- Count 5: Negligent use of a deadly weapon (petty misdemeanor)
Case Status
An arraignment on criminal information is scheduled for March 16, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. at the McKinley County Courthouse in Gallup, according to a notice of hearing filed in the 11th Judicial District Court.
Gregory Baca is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges are allegations. No determination of guilt has been made.