One of the premier states in the west for quality elk hunting, New Mexico has mild winters and a limit on elk tags, allowing bulls to survive long enough to grow trophy-size antlers. Drought in recent years has reduced the quality of feed, impairing antler growth, but mature bulls are common across the state. Top-shelf units produce some bulls exceeding 350" Boone and Crockett, while all units usually produce animals scoring more than 300". In most areas no hunting is allowed during the last few days of September, or the first few days of October, a period that is considered to be the peak of the rut. Exceptions in some areas include rifle seasons exclusively offered to hunters who have mobility impairments or who are no more than 17 years old. Parts of the state rarely produce large bull elk. An example is in the northeastern part of the state near Raton. Though hunting pressure is light, and despite the fact that some large ranches are managed specifically to produce elk with big antlers, few bulls approach B&C minimum scores. The biggest bulls in the past few years have been coming from those that border the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in southcentral New Mexico, a group of units in and near the Gila Mountains in southwestern New Mexico, and other units along the Arizona border. Some other units have few elk and few hunting tags, but bulls occasionally reach record-class size.

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Highlights

When planning a hunt for elk in New Mexico there are three different situations to consider when selecting your three choices. These three situations are based on how the state of New Mexico is managing the elk herds in the different areas/ecosystems of the state.

Boone and Crockett entries: Typical

** Units listed below may not have a current hunt for this species. Units in this table are included if any part of the unit is found within the county.

Boone and Crockett entries: Nontypical

** Units listed below may not have a current hunt for this species. Units in this table are included if any part of the unit is found within the county.