Unit 38 Elk Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 3,257 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 38 is like
Unit 38 is gentle and rolling country, with essentially no steep or rugged ground anywhere in its boundary and a mean slope of under three degrees. Elevations run from about 4,400 feet up to 8,600 feet, but most of the unit sits around 6,100 feet, and the open character of the land means a hunter can see a long way and cover ground on foot or with optics rather than fighting elevation. Lower elevations are dominated by grass and meadow with shrub and brush mixed in; moving up through the mid elevations, shrub and brush takes over as the majority cover with grass and meadow still common; only at the higher elevations does any timber show up, where conifer and pinyon-juniper appears alongside shrub and brush and grass and meadow. This is a unit where elk have few places to hide in heavy timber, so glassing open flats and brushy draws is the practical approach.
Only about 30% of Unit 38 is public land by ownership, a mix of BLM, National Forest and State Trust land, and that share is an ownership figure rather than a guarantee of access — some of it is closed or restricted. State Trust land (11% of the unit) can be used only during a hunter's own hunt, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, and only by entering on public or established roads. The unit also contains a unitized ranch, Carey Well Ranch, where the State Trust and BLM parcels inside the ranch boundary are treated as private and closed even though they still count toward the public total; the ranch's own private land, under the agreement, is open to public hunters. The remaining roughly 70% of the unit is private land requiring written permission. Beyond the draw hunts described here, landowners enrolled in the Elk Private Lands Use System separately issue authorizations that let a hunter purchase a private-land elk licence, a distinct path from the public draw.
Elk hunts in Unit 38 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-408 | October 1 – October 5 | Any elk | Very long odds | — | Very long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-409 | October 17 – October 21 | Any elk | Very long odds | — | — | Post-Rut Recovery |
"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.
Any legal weapon · Any elk · October 1 – October 5
This early-October hunt falls in the late rut and early post-rut phase, when breeding is winding down and mature bulls often begin pulling away from cow groups to isolate on their own, sometimes well ahead of the smaller satellite bulls that may linger and keep breeding as cows continue to cycle. Bulls coming off the rut can show the wear of the season — battered, worn down, occasionally carrying broken points or beams — so a hunter looking for a clean rack should check bulls closely before deciding. In this unit's gentle, open terrain, that means searching out the secluded pockets, wherever feed, bedding cover and water sit close together, since there's little steep ground to push bulls into hiding elsewhere. The hunt is open to any legal weapon for any elk, and the draw is random, with very long odds for resident applicants and for those applying with an outfitter; too few nonresident applicants without an outfitter applied to post a band.
Any legal weapon · Any elk · October 17 – October 21
By mid-to-late October, Unit 38 sits in the post-rut recovery phase, and bulls settle into limited, predictable routines rather than ranging widely — their appearances in the open can be infrequent enough that hunting them starts to resemble hunting mule deer. The open grass, meadow and shrub-and-brush cover at these elevations rewards glassing feeding openings early and late in the day, while the slower midday hours are better spent walking likely ground and checking for tracks and droppings. When that sign turns up fresh, the better move is to stay on it and keep hunting the area rather than pushing elsewhere. This is another any-legal-weapon, any-elk hunt, drawn at random; resident applicants face very long odds, and too few applications came in from either nonresident pool to post a band for them.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,400–8,600 ft, typically around 6,100 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 97% gentle · 3% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~969 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 meadow60%
- Shrub and brush39%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush61%
- Grass and meadow37%
- Other cover2%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush56%
- Grass and meadow34%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper10%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 30% of Unit 38 is public land by ownership — BLM, State Trust land and National Forest. 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.
- BLM14%
- State Trust land11%
- National Forest5%
- Private70%
Public land includes State Trust land (11% 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.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 85°F, lows around 57°F
- September — highs around 79°F, lows around 50°F
- October — highs around 69°F, lows around 39°F, about 0.4 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 58°F, lows around 29°F, about 0.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 48°F, lows around 22°F, about 2.9 in of snowfall
Unit 38 elk hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get an elk licence for Unit 38 through the public draw?
Yes — Unit 38 offers public draw hunts, each with its own hunt code, and a hunter applies for a specific hunt code rather than simply the unit. Beyond the draw, landowners enrolled in the Elk Private Lands Use System separately issue authorizations allowing purchase of a private-land elk licence, a distinct licensing route from the draw hunts.
How hard is it to draw an elk hunt in Unit 38, and does it differ by pool?
For the October 1–5 any-elk hunt (ELK-1-408), resident applicants and those applying with an outfitter both face very long odds, while too few nonresident applicants without an outfitter applied to post a band. For the October 17–21 any-elk hunt (ELK-1-409), resident applicants face very long odds, and neither nonresident pool had enough applicants to post a band. Odds apply per application, not per person, and are never guaranteed.
Can a nonresident hunt elk in Unit 38?
Yes, a nonresident can apply for either of the listed any-elk hunts, either without an outfitter or through the pool open to applicants using a registered outfitter, which accepts both residents and nonresidents. Neither hunt listed here is restricted to residents only.
Does New Mexico use preference points or bonus points for elk draws here?
No. New Mexico has no points system of any kind for elk, so a hunter cannot build or hold points toward Unit 38; every application in a given year is independently entered into the random draw.
How much of Unit 38 is public land, and does State Trust land change that?
About 30% of the unit is public land by ownership, split between BLM, National Forest and State Trust land, but that figure describes ownership rather than guaranteed access since some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land, which makes up 11% of the unit, can only be used during a hunter's own hunt plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, and State Trust and BLM parcels inside the Carey Well Ranch unitized area are closed even though still counted in that 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 20, 2026.