Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 23, December 10, 2024
Section 19.31.14.12 - SPECIAL ELK HUNTING OPPORTUNITIESA.Elk enhancement program:(1)Program description: The director shall collect all proceeds generated through the auction and lottery of special bull elk authorizations, and such monies shall be deposited in the game protection fund. These monies shall be made available for expenditure by the department solely for programs and projects to benefit elk and for direct costs incurred in carrying out these programs. These monies shall be used to augment, and not replace, monies appropriated from existing funds available to the department for the conservation, restoration, utilization, and management of elk.(2)Requirements for issuance of special elk authorizations:(a) The state game commission shall authorize the director to issue not more than two special elk authorizations in any one license year to take one mature bull elk per license. The director shall allow the sale of one authorization through auction to the highest bidder and one authorization to a person selected through a random drawing of a lottery ticket by the department or an incorporated, non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of elk.(b) Unless their hunting privileges have been revoked pursuant to law, any person is eligible to submit a bid for the special elk auction authorization or purchase lottery tickets in an attempt to be selected for the special elk lottery authorization.(c) The special elk authorizations issued through auction and lottery may be transferred, through sale, barter or gift by the successful individuals only to other individuals qualified to hunt.(d) Special elk licenses granted through auction or lottery, as described above, shall not be considered 'once-in-a-lifetime'.(3)Enhancement hunts: Elk enhancement licenses shall be valid from September 1 through January 31 for any big-game sporting arms. These licenses shall be valid statewide where hunting is allowed; bag limit shall be one mature bull elk. The elk enhancement authorizations may be used by the recipient or transferred through sale, barter or gift by the successful individuals to other individuals qualified to hunt.B.Elk incentive programs: The director may annually allow up to two elk authorizations to be issued for deer and elk hunters submitting their legally harvested animal for CWD testing. Authorizations to purchase an incentive license may be used either by the applicant or transferred through sale, barter or gift by the successful individuals to any individual qualified to hunt. Elk incentive hunts shall be valid only for the dates, biggame sporting arms, bag limit and area specified by the director.C.Encouragement hunts:(1) Only resident youth hunters as defined by 19.31.3 NMAC who have submitted a valid application for a draw hunt for deer, elk, pronghorn, ibex, oryx, Barbary sheep or bighorn sheep in the current license year and were unsuccessful in drawing any license will be eligible to purchase a license for these hunts for the first 14 days of availability on the department website. Licenses remaining after 14 days shall be available to any youth hunter eligible to purchase an elk license.(2) The director, with concurrence of the chairperson of the state game commission, may adjust the number of licenses available in all encouragement hunts listed below based on management objectives.(3) These hunts will be administered by the department through a web sale. The open GMUs, hunt dates, hunt codes, big-game sporting arms, number of licenses and bag limits shall be as indicated below: open GMUs or areas | 2023-2024 hunt dates | 2024-2025 hunt dates | 2025-2026 hunt dates | 2026-2027 hunt dates | hunt code | licenses | bag limit |
5B | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-100 | 20 | A |
6A | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-101 | 50 | A |
6A | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-1-102 | 50 | A |
6C | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-103 | 50 | A |
6C | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-1-104 | 50 | A |
10 | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-105 | 35 | A |
13 | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-3-106 | 60 | A |
13 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-3-107 | 60 | A |
15 | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-3-108 | 75 | A |
15 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-3-109 | 75 | A |
16A | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-110 | 75 | A |
16A | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-1-111 | 75 | A |
16C | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-112 | 75 | A |
16C | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-1-113 | 75 | A |
16D | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-114 | 75 | A |
16D | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-1-115 | 75 | A |
16E | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-116 | 75 | A |
16E | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-1-117 | 75 | A |
17 | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-3-118 | 60 | A |
17 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-3-119 | 60 | A |
34 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-1-120 | 125 | A |
36 | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-121 | 80 | A |
36 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-1-122 | 80 | A |
49 | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-123 | 50 | A |
51 | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-124 | 105 | A |
51 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-1-125 | 105 | A |
52 | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-126 | 50 | A |
53 | 11/25-11/29 | 11/30-12/4 | 11/29-12/3 | 11/28-12/2 | ELK-1-127 | 60 | A |
53 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | 12/26-12/30 | ELK-1-128 | 60 | A |
D.Premium hunt opportunity: One premium elk hunt will be issued each license year through the draw. The hunt area will be statewide on any public land open to hunting, including wildlife management areas, and private land with written permission. open GMUs or areas | 2023-2024 hunt dates | 2024-2025 hunt dates | 2025-2026 hunt dates | 2026-2027 hunt dates | hunt code | licenses | bag limit |
statewide | 9/1/2023- 1/31/2024 | 9/1/2024- 1/31/2025 | 9/1/2025- 1/31/2026 | 9/1/2026- 1/31/2027 | ELK-1700 | 1 | MB |
N.M. Admin. Code § 19.31.14.12
Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXVII, Issue 05, March 15, 2016, eff. 4/1/2016, Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXIX, Issue 24, December 27, 2018, eff. 4/1/2019, Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXIII, Issue 21, November 8, 2022, eff. 4/1/2023