Unit 50 Elk Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 923 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 50 is like
Unit 50 is gentle, rolling country, with mean slope under five degrees and almost nothing in the steep or rugged classes. That shape makes it foot-friendly ground, and most of the acreage, at every elevation band, carries a heavy dose of shrub and brush, with conifer and pinyon-juniper timber thickening at the higher elevations and small pockets of grass and meadow scattered through the lower and higher bands. A hunter can cover ground on foot without technical terrain slowing them down, but the brush-dominated cover means visibility is often limited to feeding openings and meadow edges rather than long-range glassing.
About seventy percent of Unit 50 is public land under BLM, National Forest, or State Trust ownership, but that ownership figure is not a promise of open access — some parcels are closed or restricted, and State Trust land (about ten percent of the unit) may only be used during a hunter's own hunt plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads under the State Land Office's easement; some State Trust parcels are withdrawn entirely, so checking the access map ahead of time matters. A small share, under two percent, is tribal land closed to state-licensed hunting without tribal permission. The remaining roughly twenty-nine percent is private, and written permission is required there.
The season lineup here runs from early archery through late-season antlerless hunts, with draw bands that shift considerably by pool and by hunt. Every hunt listed is filled through New Mexico's random draw, where each application receives a sequence number and is processed in that order rather than by choice rank; there are no preference or bonus points of any kind to build toward these hunts. Separate from the draw, landowners enrolled in the Elk Private Lands Use System issue their own authorizations for a private-land elk licence, a distinct route from the public draw hunts described here.
Elk hunts in Unit 50 (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-2-187 | September 1 – September 14 | Any elk | Good odds | — | — | Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Archery ELK-2-188 | September 15 – September 24 | Any elk | Good odds | Long odds | — | Primary Rut |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-189 | October 10 – October 14 | Mature bull | Fair odds | Long odds | — | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-190 | October 17 – October 21 | Mature bull | Good odds | Long odds | — | Post-Rut Recovery |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-191 | November 7 – November 11 | Antlerless elk | Fair odds | Residents only | Residents only | Migration Transition |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-192 | November 21 – November 25 | 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 September finds elk moving through the rut onset and into the primary rut phase, so activity may already be building as the season opens. Archery hunters working Unit 50's gentle, brush-heavy terrain should focus on grass and meadow openings and the edges of conifer and pinyon-juniper timber at higher elevations, since the thick shrub and brush cover elsewhere limits visibility. This hunt is open to any elk, giving archers flexibility on which animal to take, and residents face good odds on this hunt (ELK-2-187).
Archery · Any elk · September 15 – September 24
This stretch falls squarely in the primary rut phase, making it one of the more active windows of the fall for elk movement in Unit 50. The gentle, rolling ground lets archery hunters move efficiently between meadow pockets and timbered edges at the higher elevations while still hunting any elk under this tag. Draw odds differ sharply by pool here: residents see good odds, while nonresidents applying without an outfitter face long odds on this hunt (ELK-2-188).
Any legal weapon · Mature bull · October 10 – October 14
By mid-October the rut is winding down into the late rut and early post-rut phase, and mature bulls may begin pulling away from cow groups to isolate, with the larger bulls often leaving first while smaller satellite bulls linger with cows still cycling. Bulls finishing out the rut can be worn down and carrying broken points or beams, so it pays to look for secluded pockets in the shrub and brush or timbered higher ground where feeding, bedding, and water sit close together, and to glass bulls carefully before deciding on one. Only a mature bull is legal here, meaning spikes must be passed. Residents hold fair odds on this any-legal-weapon hunt, while nonresidents without an outfitter face long odds (ELK-1-189).
Any legal weapon · Mature bull · October 17 – October 21
Running just after the previous hunt, this period sits in the post-rut recovery phase, when bulls that have finished breeding often tuck into secluded areas and limit their movement, behaving more like mule deer than rutting elk. The approach in Unit 50's gentle terrain is to glass feeding openings in the grass and meadow patches early and late, then spend the slower midday hours walking likely cover on foot checking for tracks and droppings. Where sign shows elk are using an area, it is worth staying on it rather than moving on. This is again a mature-bull-only, any-legal-weapon hunt, and residents draw it at good odds while nonresidents without an outfitter face long odds (ELK-1-190).
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk · November 7 – November 11
Into November, elk are in the migration transition phase, with large cow groups tending to spread out and shift toward wintering country rather than holding in tight concentrations. This is an antlerless-only hunt, so the job is finding current sign of elk moving through the unit's brush and timbered higher ground rather than tracking bull behavior; old sign can point to a likely area, but only fresh evidence confirms elk are using it now. With average November snowfall and lows near freezing, any substantial accumulation is worth using to narrow the search toward lower, more sheltered ground. This hunt is open only to residents, who face fair odds; nonresidents are ineligible for it (ELK-1-191).
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk · November 21 – November 25
Late November keeps elk in the same migration transition phase as the preceding antlerless hunt, with cow groups continuing to disperse toward wintering ground. Hunters filling an antlerless tag should concentrate on locating fresh sign along that transition rather than relying on sign left from past years, since only current evidence confirms elk are actually present. If snow has accumulated meaningfully by this date, given November's average snowfall and lows near the low twenties, it is worth pushing the search toward lower elevations where elk are more likely to have settled. This hunt is restricted to residents, who see fair odds, while nonresidents remain ineligible (ELK-1-192).
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,600–9,500 ft, typically around 7,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 89% gentle · 9% moderate · 2% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~644 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 brush81%
- Other cover11%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper3%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush93%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper5%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush80%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper17%
- Grass and meadow2%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 70% of Unit 50 is public land by ownership — BLM, National Forest and State Trust land. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- BLM45%
- National Forest15%
- State Trust land10%
- tribal land2%
- Private29%
Public land includes State Trust land (10% 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 81°F, lows around 49°F
- September — highs around 75°F, lows around 42°F
- October — highs around 64°F, lows around 32°F, about 0.8 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 51°F, lows around 22°F, about 2 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 40°F, lows around 14°F, about 5.7 in of snowfall
Unit 50 elk hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get an elk licence for Unit 50?
A hunter applies for one of the public draw hunts by its specific hunt code, and the license is awarded through New Mexico's random draw process. 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 distinct route from applying for these draw hunts.
How hard are the Unit 50 elk hunts to draw, and does it differ by pool?
Yes, draw difficulty varies by hunt and by pool. Residents see good odds on both archery any-elk hunts and on the October 17-21 mature bull hunt, fair odds on the October 10-14 mature bull hunt and on both antlerless hunts, while nonresidents applying without an outfitter face long odds on the archery September 15-24 hunt and on both mature bull hunts.
Can a nonresident hunt every season offered in Unit 50?
No. Nonresidents may apply for both archery any-elk hunts and both any-legal-weapon mature bull hunts, but the two antlerless elk hunts are restricted to residents only, making nonresidents ineligible for those specific hunts regardless of outfitter use.
Does New Mexico use preference points for elk like some other states?
No. New Mexico has no preference points, bonus points, or any points system for elk; every application for these hunts is given a random sequence number and processed in that order rather than built up over time with points.
How much of Unit 50 is public land, and does State Trust land work like other public land?
About seventy percent of the unit is public land under BLM, National Forest, and State Trust ownership, though ownership alone does not guarantee access since some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land, roughly ten percent of the unit, can only be used during a hunter's own hunt plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entered by public or established roads, and some parcels are withdrawn entirely.
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.