Unit 42 Elk Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 4,294 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 42 is like
Unit 42 is gentle, rolling country, with the facts putting the overwhelming majority of its ground in gentle terrain and only a sliver qualifying as steep. Elevations run from roughly 3,700 feet up to 7,000 feet, and the cover shifts with that climb: lower and mid elevations are dominated by shrub and brush with small pockets of grass, meadow, and riparian growth, while the higher country starts mixing in conifer and pinyon-juniper timber alongside more open grass and meadow. Because so much of the unit is open, low-relief ground, this is largely a foot-and-glass proposition where covering country and finding pockets of better cover matters more than climbing.
Public land by ownership covers only about 8.7% of Unit 42, a mix of State Trust land and BLM, and that ownership figure does not mean every acre is open — some parcels are closed or restricted, so it pays to check access before setting out. State Trust land can be hunted only during a hunter's own hunt, plus some scouting days beforehand, and only by entering on public or established roads. The remaining roughly 91% of the unit is private, and written permission is required to hunt it. Beyond 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 distinct route from the draw.
Unit 42 has three archery and any-legal-weapon elk hunts, all valid across Units 47 and 59 as well, and all are filled through a random draw rather than a first-choice system. New Mexico has no points of any kind for elk, so there is nothing to build or hold from one year to the next — every application stands on its own in the random sequence.
Elk hunts in Unit 42 (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-2-411 Also valid in Units 47 and 59 | September 1 – September 14 | Any elk | Fair odds | — | — | Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Archery ELK-2-412 Also valid in Units 47 and 59 | September 15 – September 24 | Any elk | Fair odds | Long odds | — | Primary Rut |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-413 Also valid in Units 47 and 59 | October 1 – October 5 | Any elk | Very long odds | 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
Early in the month, elk activity is moving into the rut onset phase before shifting into the primary rut by the second week, so bulls should be increasingly occupied with cows rather than purely cautious. Hunting this one means working the gentle, rolling terrain on foot, using the shrub and brush flats and any meadow or riparian pockets at lower elevations to locate animals, since cover here is thin. Any elk is legal with archery gear, and residents face Fair odds in the draw for this hunt.
Archery · Any elk · September 15 – September 24
This stretch falls squarely in the primary rut, so bull behavior should be fully tied to cow groups across the unit's open, low-relief ground. With little topographic relief to hide in, hunters need to lean on the scattered grass, meadow, and riparian cover at the lower elevations or push into the conifer and pinyon-juniper timber higher up to find elk holding in better cover. Archery only, any elk is legal, and the draw is tougher than the first September hunt — Fair odds for residents, Long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter.
Any legal weapon · Any elk · October 1 – October 5
By early October the rut is winding down into the late rut and early post-rut phase, and mature bulls can start pulling away from cow groups to isolate on their own, with the larger bulls often leaving first while smaller satellite bulls may linger with cows still cycling. Bulls coming off the rut can be worn down and battered, sometimes carrying broken antlers, so it is worth looking for secluded pockets where feeding, bedding, and water sit close together, and checking any bull carefully if antler condition matters. This hunt allows any legal weapon and any elk, but it draws Very long odds for residents, nonresidents without an outfitter, and those applying with an outfitter alike.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,700–7,000 ft, typically around 5,000 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 88% gentle · 10% moderate · 3% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~374 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 brush91%
- Grass and meadow4%
- Other cover3%
- Riparian1%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush91%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper4%
- Grass and meadow4%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush58%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper21%
- Grass and meadow20%
- Other cover1%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 9% of Unit 42 is public land by ownership — State Trust land and BLM. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- State Trust land7%
- BLM1%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private91%
Public land includes State Trust land (7% 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 89°F, lows around 61°F
- September — highs around 82°F, lows around 53°F
- October — highs around 72°F, lows around 41°F, about 0.4 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 60°F, lows around 30°F, about 0.3 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 51°F, lows around 23°F, about 2.2 in of snowfall
Unit 42 elk hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get an elk license for Unit 42 without going through 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, which is a different licensing route from the draw.
How hard is it to draw an elk hunt in Unit 42, and does it depend on which pool a hunter applies in?
Odds vary by hunt and by pool. Residents see Fair odds on both archery hunts, nonresidents applying without an outfitter see Long odds on the second archery hunt, and the October any-legal-weapon hunt shows Very long odds for residents, nonresidents without an outfitter, and applicants with an outfitter alike.
Can a nonresident apply for every elk hunt listed in Unit 42?
Nonresidents without an outfitter can apply for all three hunts listed, though draw bands are only given where enough applicants exist to produce one. None of the three hunts listed for Unit 42 are restricted to residents only.
Does New Mexico award elk hunters any kind of point for applying?
No. New Mexico has no preference points or bonus points of any kind for elk, so every application in Unit 42 is evaluated on its own through the random draw rather than through accumulated points.
How much of Unit 42 can a hunter count on reaching, and what is the rule on State Trust land?
Public land by ownership covers only about 8.7% of the unit, a mix of State Trust land and BLM, and that ownership figure does not guarantee access since some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land within that public share can be hunted only during a hunter's own hunt, plus a short scouting window beforehand, entering by public or established roads.
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.