Unit 58 Elk Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 1,531 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 58 is like
Unit 58 is gentle, rolling country, with a mean slope of only about 4.5 degrees and almost none of the ground classed as steep or rugged. Elevations run from 4,300 feet up to 8,200 feet, but most of the unit sits around 5,500 feet, and across that range grass and meadow dominate the cover at every elevation band, with shrub and brush making up a large secondary share and conifer and pinyon-juniper woodland thinning as the unit's main cover. Open, rolling ground like this is mostly foot-and-glass country: elk can be spotted at distance, but reaching them and closing on them across minimal topographic cover takes time and careful use of the brush.
Only about 21 percent of Unit 58 is public land by ownership, split between State Trust land and National Forest, and that ownership figure is not the same as open access — some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land makes up 18 percent of the unit and can be hunted only during a hunter's own hunt dates, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads. The remaining roughly 79 percent is private, and written permission is required to hunt it; a separate option is to pursue a Private-Land Elk License through landowner authorizations outside the draw system, which is a different licensing route from the draw hunts described here. The Stateline fire burned about 2 percent of the unit on its northeast side in 2018, and the Campbell Road fire burned about 1 percent of the unit toward the middle in 2022; hunters should check for current fire closures before heading out.
New Mexico has no points system for elk, so every hunt here is a straight random-draw application by hunt code, and odds vary sharply between hunts and pools.
Elk hunts in Unit 58 (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-2-420 Excluding Sugarite Canyon State Park; Also valid in Unit 57 | September 1 – September 14 | Any elk | — | — | — | Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Archery ELK-2-421 Excluding Sugarite Canyon State Park; Also valid in Unit 57 | September 15 – September 24 | Any elk | Fair odds | — | — | Primary Rut |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-422 Excluding Sugarite Canyon State Park; Also valid in Unit 57 | October 1 – October 5 | Mature bull | Very long odds | Very long odds | — | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-423 Excluding Sugarite Canyon State Park; Also valid in Unit 57 | October 17 – October 21 | Mature bull | Very long odds | — | — | Post-Rut Recovery |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-424 Excluding Sugarite Canyon State Park; Also valid in Unit 57 | December 12 – December 16 | Antlerless elk | Fair odds | Residents only | Residents only | 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 the month the rut is just beginning to turn on, moving from rut onset into the primary rut phase as the two weeks progress, so bull activity is building through this stretch. Archers working Unit 58's gentle, open terrain can use the grass and meadow openings to glass at range before easing in through shrub and brush for cover on the approach. Any elk is legal here, which gives an archery hunter flexibility while bulls are starting to focus on cows. The gentle slopes mean long looks across country are possible, but closing the final yards still takes patience given the lack of broken terrain to hide behind.
Archery · Any elk · September 15 – September 24
This stretch falls fully within the primary rut phase, so bull activity should be well underway across the unit. The same gentle, rolling ground and mixed grass, brush, and scattered timber apply, and any elk is legal, so an archery hunter can target either a bull or a cow during this window. Resident applicants draw this hunt at Fair odds, making it a more attainable archery option than the mature bull hunts later in the fall. Glassing the open meadow and grass areas at first and last light, then working the brush edges, remains the practical approach on this terrain.
Any legal weapon · Mature bull · October 1 – October 5
By early October the rut is winding down into its late rut and early post-rut phase, and mature bulls may begin pulling away from cow groups to isolate, with the larger bulls often the first to leave. Smaller satellite bulls can still be found with cows that are cycling again, so both patterns are possible on the same ground. Bulls coming off the rut can be worn down and battered, sometimes carrying broken points, so a hunter particular about antler condition should look bulls over carefully. The practical move is to start checking secluded pockets where feeding, bedding, and water sit close together, using the open meadow and grass areas to spot bulls and the brush and timber for cover; this hunt only allows a mature bull and draw odds for both residents and nonresidents without an outfitter run Very long.
Any legal weapon · Mature bull · October 17 – October 21
Mid-October sits in the post-rut recovery phase, when bulls settle into secluded ground and meet their needs without moving far, making them behave more like mule deer than rutting elk. The approach here is to glass feeding openings in the grass and meadow country early and late, then spend the slower midday hours walking likely draws and brush edges looking for tracks and droppings. Where that sign turns up fresh, the better plan is to stay and keep hunting the spot rather than moving on to new ground. Only a mature bull is legal, and resident applicants face Very long odds for this hunt.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk · December 12 – December 16
By mid-December elk are settled into winter range, and wintering areas in Unit 58 often see repeated use from year to year, so a hunter can lean on historical sign to narrow down where to start looking before confirming current activity. December brings an average of around 1.9 inches of snowfall and lows near 19°F, so where snow has actually piled up it pays to focus on lower ground and open grass and meadow feeding areas rather than higher country. This hunt is for antlerless elk only, so the search is for cows and calves rather than bulls, and patience matters: staying in an area with fresh tracks, droppings, or sightings beats covering ground quickly. Resident applicants draw this hunt at Fair odds, but it is closed to nonresidents entirely, both with and without an outfitter.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,300–8,200 ft, typically around 5,500 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 88% gentle · 10% moderate · 3% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~320 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 meadow50%
- Shrub and brush39%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper6%
- Other cover5%
Mid elevations
- Grass and meadow56%
- Shrub and brush31%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper12%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Grass and meadow57%
- Shrub and brush26%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper16%
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 58. 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.
- Stateline fire, 2018 — about 18,000 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its northeast side.
- Campbell Road fire, 2022 — about 5,200 acres in the unit, toward the middle of the unit.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 21% of Unit 58 is public land by ownership — State Trust land and National Forest. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- State Trust land18%
- National Forest3%
- National Park Service<1%
- Private79%
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.
Hunting is allowed on some National Park Service land (a national preserve, for example) but not in national parks, monuments or historical parks — check where it is allowed.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 86°F, lows around 57°F
- September — highs around 80°F, lows around 50°F
- October — highs around 69°F, lows around 38°F, about 0.6 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 57°F, lows around 27°F, about 0.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 48°F, lows around 19°F, about 1.9 in of snowfall
Unit 58 elk hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get an elk licence for Unit 58?
Most hunters apply for one of the public draw hunts listed for Unit 58 by its hunt code, since New Mexico elk licences in this unit are issued through a random draw. Separately, landowners enrolled in the Elk Private Lands Use System can issue authorizations that let a hunter buy a Private-Land Elk License, which is a different route from the draw hunts and has its own access rights by ranch.
How hard are the Unit 58 hunts to draw, and does it differ by pool?
It varies a lot by hunt and by pool. The September 15–24 archery any-elk hunt sits at Fair odds for residents, the December antlerless hunt is Fair for residents, and both October mature-bull hunts run Very long odds for residents, with the October 1–5 mature bull hunt also listed as Very long for nonresidents applying without an outfitter. Odds are given per application, not per hunter, and only for the pools where a band is shown.
Can a nonresident hunt every season in Unit 58?
No. Nonresidents can apply for both archery any-elk hunts and both any-legal-weapon mature bull hunts, but the antlerless elk hunt in December is restricted to residents only, making a nonresident ineligible for it in the draw.
Does New Mexico have a points system for elk in Unit 58?
No. New Mexico has no preference points or bonus points for elk at all, so there is nothing to build or hold from year to year; every application for a Unit 58 hunt is simply entered into that year's random draw on its own.
How much of Unit 58 is public land, and what is the rule on State Trust land?
About 21 percent of the unit, roughly 320 square miles, is public land by ownership, split between State Trust land and National Forest, and that is an ownership figure rather than a guarantee of open access since some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land alone makes up 18 percent of the unit and can only be used during a hunter's own hunt dates, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads. The remaining roughly 79 percent of Unit 58 is private land requiring written permission to hunt.
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.