Unit 18 Elk Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 2,445 sq mi
Draw hunts — random, no points
New Mexico has no preference or bonus points: every hunt here with draw odds is a random draw, with its own hunt code. Residents, nonresidents applying without an outfitter, and applicants applying with a registered outfitter (a pool open to residents and nonresidents) are drawn in separate pools, and the table gives each pool's odds in words.
What hunting Unit 18 is like
Unit 18 is gentle, rolling country, with mean slope under five degrees and almost none of the ground classed as steep or rugged. Elevations run from 4,500 feet up to 7,500 feet, and the cover shifts with that climb: lower ground is dominated by shrub and brush with some grass and meadow and a bit of riparian growth, mid elevations are almost all shrub and brush, and the higher country mixes shrub and brush with grass and meadow and patches of conifer and pinyon-juniper timber. Because the terrain stays gentle nearly everywhere, this is walking country more than climbing country, and a hunter can cover a lot of ground on foot without fighting elevation.
About 60 percent of the unit is public land under BLM, State Trust, and State Wildlife Management Area ownership, but that figure is not a measure of what a hunter can actually walk onto. State Trust land (23% of the unit) can only be used during a hunter's own hunt, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, and entry must be by public or established roads under the State Land Office and Game Commission easement; some parcels are withdrawn entirely. The unit also contains the Carey Well Ranch, a unitized ranch whose State Trust and BLM acreage is closed to hunting even though it is still counted in the public-land share, while the ranch's private land under the agreement is open to public hunters. About 30 percent of the unit is private land requiring written permission, and roughly 9 percent is unclassified ownership that is neither public nor private. Beyond the draw hunts described here, landowners in the Elk Private Lands Use System separately issue authorizations that let a hunter buy a private-land elk license, a different route from the public draw.
New Mexico has no points system for elk of any kind, so every application stands on its own each season. The draw works through randomly sequenced applications rather than by choice order: each application's first, second, and third choices are checked before the next application is processed, meaning one applicant's second or third choice can be awarded before a later applicant's first choice is considered.
Elk hunts in Unit 18 (2026–27)
Each row is a hunt a hunter selects by its hunt code. Draw difficulty is a band in words from the 2026 first-choice results — good, fair, long or very long odds — for each pool; a dash means too few applicants to give a fair band. It is not a published percentage. The outfitter pool is open to both residents and nonresidents.
| Hunt | Dates | Legal elk | Resident | Nonresident, no outfitter | With an outfitter | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery ELK-2-393 | September 1 – September 14 | Any elk | Fair odds | — | — | Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Archery ELK-2-394 | September 15 – September 24 | Any elk | Fair odds | Very long odds | Very long odds | Primary Rut |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-395 | October 1 – October 5 | Any elk | Very long odds | — | Very long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
"Residents only" hunts (antlerless elk, and hunts held only on state wildlife areas) are closed to nonresidents. "Unlimited" hunts are private-land hunts: no quota, no draw, valid on private land only with the landowner's written permission. A "Quality hunt" is a State Wildlife Commission designation for hunts meant to improve the chance of a successful harvest, offer a wider selection of mature animals, or give a better experience through timing or hunter density. Youth, mobility-impaired, military and other special-eligibility hunts are not listed.
Archery · Any elk · September 1 – September 14
This early archery hunt opens right as rut onset gives way to the primary rut, so bull activity is beginning to build through the two weeks. Hunters working the unit should lean on the gentle, open terrain to glass shrub and brush flats and the grass and meadow pockets scattered through the lower and mid elevations, since the walking is easy but cover for a stalk can be thin. Any elk is legal here, and resident applicants face fair odds on this hunt, coded ELK-2-393, while the wide-open country rewards patience in spotting elk before closing the distance.
Archery · Any elk · September 15 – September 24
Running entirely inside the primary rut, this second archery season offers the most concentrated breeding-season activity of the three hunts, spanning ten days from September 15 to September 24. The same gentle, shrub-dominated lower and mid-elevation ground applies, with the higher-elevation conifer and pinyon-juniper patches worth checking where elk may be using the timber for cover. Any elk is legal, and the draw bands differ sharply by pool: residents see fair odds, while both nonresidents without an outfitter and those applying with an outfitter face very long odds for hunt code ELK-2-394.
Any legal weapon · Any elk · October 1 – October 5
By the first days of October this hunt falls in the late rut and early post-rut phase, when breeding is slowing and mature bulls may begin pulling away from cow groups to isolate, often with the larger bulls leaving first; smaller satellite bulls may linger with cows that are still cycling. Bulls coming off the rut can be worn down and battered, sometimes carrying broken points or beams, so hunters focused on antler condition should look bulls over carefully before deciding. The open, gentle terrain favors searching out secluded pockets where feeding, bedding, and water sit close together, a pattern worth checking across the unit's shrub and brush and grass and meadow ground. Any legal weapon may be used for any elk under hunt code ELK-1-395, and odds run very long for both residents and those applying with an outfitter.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,500–7,500 ft, typically around 5,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 88% gentle · 11% moderate · 1% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~1,477 sq mi
Habitat & cover
What grows here, by elevation. Each band adds to 100% on its own — these are shares of that band, not of the unit.
Lower elevations
- Shrub and brush86%
- Grass and meadow8%
- Other cover3%
- Riparian3%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush93%
- Grass and meadow7%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush77%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper12%
- Grass and meadow11%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 60% of Unit 18 is public land by ownership — BLM, State Trust land and State Wildlife Management Area. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted. That figure still counts State Trust and BLM land inside the unit's unitized ranch (Carey Well Ranch), which is closed to hunting — so the dependably open share is lower.
- BLM37%
- State Trust land23%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- military land<1%
- Unclassified ownership9%
- Private30%
Public land includes State Trust land (23% of this unit). You may use it only during your own hunt, plus up to 7 days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads (NM State Land Office / Game Commission easement). Some parcels are withdrawn; check the State Land Office's hunting-access map. Unitized ranch in this unit: Carey Well Ranch. State Trust and BLM land inside them is treated as private and closed to hunting — it is still counted in the huntable figure above — while the ranch's private land in the agreement is open to public hunters. See NMDOW's unitized-ranch maps.
Military land is closed to hunting except where a specific hunt says otherwise.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 89°F, lows around 59°F
- September — highs around 83°F, lows around 52°F
- October — highs around 73°F, lows around 40°F, about 0.2 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 61°F, lows around 29°F, about 0.4 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 51°F, lows around 22°F, about 1.2 in of snowfall
Unit 18 elk hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get an elk licence for Unit 18 outside the draw?
Yes. Besides the public draw hunts, landowners enrolled in the Elk Private Lands Use System separately issue authorizations that let a hunter buy a private-land elk license, a licensing route distinct from the draw hunts described here.
How hard are the Unit 18 elk hunts to draw, and does it differ by pool?
It varies by hunt and by pool. The first archery hunt (ELK-2-393) shows fair odds for residents, the second archery hunt (ELK-2-394) shows fair odds for residents but very long odds for both nonresidents without an outfitter and those applying with an outfitter, and the any-legal-weapon hunt (ELK-1-395) shows very long odds for residents and for the outfitter pool.
Can a nonresident hunt elk in Unit 18?
Yes, a nonresident can apply for these elk hunts, either without an outfitter or through the pool open to applicants using a registered outfitter, which itself is open to both residents and nonresidents. Draw difficulty for nonresidents varies by hunt, as shown in the draw bands for each season.
Does New Mexico use preference points or bonus points for elk?
No. New Mexico has no points system of any kind for elk, so every application in Unit 18 is evaluated fresh each season through the random draw rather than being built up over time.
How much of Unit 18 is public land, and what is the rule on State Trust land?
About 60 percent of the unit is public land under BLM, State Trust, and State Wildlife Management Area ownership, but that is an ownership figure, not a guarantee of access, since some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land, which makes up 23% of the unit, can be used only during a hunter's own hunt plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, and the unit's unitized ranch closes the State Trust and BLM acreage inside it even though that acreage is still counted in the public total.
Data sources & methodology
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — Hunting Rules & Info booklet (2026-27) — season dates, legal animals, hunt codes and the rules for each hunt
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — How the New Mexico draw works — the random draw, the choices a hunter ranks and how licences are split among the draw pools
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — Applications and draw information — the draw results behind the draw-difficulty bands for each pool
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — Game management unit maps — unit boundaries and the official unit maps
- USGS / MRLC — National Land Cover Database — habitat and cover classes by elevation band
- USGS PAD-US — Protected Areas Database of the United States — land ownership and access
- Daymet daily climate, 1991–2020 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) — fall weather
- National Interagency Fire Center — wildfire perimeters — recent fires, their size and where they burned
Draw difficulty is a qualitative band from first-choice results for each pool, not published odds. Rut phases are regional timing, not New Mexico-specific dates. Land shares are separate, non-overlapping categories. Confirm current dates and rules in the New Mexico Hunting Rules & Info booklet before you hunt. Unit data last updated October 21, 2026.