NM holds off on lesser prairie chicken hunt The heads of the state Game and Fish Department and the Game Commission have decided to hold off on issuing hunting permits for the lesser prairie chicken, a longtime candidate for possible protection under the Endangered Species Act. Game and Fish director Bruce Thompson and Game Commission chairman Tom Arvas said they will not issue permits while a decision to list the bird as a protected species is pending before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Given the strong public interest in protecting this species, it's prudent for us to take more time to work with our partners to assure that we continue to take the best approach for conserving this species and its habitat," Arvas said in a statement Thursday. The Game Commission on July 21 approved a structure for lesser prairie chicken hunting in New Mexico that could have started as early as this fall. The plan included a strict permitting process, but conservationists, sportsmen's groups and others argued that such an activity could derail long-term efforts to conserve the bird's population....