Overview
Known For
New Mexico is a big game hunter’s paradise, with elk, mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, mountain lion, black bear, javelina, and pronghorn to pursue. Plus hunting for wild turkeys, small game, upland birds, and waterfowl makes New Mexico a standout state.
Terrain
From the Rocky Mountains in the north-central part of New Mexico to the plains on its eastern border, New Mexico’s terrain is quite diverse. Generally, the state is broken up into multiple regions: the Great Plains, the Colorado Plateau, the Rocky Mountains, and the Basin and Range region.
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New Mexico Hunting Seasons
Units 29 , 50, and 52 (Youth only)
Units 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 31, 32, 33, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 47, 56, 57, 58, 59.
Zone 1-14. Dogs are not allowed.
Daily bag limit of 3. 6 in possession
Statewide except Unit 19, 23-28.
JAV-1-100, JAV-1-104 and JAV-2-103 Hunts: Javelina will be in small, isolated groups except in Units 23–27.
Before hunting, hunters must verify their preferred zone is still open. Check online: www.wildlife.state.nm.us/hunting/information-by-animal/big-game/cougar or call: 1-877-950-5466.
Mandatory Cougar Identification Course NMDGF requires all cougar hunters to successfully complete a cougar identification course. The cougar ID number is issued upon successful completion of the course through your NMDGF online account.
Excludes Valencia County. Daily bag limit of 3 males. 6 in possession
An early youth-only turkey hunt is available April 7–9 in all open units for spring hunting. Draw-permit areas are not open for youth-only spring OTC hunting, unless specified on the permit.
STATEWIDE: Except the closed areas listed below.
CLOSED: Unit 2A (areas east of U.S. Hwy. 550 and north of NM Hwy. 173); Unit 2B (areas in the Carson National Forest); Unit 2C (areas in the Carson National Forest); Units 6B, 8, 14, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 33, 38, 49, 50, 53; Bernardo WMA, Bill Evans WMA, Edward Sargent WMA, Jackson Lake WMA, La Joya WMA, Lake Roberts WMA, Marquez/LBar WMA, Prairie Chicken WMAs, Red Rock WMA, Rio Chama WMA, Sugarite Canyon State Park, Valle Vidal and W.S. Huey WMA.
STATEWIDE: Except the closed areas listed below.
CLOSED: Unit 2A (areas east of U.S. Hwy. 550 and north of NM Hwy. 173); Unit 2B (areas in the Carson National Forest); Unit 2C (areas in the Carson National Forest); Units 6B, 8, 14, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 33, 38, 49, 50, 53; Bernardo WMA, Bill Evans WMA, Edward Sargent WMA, Jackson Lake WMA, La Joya WMA, Lake Roberts WMA, Marquez/LBar WMA, Prairie Chicken WMAs, Red Rock WMA, Rio Chama WMA, Sugarite Canyon State Park, Valle Vidal and W.S. Huey WMA.
Research. Draw. Hunt.
Hunt Research Tools is designed to help hunters research, plan, and apply for hunts and tags every year.
- Build a successful strategy with easy-to-understand, accurate data
- Covers all 12 Western states and all major big game species
- Simple and powerful filtering sorts answers quickly
- Compare across states, species, weapons, dates, and hunt types
- Free with onX Hunt
New Mexico Draw Specifics
NEW MEXICO – ALL SPECIES
Point System
- New Mexico does not have any type of point system – all tags are issued via a random draw
- All applicants have the same chance to draw in their respective application type (Resident, Nonresident, Outfitter)
Tag Allocation
- A minimum of 84% of the total number of tags available for a given hunt are allocated to residents
- A maximum of 10% of the total number of tags available are allocated to applicants that have contracted with a licensed New Mexico guide or outfitter
- A maximum of 6% of the total number of tags available for a given hunt are allocated to nonresidents
- If you are curious about how they round these percentages for the final quotas, there is probably more information than you wanted to know available in this Toprut article from 2020
Understanding the Draw Odds
- In New Mexico, we include 1 draw odds column in our List View, Odds
- For each application, New Mexico considers your first 3 hunt choices before moving to the next application
- This makes calculating your true draw odds rather complex
- The odds we list are for a single applicant, Choice #1
- For information about how to maximize your chances in New Mexico, read this
Other Tips
- Review and consider using our special Draw Odds Calculator if you are curious about your draw odds by individual hunt choice
New Mexico Licenses, Permits, and Regulations
New Mexico hunting licenses, permits, and regulations for resident and non-resident hunters can be purchased on the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish website. Click below to view the website.
Hunting GPS Maps
Every New Mexico hunter should have hunting GPS maps on hand. New Mexico hunting maps are available from onX Hunt. With a paid membership you can access Satellite, Topo, or Hybrid Basemaps, over which you can view maps of game management units, along with State, Forest Service, and other public and private property boundaries. You can view trails and roads, and even download maps to the Hunt App for use offline. Click below to get onX Hunt for New Mexico.
Game Management Units
New Mexico is broken into many game management units (GMUs). Units 17 and 16-B are world-renowned for having some of the biggest bull elk. Every year these GMUs produce a few bulls pushing at or above the 400″ mark. It’s not uncommon to see many in those units between 330” – 350”. Click below to view New Mexico’s game management units in more detail through an interactive map.
Hunting Layers
NM Private Lands
Over 1,100,000 parcels mapped by the onX team, this layer helps you know who the property owners are in New Mexico. Tap any parcel to learn more info about the owner and acreage.
NM Gov Lands
onX has the most accurate maps of Gov Lands, covering over 45,000,000 acres in New Mexico. Not all Gov Lands offer access opportunities, check regulations before recreating.
NM GMUs
New Mexico Bear, Big Game and Cougar Game Management Units. Please hunt responsibly, obey all signage and have a safe legal hunt.
Includes 3 Sublayers
- Bear Mgmt Zones
- Game Mgmt Units
- Cougar Mgmt Zones
NM Possible Access
onX has mapped 21,000 acres of possible access lands in New Mexico including timber companies and land conservation groups. Research rules on these private lands before recreating.
NM Open Gates
The New Mexico Game and Fish Open Gates. All hunters are expected to know the rules of the program. Please hunt responsibly and have a safe legal hunt.
NM Unitized Ranches
The New Mexico Game and Fish Unitized Ranches. All hunters are expected to know the rules of the program. Please hunt responsibly and have a safe legal hunt.
Elk Private Lands Use System(EPLUS)
New Mexico Elk Private Lands Use System(EPLUS)
NM State Land Hunting Points
The New Mexico State Trust land hunting access points, locations to access State Trust Lands that are open to the public for Hunting.
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