New Mexico Elk Season Dates&Licenses 2024-2025

Ready to prepare for an unforgettable adventure in New Mexico Elk Seasons? New Mexico’s diverse terrain and thriving elk populations have made it a popular destination for hunters statewide.

In this guide, we will provide important dates, rules, and licensing information for elk hunting, as well as other hunting seasons for different game species. Keep updated!

New Mexico Elk Seasons

Primary Management Zone Seasons
Season	Date	Unit
Bow-Only Hunts	Sept. 1–14	2, 4, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6C, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16A, 16B/22, 16C, 16D, 16E, 17, 21A, 21B, 23, 24, 34, 36, 45, 48, 49 and 50–53
	Sept. 15–24
Muzzleloader, Crossbow and Bow Hunts	Oct. 5–9	2, 6A, 6C, 7, 10, 36, 45, 48, 52 and 53
	Oct. 12–16	16E, 23, 24 and 34
	Oct. 12–Dec. 31	9, 13, 15, 17 (muzzle-loading rifl es only)
	Jan. 1–31, ’25	13
Any Legal Sporting Arm Hunts	Oct. 1-Dec.31	4, 21B
	Oct. 5-Dec.31	5A, 5B, 12, 16B/22, 21A, 49, 50 and 51
	Oct. 12-Dec.31	2, 10, 6A, 6C, 7, 16A, 16C, 16D, 36, 45, 48, 52 and 53
	Oct. 12-Jan.31, ’25	36 (Antlerless only)
	Oct. 19-Dec.31	16E, 23, 24 and 34
	Oct. 19-Feb.5, ’25	34 (Antlerless only)
	Jan. 1-31,2025	48

 

Youth–Only Season
Season	Date	Unit
Any Legal Sporting Arm Hunts	Oct. 5-9	13, 15 and 17
Muzzleloader, Bow or Crossbow Hunts	Oct. 5–9	13, 15 and 17
Youth Encouragement Elk Seasons
Any Legal – Youth Only	Nov. 30-Dec.4	5B,6A,6C,10,13,15,16A,16C,16D,16E,17,36,49,51,52,53
	Dec. 26-30	6A,6C,13,15,16A,16C,16D,16E,17,34,36,51,53

 

Mobility–impaired Season
Season	Date	Unit
Any Legal Sporting Arm Hunts	Oct. 5–9	16A, 16D and 34
Muzzleloader, Bow or Crossbow Hunts	Oct. 5–9	9

 

Special and Secondary Management Zones
Season	Date	Unit
Bow-only hunts	Sept. 1–24	/
Any Legal Sporting Arm Hunts	Oct. 1–Dec. 31(any fi ve consecutive days)	/
Antlerless Only	Oct. 1–Feb. 7, 2025	34
Antlerless Only	Oct. 1–Jan. 31, 2025	36

How To Apply To Hunt Elk In New Mexico?

The New Mexico Department offers chances for elk hunting on public lands with Draw Licenses, as well as on private properties through the Elk Private Land Use System (EPLUS).

The deadline to apply for elk draw licenses is March 20, 2024.

Non-residents cannot participate in certain hunts held on WMAs or any antlerless elk draw licenses.

Each draw application receives a random sequence number in the automated system, which is then used to match the choices on the application with available licenses or permits according to the quotas provided.

Successful applicants will receive an elk draw license/tag by mail, or they can choose the E-Tag option. The license provides details such as hunt code, unit description, sporting-arm type, season dates, and bag limit. Tags come with instructions for proper tagging.

The draw license fee is: residents $7 and non-residents $13.

New Mexico not only offers great opportunities for hunting elk, but also for other game species. Try not to limit yourself to elk hunting, and check the hunting seasons for other prey as follows.

New Mexico Upland Game Seasons

Species	Date	Area	Bag Limit
Quail	Nov. 15, 2024–Feb. 15.2025	Statewide	15 per day / 30 in possession
Grouse	Sept. 1–Dec. 31	Statewide	3 per day  / 6 in possession
Squirrel, Fox	Sept. 1–Dec. 31	Statewide	8 per day / 16 in possession
Pheasant	Dec. 12-15	Statewide	3 males per day / 6 in possession
Eurasian Collared-Dove	April 1, 2024–March 31, 2025	Statewide	Unlimited

New Mexico Turkey Seasons

Any Legal – Youth Only	Apr. 15–May 15	Unit 2A,2B,2C,Unit 55A
Any Legal	Apr. 15–May 15	Unit 2B,2C,8
	Apr. 15–30	Unit 6B,55A
	Apr. 26–28	Unit 30
	May 3–5	Unit 30
Any Legal – NM Resident Only	Apr. 15–May 15	Unit 9
Any Legal – Once-in-a-Lifetime	May 1–30	Unit 26, 27

New Mexico Furbearers Seasons

Species	Date	Area
Badger, bobcat, fox, ringtail and weasel	November 1, 2024–March 15, 2025	Statewide
Beaver and muskrat	April 1–April 30, 2024
	November 1, 2024–March 31, 2025
Nutria	April 1, 2024–March 31, 2025
Raccoon – all legal methods	April 1–May 15, 2024
	September 1, 2024–March 31, 2025
Raccoon-restricted methods	May 16–August 31, 2024

New Mexico Cougar Season

April 1, 2024–March 31, 2025

Statewide

New Mexico Hunting Licenses

The following are the fees for licenses for Elk hunting:

License	Resident	Non-Resident
Antlerless	$60	Not Issued
Standard Mature-Bull or Either-Sex	$90	$548
Quality Antlerless	$60	Not Issued
Quality Mature-Bull or Either-Sex	$90	$773
Junior/Senior Elk License	$58	Not Issued
Game-hunting License 1	$15	$65
Junior Game-hunting License	$10	$15
Senior or Handicapped Game-hunting License	$15	Not Issued

Notes:

• There will be a $9 landowner administrative fee for hunting in the Primary and Special Management Zones.
• Every hunter must have a valid license and permit if needed.
• To hunt big game, hunters need a Game-Hunting License.
• Big-game hunters must have a carcass tag for each species unless choosing the E-Tag option.
• Hunters under 17 must have Hunter Education or ‘‘mentoryouth’’ number.
• Hunters and trappers on private lands need written permission from the landowner.

To buy hunting licenses or permits, please visit the official online licensing system, and create a customer account and then you can choose to buy the license you plan to hunt.

Conclusion

As we finish our discussion on New Mexico Elk Seasons, we trust you are ready to be well prepared for the early season in this remarkable state.

New Mexico offers top-notch elk populations, and various hunting opportunities on both public and private lands, making it a prime destination for hunters.

Be sure to review and abide by the rules and regulations established by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to ensure a responsible and sustainable hunting experience.