New Mexico Resident elk tags

[Pagosa]

After reading the privatization of wildlife thread I have a couple general questions. I know non-resident can purchase unit wide tags, but for the residents is there very good odds of drawing elk tags on regular basis? Do resident hunters have to rely on buying a unit wide tag when they don’t draw, or is there an option of cow tags?

I have an older friend in Silver City that hasn’t drawn and gave up do to getting too old to hunt, I think he was applying for the Gila which is a tough draw anyhow. Lastly, how can resident hunters go about purchasing a unit wide landowner tag for a diy hunt and what would be the cost for an average bull tag like in unit 4,6, etc? I’m thinking about trying to get him one on an easier hunt, mostly an opportunity to get out. I appreciate any help and pms would be preferred to not ruin anyone spots or drawing availability. Thanks Preston

 

[hank4elk]

Cow tags are in the draw for residents.
The Landowner list is right there in the website with contact numbers,

I have drawn a cow tag the last 3 years. I have drawn elk 8 times in the last 13 years.

Seems to me most residents do not know how to apply ,or what draw odds are. Based on the comments I continually hear.

 

[Pagosa]

Thanks Hank, looking at the statistics is doesn’t appear that bad for residents. I will take a look at the landowner list

 

[bulldawg10]

It's not bad draw odds for NM residents. The state population is low and essentially 90% of the tags in the draw go to residents. All cow tags, and WMA tags are resident only in draw.

Residents can also choose to put in for the outfitter pool (open to everyone) if they wanted and can also buy an EPLUS tags as well.

You can hunt elk every year in NM if you really want. Which is what's great about the NM systems.

A little work with learning the draw numbers and how to stack your 1st to 3rd choice and you have a decent chance, even in the draw only, as a resident.

 

[Pagosa]

We still have been looking, but his mobility is an issue I appreciate the advice

 

[David58]

Fingers seriously crossed here. I don't want to go buy a tag (EPLUS), but will if I have to since we will only be here a few more years. I tend to agree that yes, residents have opportunities, but having to resort to EPLUS prices most out of that opportunity.

David
NM

 

[abqbw]

It's not bad draw odds for NM residents. The state population is low and essentially 90% of the tags in the draw go to residents. All cow tags, and WMA tags are resident only in draw.

Residents can also choose to put in for the outfitter pool (open to everyone) if they wanted and can also buy an EPLUS tags as well.

You can hunt elk every year in NM if you really want. Which is what's great about the NM systems.

A little work with learning the draw numbers and how to stack your 1st to 3rd choice and you have a decent chance, even in the draw only, as a resident.

New Mexico’s tag allocation is opaque and it is difficult to grasp the whole picture. So I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you don’t understand the system and are not putting lipstick on a pig. But here is the complete story and statistics.

Thirty-eight percent of all elk tags in New Mexico are private transferable tags. Another 4% are privatized as outfitter draw set asides. That is 42% of all NM elk tags that are privatized. It is disingenuous to insinuate that residents buying tags for the public elk resource from a landowner is “opportunity”. The only people that can hunt elk every year in New Mexico are the rich. Nonresident or resident. That violates the most basic elements of both the public trust doctrine and the North American Model. Seventy-one percent (7 out of 10) of NM resident elk applicants did not draw last year. The percentage of NM residents that do not draw elk goes up almost every year. Around 50,000 residents every year. There are almost 14,000 elk private landowner licenses and 75% of these (83% of bull and 56% of cow) are bought by nonresidents because 99.4% of the U.S. population is not New Mexican. Draw cow tags are resident only but even the majority of the private cow tags are bought by nonresidents.

You mention that elk WMA and cow draw hunts are resident only. But privatization is so rampant in New Mexico that even for these resident only tags, 10% are set aside for outfitters so a resident has to pay an outfitter for 10% of the resident only state WMA and resident only cow hunts statewide. New Mexicans have to pay an outfitter for 10% of the elk tags to hunt the NM public’s elk on their own state land WMA.

The outcome of NM privatization through landowner tags and the outfitter draw set aside is that in NM only 55% of all elk tags are acquired by a NM resident by public draw (there are no OTC public tags in NM, but of course there are unlimited private land OTC elk tags available in much of NM) without paying a private individual, an outfitter or landowner, to obtain the tag. In AZ and NV 92% and 89% respectively of all elk tags are obtained by residents by public draw. In UT 93% of all elk tags are obtained by UT residents by draw or OTC. Backing out the UT OTC and only considering everything else (public draw, private landowner, EXPO, conservation auction elk tags 83% are obtained by public draw by UT residents. 55% NM vs 93% UT, 92% AZ, 89% NV. New Mexico is not the land of resident elk opportunity nirvana that you portray. Far from it.

UT and NV both have transferable private landowner elk tags. But in both of these states they represent less than 3% of the elk tags. And in both states direct public benefit must be provided by the landowner in return for the private privilege of the grant of a public resource. In NV landowners must allow public elk hunting access to landlocked and adjacent public land. In UT between 10% and 20% (depending on the property) of the private land tags must be placed in the public draw for UT residents. In NM there are no such public benefit requirements for private tag privilege. They are just no strings attached private grants of the public elk resource. And they crush both resident and nonresident public elk hunting opportunity.

 

[bulldawg10]

NM has a great system that helps the elk herd grow tremendously.

You should encourage more land owners to participate in Unitwide, not get rid of it.

Eplus works well overall

 

[abqbw]

Cow tags are in the draw for residents.
The Landowner list is right there in the website with contact numbers,

I have drawn a cow tag the last 3 years. I have drawn elk 8 times in the last 13 years.

Seems to me most residents do not know how to apply ,or what draw odds are. Based on the comments I continually hear.

I often hear this “residents can draw cow tags” justification for New Mexico’s wholesale privatization of our big game. But really what this is saying is that New Mexicans, even though they own all the elk and other wildlife, are not worthy of the highly valuable bull elk tags. Those should be set aside for rich hunters to buy privately. NM residents should be grateful and take their cow tags and sit down and shut up. Not only that, 41% of even NM cow tags are private and the majority of these (57%) are acquired by nonresident hunters.

 

[abqbw]

NM has a great system that helps the elk herd grow tremendously.

You should encourage more land owners to participate in Unitwide, not get rid of it.

Eplus works well overall

It is a great system. For landowners and rich hunters. It sucks for the other 95% of hunters. Especially New Mexico residents.

 

[bulldawg10]

You don't have to be rich to own land in NM with elk.

The elk habitat is taken into account for the of those EPLUS tags and most of those elk are killed on the ranch the tag is allocated to...as approx 80% of the EPLUS ranches are RO.

The voucher the landowner gets isn't a tag, it's a authorization to allow elk hunting on that ranch...as it's deemed to be appropriate elk habitat in the right zone.

So in reality, it's not much different than trespass fees.

And in unitwide scenarios, the ranch becomes open to everyone with a proper tag in that unit....not just those that could afford a trespass fee or a lease.

So unitwide is more beneficial to the masses than trespass fees