Unit 24 Elk Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 1,512 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 24 is like
Unit 24 is rolling country, with some steeper breaks, running from around 4,300 feet up to 10,000 feet. Lower elevations open up into grass and meadow mixed with shrub and brush, mid elevations thicken into shrub and brush with increasing conifer and pinyon-juniper, and the higher country is dominated by timber. A hunter on foot can cover a lot of ground here — the gentle and moderate slopes that make up most of the unit allow for long glassing sits and walking between openings, while the smaller steep component offers pockets to push elk into or climb for a vantage.
Public land covers about 63% of the unit (roughly 954 square miles) across National Forest, BLM and State Trust land, though ownership alone does not guarantee access — some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land makes up 18% of the unit and can only be used during a hunter's own hunt, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads. The remaining 37% is private land requiring written permission. The Trout fire (2025) burned about 5% of the unit's north side, the Black fire (2022) and Turkey fire (2023) each burned roughly 1% on the north and northwest sides, and the Tadpole fire (2020) burned about 1% on the northwest side; hunters should check for current fire closures before heading out.
All four public draw hunts here run under random draw with sequence-number processing, and land shares differ sharply by season and legal animal. Beyond the draw hunts, landowners enrolled in the Elk Private Lands Use System separately issue authorizations that let a hunter buy a private-land elk licence, a distinct route from the public draw.
Elk hunts in Unit 24 (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-2-339 Excluding Ft. Bayard management area | September 1 – September 14 | Any elk | Fair odds | Long odds | — | Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Archery ELK-2-340 Excluding Ft. Bayard management area | September 15 – September 24 | Any elk | Long odds | — | — | Primary Rut |
| Muzzleloader ELK-3-341 Excluding Ft. Bayard management area | October 17 – October 21 | Mature bull | Fair odds | — | — | Post-Rut Recovery |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-342 Excluding Ft. Bayard management area | December 19 – December 23 | Mature bull | Very long odds | Very long odds | Very long odds | Winter Range |
"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
Early in this hunt elk are moving into the Rut Onset phase and pushing into the Primary Rut phase by its close, so bull activity can be building through the two weeks. Archers do well working the edges where grass and meadow or shrub and brush meet timber at the mid and higher elevations, using the unit's gentler slopes to move quietly and glass across openings. Any elk is legal, which gives bowhunters more flexibility than later hunts restricted to mature bulls. Resident applicants face Fair odds on this hunt (ELK-2-339) while nonresidents applying without an outfitter face Long odds.
Archery · Any elk · September 15 – September 24
This second archery season falls entirely within the Primary Rut phase, putting hunters in the thick of rutting behavior across the same mix of grass, brush and timber that defines the unit's elevation bands. Any elk may be taken, so archers can target cows or bulls as opportunity allows while still covering ground on foot through the rolling terrain. Draw odds tighten here, with residents facing Long odds on this hunt (ELK-2-340); no nonresident band is listed for it.
Muzzleloader · Mature bull · October 17 – October 21
By mid to late October bulls are in the Post-Rut Recovery phase, settling into secluded pockets where they can meet their needs without roaming far, and their limited time in the open makes this hunt play more like a mule deer hunt than a rut hunt. Glassing feeding openings at the edges of timber early and late pays off, while the slower midday hours are best spent walking likely draws and benches looking for tracks and droppings. Only a mature bull is legal for this muzzleloader hunt, and where sign turns up fresh, the better move is to stay patient and keep hunting that spot rather than moving on. Residents face Fair odds on this hunt (ELK-3-341).
Any legal weapon · Mature bull · December 19 – December 23
This late-December hunt falls in the Winter Range phase, when mature bulls may be grouped with other bulls and wintering areas can see repeated use year after year, so historical sign is worth using to narrow the search before zeroing in on current activity. December brings an average of about 1.2 inches of snowfall and lows near 24°F, and if snow has accumulated enough to push elk off the higher timber, concentrating effort on lower grass and shrub country makes sense; in milder conditions elk may still be working higher ground. Any legal weapon can be used but only a mature bull may be taken, and patience in areas showing fresh tracks, droppings or sightings is the approach this late in the year. All three pools face Very long odds on this hunt (ELK-1-342), whether applying as a resident, as a nonresident without an outfitter, or with a registered outfitter.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,300–10,000 ft, typically around 6,000 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 53% gentle · 35% moderate · 12% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~954 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
- Grass and meadow49%
- Shrub and brush43%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper5%
- Other cover3%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush57%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper34%
- Grass and meadow6%
- Other cover3%
Higher elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper77%
- Shrub and brush19%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Other cover2%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Recent fires
Wildfires in the last several seasons that burned a meaningful share of Unit 24. Fire perimeters show where a fire burned, not how hot — and closures change through the year, so check current fire closures and restrictions before you go.
- Trout fire, 2025 — about 47,000 acres in the unit (5%), mostly on its north side.
- Black fire, 2022 — about 12,000 acres in the unit (1%), mostly on its north side.
- Tadpole fire, 2020 — about 11,000 acres in the unit (1%), mostly on its northwest side.
- Turkey fire, 2023 — about 5,600 acres in the unit, mostly on its northwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 63% of Unit 24 is public land by ownership — National Forest, State Trust land and BLM. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- National Forest31%
- State Trust land18%
- BLM15%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private37%
Public land includes State Trust land (18% 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.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 83°F, lows around 56°F
- September — highs around 78°F, lows around 50°F
- October — highs around 70°F, lows around 40°F
- November — highs around 59°F, lows around 30°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 51°F, lows around 24°F, about 1.2 in of snowfall
Unit 24 elk hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get an elk licence for Unit 24?
A hunter applies for one of the public draw hunts by its hunt code, such as ELK-2-339 for the early archery season. Separately, landowners enrolled in the Elk Private Lands Use System issue authorizations that let a hunter buy a private-land elk licence, which is a different route from the draw application.
How hard are the Unit 24 elk hunts to draw, and does it differ by pool?
Odds are given in words for each pool rather than as numbers, and they vary by hunt and by pool. For example, the early archery hunt shows Fair odds for residents and Long odds for nonresidents applying without an outfitter, while the December mature-bull hunt shows Very long odds across all three pools: residents, nonresidents without an outfitter, and applicants using a registered outfitter.
Can a nonresident hunt elk in Unit 24?
Yes, nonresidents can apply for the public draw hunts listed for this unit, either without an outfitter or through the outfitter pool, which is open to both residents and nonresidents. No hunt listed here is restricted to residents only, so nonresidents are eligible to apply for all four.
Does New Mexico use preference points or bonus points for elk?
No. New Mexico has no points of any kind for elk, so a hunter cannot build or hold points toward a future application. Every application for a Unit 24 elk hunt is assigned a random sequence number and processed in that order each time.
Which Unit 24 elk seasons fall during the rut?
The two archery any-elk seasons, September 1–14 and September 15–24, fall within the regional Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases. The October muzzleloader mature-bull hunt falls in the Post-Rut Recovery phase and the December any-legal-weapon mature-bull hunt falls in the Winter Range phase, both outside the rut.
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.