How to Apply for an Elk Tag in New Mexico
April 24, 2021 by Dan Reyes
In regards to landowner permits for the state of New Mexico, getting questions answered can sometimes be challenging. All states do things a bit differently, so understanding New Mexico’s landowner permit options is important for booking your next hunt.
How many types of elk landowner permits does New Mexico have?
New Mexico offers two different types of landowner permits for elk which many people may not be aware of. They offer ranch-only permits and unit-wide permits. Understanding the differences between the two can give you a better foundation to start planning a hunt.
What is the New Mexico ranch-only permit?
A ranch-only permit means that the hunting is only allowed on private or whatever deeded land the ranch consists of. These permits are generally more affordable depending on the unit. There are archery, rifle, and muzzleloader tags for private land depending on the unit. New Mexico regulates units differently throughout the state, meaning the weapon and timing of hunts may differ unit to unit. If hunters are looking for a quality elk hunting experience that does not break the bank the ranch only hunts are a good option.
When is the New Mexico ranch only archery season?
Hunting season for archery is September 1-24 and these dates are standard state-wide on private. We book five-day windows within that timeframe or hunters can pay additional for longer hunts.
When is the New Mexico ranch only rifle season?
Rifle hunts are from October 1- December 31st for bulls and cows. There are also cow-only hunts available in January on certain ranches. Rifle hunts are five-day hunts only and can be booked any five consecutive days within the three-month timeframe.
What is a unit-wide permit in New Mexico?
The other type of landowner tag is a unit-wide permit. These tags are public land tags that can be used on all the public land within the unit or any private ranch that receives unit-wide permits. They must allow access if they get unit-wide permits. The amount of land to hunt is huge with a unit-wide permit, it’s the same tag as if you were to draw one of the high-quality areas.
Where can you hunt with a unit-wide elk permit in New Mexico?
Unit-wide permits are some of the most desirable landowner tags because you can hunt a vast amount of land. Unit-wide hunts can hunt accessible public lands and unit-wide private lands within the Game Management Unit boundaries. The unit-wide permits are available for archery, rifle, or muzzleloader. These permits are generally more expensive because of the amount of land you can hunt as well as the trophy quality. It is required that these tags be used at the same time as the public draw hunts that are outlined in the New Mexico hunting regulations.
When is the unit-wide elk permit season?
Season dates for archery are broke down into two hunts: September 1-14 and September 15-24. Rifle and muzzleloader hunts will have different dates, but the bulk of these hunts will be in October. There are some late-season muzzleloader and rifle unit-wide seasons as well. The unit-wide areas we hunt will produce some of the biggest bulls in the state. This is option is a great choice for the hunter that has the budget and desire to hunt trophy caliber bulls.
Posted In: Elk Hunting
