RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

You got it vichris. I've lived here all my life and I can attest to there being lots of opportunities to hunt in this state, and if you buy some land or know some people with land then it isn't necessarily luck of the draw for deer or elk. Now if you think our book is hard to understand then you don't like legal documents cause the state book reads like really basic law documents. I understand it, and if you have any Q's the NMDGF is more than willing to answer the phone and help you with any Q's you have.

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

I'm a non res and the rules seem to be perfectly legible...

Simply read whatever you need to figure out....maybe once you get a hang of how they run the system that'll help you understand...

There's plenty of great hunting in NM...

Don't be turned off.

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

well we have 30 millions acres out here, mostly Indian reserves, but great opportunity, elk, sheep, prong horn, mules, we got it all

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

The rule book just doesn't read like the Tn book and it seems more complicated due to all the regions and draw tags and everything. We have 3 regions in Tn and the only tag draws we have are for wildlife management areas so I am not used to anything like that. I guess I will be out there by mid summer. I am not going to Co. for sure now. I am looking at houses in the East Mountain area. I was told the weather was better there than it is down in the basin? Do you have Whitetails down there? Thats the only big game we have here besides hogs and turkey. So anything other than that is new to me.

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

On the same note, I will be working for New Mexico for 6 months starting in June. As a non-resident, what is the best way to go about trying to draw some tags or get an opportunity to hunt?

RE: Anyone from New Mexico?
 

The best I can get from the NM dnr website is you can't hunt big game there unless you have all your tags applied for and paid in full by April. The tags there are high just to apply for them. If you don't get drawn are you just out the hundreds of dollars and better luck next year or do you get your money back or what? From what I read you would have close to a grand in tag applications just to hope you get drawn for something. The way it looks in the book you would have to have plenty of cash just to get a chance to hunt or mabey I just don't understand the way it works. I also read about a non refundable $9 application fee. Do you pay that fee to get in the draw then pay for the tag if your drawn?

I'm fairly new to the NM area, and am also finding the reg book here a little confusing. Some good info here, although some may have changed in recent years. I believe I have missed the drawing for elk, but I thought I read that there were over the counter tags. If some one had the time to explain the OTC tags it would be appreciated. I have read through the reg, but still not quite sure how it works.

The NM rule book has come a long way over the past 10 years, but here's a primer on NM licensing. Obviously there's lots more details, and I'm only touching on a small part of the system.

Hunters generally acquire licenses to hunt in NM (most to least common) 1) by winning in the draw, or 2) after purcasing a "land-owner authorization" typically sold by ranchers which allows one to buy a license from the state, or 3) over the counter (OTC) for a short list of species, or 4) through an online race (sort of OTC) for "left over tags", 5) by getting called for a population management (depradation) hunt, or 6) win a some sort of fund-raising raffle or auction, or 7) win some other special raffle run by G&F.

The draw application deadline in 2013 was March 20 (I'm sorry, but I just found this forum). See page 15 (2013 edition) for list of licenses and fees. There are several ways to "game" the draw to improve your chances of drawing and there are resident/NR quotas attached to the draw.

Land-owner authorizations are available for elk, deer, and antelope (maybe some others). The state Dept of Game and Fish issues a list of land owners and authorizations can be found on Craigslist too. You pay the land owner to transfer the authorization, and then you pay the state for the hunting licence. Watch out for "ranch only" vs "unit wide" authorizatins; there are pros and cons both ways, and which depend on the ranch. No quotas here, money talks.

OTC licenses are available for turkey, bear & cougar subject areal and bag limits; oryx, barbary sheep, ibex outside the premium areas, and "fur-bearer" trapping.

Getting a licence through a raffle, and auction, or getting called for a depradation hunt is really a low-likelyhood event. Even buying a left-over tag on-line is very hard. There are almost never left over elk or deer tags.

Lemme know if this helps.