Unit 49 Elk Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 425 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. Some hunts here are for New Mexico residents only; a nonresident is not eligible for them.
What hunting Unit 49 is like
Unit 49 is rolling to moderately steep country, with mean slope running around 16 degrees and most of the ground falling into gentle to moderate categories rather than anything truly rugged. Elevation runs from around 5,800 feet up to nearly 12,000 feet, and that spread shows up in the cover: lower country leans on conifer and pinyon-juniper mixed with shrub and brush, the mid-elevation band is dominated by conifer and pinyon-juniper with only slivers of deciduous forest and grass and meadow, and the higher country opens up slightly with more grass and meadow alongside the timber. Most of this is foot-and-glass country, with the timber holding animals tight enough that covering ground on foot and checking openings pays off more than trying to glass from a vehicle.
About 83% of the unit is public land across National Forest, BLM and State Trust parcels, though that ownership figure does not mean every acre is open or easy to reach — some parcels carry restrictions, and State Trust land (1% of the unit) can only be used during a hunter's own hunt plus a short scouting window beforehand. Roughly 13% of the unit is private and requires written permission, and another 4.1% is tribal land closed to state-licensed hunting without the tribe's own permit. The Luna fire burned about 7,800 acres on the unit's east side in 2020, and in the seasons covered here that burn is five to eight years old, meaning the brush and sapling growth is thick enough to hide animals well and deadfall has been building as burned timber continues to come down; hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
Beyond the general 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 route distinct from the public draw hunts described below.
Elk hunts in Unit 49 (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-2-379 | September 1 – September 14 | Any elk | Long odds | Very long odds | Very long odds | Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Archery ELK-2-380 | September 15 – September 24 | Any elk | Long odds | Very long odds | Long odds | Primary Rut |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-381 | October 10 – October 14 | Mature bull | Very long odds | Very long odds | Long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-382 | October 17 – October 21 | Mature bull | Long odds | Long odds | Very long odds | Post-Rut Recovery |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-383 | November 7 – November 11 | Antlerless elk | Long odds | Residents only | Residents only | Migration Transition |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-384 | November 14 – November 18 | Antlerless elk | Fair odds | Residents only | Residents only | Migration Transition |
"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 archery here falls across the Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases, so bull activity is building and may be well underway by the back half of this hunt. The thick regrowth in the Luna burn on the east side, now five to eight years along, can hold animals but makes still-hunting difficult given the brush height and growing deadfall; working the timber edges and openings elsewhere in the unit may be more efficient. This hunt allows any elk taken with archery equipment, and it draws Long odds for residents, Very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Very long odds for those applying with an outfitter.
Archery · Any elk · September 15 – September 24
This second archery season sits fully inside the Primary Rut phase, so hunting pressure and animal activity are both likely to be at their fall high point for the year. The same mix of conifer and pinyon-juniper timber, shrub and brush, and limited meadow openings applies, and the Luna burn's thick five-to-eight-year regrowth remains a factor for anyone hunting the east side. Any elk is legal under this archery-only hunt, and the draw runs Long odds for residents, Very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Long odds for those applying with an outfitter.
Any legal weapon · Mature bull · October 10 – October 14
The first October rifle hunt falls in the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, when breeding is slowing and mature bulls often begin pulling away from cow groups to isolate, with the larger bulls typically the first to leave; smaller satellite bulls may still linger with cows. Bulls coming off the rut can be worn down and battered, sometimes carrying broken points or beams, so a hunter focused on antler condition should look animals over carefully before committing. Average October snowfall runs light at around 1.7 inches with lows near 30°F, and if any snow has accumulated it is worth checking secluded pockets where feeding, bedding, and water sit close together. Only a mature bull is legal here, and the draw is Very long odds for residents, Very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Long odds for those applying with an outfitter.
Any legal weapon · Mature bull · October 17 – October 21
By the third week of October the unit has moved into Post-Rut Recovery, and bulls recovering from the rut tend to settle into secluded ground where they can meet their needs without traveling far, showing themselves in the open less often and making the hunt feel closer to hunting mule deer than chasing rutting bulls. Glassing feeding openings early and late pays off, and during the slower midday hours walking likely ground for tracks and droppings can turn up where bulls are holding; once sign shows elk are using an area, staying on it tends to beat moving on too quickly. Snowfall in October averages around 1.7 inches with lows near 30°F, conditions worth factoring into how far and how early a hunter plans to glass. Only a mature bull is legal, and the draw runs Long odds for residents and Long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, while those applying with an outfitter draw Very long odds.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk · November 7 – November 11
Early-to-mid November puts this antlerless hunt in the Migration Transition phase, when elk begin shifting toward wintering ground and the large cow groups that formed earlier in the fall may start to break apart and spread out. The practical approach is to look for current sign along likely routes into wintering country across the unit's timbered and brushy mid- and lower-elevation ground, using older sign mainly to flag places worth checking and fresh sign to confirm elk are actually there now. November averages around 5.5 inches of snowfall with lows near 21°F, and if snow has piled up by the hunt's dates it is worth weighting effort toward lower ground where animals may be concentrating. This hunt is for antlerless elk only and is restricted to residents, who face Long odds in the draw; nonresidents, with or without an outfitter, are ineligible to apply.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk · November 14 – November 18
The second November antlerless hunt lands in the same Migration Transition phase as the hunt before it, with elk continuing to drift toward wintering ground and cow groups potentially thinning out further as the month goes on. Success here still comes down to finding fresh sign rather than relying on where elk were seen in past years, working the transition zones between the unit's higher timber and its lower, more open ground. With November snowfall averaging around 5.5 inches and lows near 21°F, any accumulated snow by these dates is worth using to narrow the search toward lower-elevation cover. This antlerless-only hunt is residents-only, carrying Fair odds for residents in the draw, while nonresident applicants, with or without an outfitter, cannot apply.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,800–11,900 ft, typically around 8,900 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 28% gentle · 52% moderate · 19% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~353 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
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper68%
- Shrub and brush24%
- Other cover6%
- Grass and meadow1%
Mid elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper88%
- Shrub and brush4%
- Deciduous forest3%
- Other cover2%
- Grass and meadow2%
Higher elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper79%
- Grass and meadow9%
- Shrub and brush6%
- Deciduous forest5%
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 49. 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.
- Luna fire, 2020 — about 7,800 acres in the unit (3%), mostly on its east side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 83% of Unit 49 is public land by ownership — National Forest, BLM and State Trust land. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- National Forest74%
- BLM8%
- State Trust land<1%
- tribal land4%
- Private13%
Public land includes State Trust land (1% 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.
Tribal land requires the tribe's own permission and licence — a New Mexico elk licence is not valid there.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 73°F, lows around 46°F
- September — highs around 67°F, lows around 40°F
- October — highs around 57°F, lows around 30°F, about 1.7 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 46°F, lows around 21°F, about 5.5 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 38°F, lows around 14°F, about 10 in of snowfall
Unit 49 elk hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get an elk licence for Unit 49?
A hunter applies for one of the public draw hunts listed for Unit 49 by its hunt code, choosing up to three hunt choices on the application. Separately, landowners enrolled in the Elk Private Lands Use System issue their own authorizations that let a hunter buy a private-land elk licence, which is a different licensing route from the draw.
How hard are the Unit 49 hunts to draw, and does it differ by pool?
Yes, odds are given separately for residents, nonresidents applying without an outfitter, and applicants applying with a registered outfitter, and they vary a good deal by hunt. For example the November 14-18 antlerless hunt runs Fair odds for residents, while most of the archery and bull hunts run Long odds or Very long odds depending on the pool. Odds are a words-only band per application, never a number or a guarantee.
Can a nonresident hunt every season in Unit 49?
No. Nonresidents, with or without an outfitter, may apply for both archery any-elk hunts and both mature bull hunts, but the two antlerless elk hunts are restricted to residents only and a nonresident is ineligible to apply for them.
Does New Mexico use preference points for elk like some other states?
No. New Mexico has no points system at all for elk, so there is nothing to build or hold from one year to the next. Every application for a Unit 49 hunt is simply assigned a random sequence number and processed in that order.
How much of Unit 49 is public land, and does State Trust land work differently?
About 83% of the unit is public land spread across National Forest, BLM, and State Trust parcels, though that ownership share does not guarantee open or unrestricted access since some parcels carry their own limits. State Trust land makes up about 1% of the unit and may only be used during a hunter's own hunt, plus a short scouting window of up to seven days beforehand, entered 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.