N.M. Code R. § 19.31.14.12 – Special Elk Hunting Opportunities

A. Elk enhancement program:
1. (1) Program description: The director shall collect all proceeds generated through the auction and lottery of special bull elk authorizations, and such monies shall be deposited in the game protection fund. These monies shall be made available for expenditure by the department solely for programs and projects to benefit elk and for direct costs incurred in carrying out these programs. These monies shall be used to augment, and not replace, monies appropriated from existing funds available to the department for the conservation, restoration, utilization, and management of elk.
2. (2) Requirements for issuance of special elk authorizations:
  1. (a) The state game commission shall authorize the director to issue not more than two special elk authorizations in any one license year to take one mature bull elk per license. The director shall allow the sale of one authorization through auction to the highest bidder and one authorization to a person selected through a random drawing of a lottery ticket by the department or an incorporated, non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of elk.
  2. (b) Unless their hunting privileges have been revoked pursuant to law, any person is eligible to submit a bid for the special elk auction authorization or purchase lottery tickets in an attempt to be selected for the special elk lottery authorization.
  3. (c) The special elk authorizations issued through auction and lottery may be transferred, through sale, barter or gift by the successful individuals only to other individuals qualified to hunt.
  4. (d) Special elk licenses granted through auction or lottery, as described above, shall not be considered ‘once-in-a-lifetime’.
3. (3) Enhancement hunts: Elk enhancement licenses shall be valid from September 1 through January 31 for any big-game sporting arms. These licenses shall be valid statewide where hunting is allowed; bag limit shall be one mature bull elk. The elk enhancement authorizations may be used by the recipient or transferred through sale, barter or gift by the successful individuals to other individuals qualified to hunt.
B. Elk incentive programs: The director may annually allow up to two elk authorizations to be issued for deer and elk hunters submitting their legally harvested animal for CWD testing. Authorizations to purchase an incentive license may be used either by the applicant or transferred through sale, barter or gift by the successful individuals to any individual qualified to hunt. Elk incentive hunts shall be valid only for the dates, big-game sporting arms, bag limit and area specified by the director.
C. Encouragement hunts:
1. (1) Only resident youth hunters as defined by 19.31.3 NMAC who have submitted a valid application for a draw hunt for deer, elk, pronghorn, ibex, oryx, Barbary sheep or bighorn sheep in the current license year and were unsuccessful in drawing any license will be eligible to purchase a license for these hunts for the first 14 days of availability on the department website. Licenses remaining after 14 days shall be available to any youth hunter eligible to purchase an elk license.
2. (2) The director, with concurrence of the chairperson of the state game commission, may adjust the number of licenses available in all encouragement hunts listed below based on management objectives.
3. (3) These hunts will be administered by the department through a web sale. The open GMUs, hunt dates, hunt codes, big-game sporting arms, number of licenses and bag limits shall be as indicated below:
  open GMUs or areas 2023-2024 hunt dates 2024-2025 hunt dates 2025-2026 hunt dates 2026-2027 hunt dates hunt code licenses bag limit 5B 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-100 20 A 6A 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-101 50 A 6A 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-1-102 50 A 6C 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-103 50 A 6C 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-1-104 50 A 10 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-105 35 A 13 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-3-106 60 A 13 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-3-107 60 A 15 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-3-108 75 A 15 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-3-109 75 A 16A 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-110 75 A 16A 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-1-111 75 A 16C 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-112 75 A 16C 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-1-113 75 A 16D 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-114 75 A 16D 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-1-115 75 A 16E 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-116 75 A 16E 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-1-117 75 A 17 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-3-118 60 A 17 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-3-119 60 A 34 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-1-120 125 A 36 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-121 80 A 36 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-1-122 80 A 49 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-123 50 A 51 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-124 105 A 51 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-1-125 105 A 52 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-126 50 A 53 11/25-11/29 11/30-12/4 11/29-12/3 11/28-12/2 ELK-1-127 60 A 53 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 12/26-12/30 ELK-1-128 60 A
  open GMUs or areas
  2023-2024 hunt dates
  2024-2025 hunt dates
  2025-2026 hunt dates
  2026-2027 hunt dates
  hunt code
  licenses
  bag limit
  5B
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-100
  20
  A
  6A
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-101
  50
  A
  6A
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-1-102
  50
  A
  6C
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-103
  50
  A
  6C
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-1-104
  50
  A
  10
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-105
  35
  A
  13
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-3-106
  60
  A
  13
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-3-107
  60
  A
  15
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-3-108
  75
  A
  15
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-3-109
  75
  A
  16A
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-110
  75
  A
  16A
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-1-111
  75
  A
  16C
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-112
  75
  A
  16C
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-1-113
  75
  A
  16D
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-114
  75
  A
  16D
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-1-115
  75
  A
  16E
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-116
  75
  A
  16E
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-1-117
  75
  A
  17
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-3-118
  60
  A
  17
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-3-119
  60
  A
  34
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-1-120
  125
  A
  36
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-121
  80
  A
  36
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-1-122
  80
  A
  49
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-123
  50
  A
  51
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-124
  105
  A
  51
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-1-125
  105
  A
  52
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-126
  50
  A
  53
  11/25-11/29
  11/30-12/4
  11/29-12/3
  11/28-12/2
  ELK-1-127
  60
  A
  53
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  12/26-12/30
  ELK-1-128
  60
  A
D. Premium hunt opportunity: One premium elk hunt will be issued each license year through the draw. The hunt area will be statewide on any public land open to hunting, including wildlife management areas, and private land with written permission.
open GMUs or areas 2023-2024 hunt dates 2024-2025 hunt dates 2025-2026 hunt dates 2026-2027 hunt dates hunt code licenses bag limit statewide 9/1/2023-1/31/2024 9/1/2024-1/31/2025 9/1/2025-1/31/2026 9/1/2026-1/31/2027 ELK-1-700 1 MB
open GMUs or areas
2023-2024 hunt dates
2024-2025 hunt dates
2025-2026 hunt dates
2026-2027 hunt dates
hunt code
licenses
bag limit
statewide
9/1/2023-1/31/2024
9/1/2024-1/31/2025
9/1/2025-1/31/2026
9/1/2026-1/31/2027
ELK-1-700
1
MB

[19.31.14.12 NMAC - Rp, 19.31.14.12 NMAC, 4/1/2023]