New Or Noteworthy For This Year

State Information

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The New Mexico Draw System

New Mexico's 2023 Bighorn Sheep Breakdown

New Mexico's 2023 Barbary Sheep Breakdown

New Mexico's 2023 Ibex Breakdown

New Mexico's 2023 Oryx Breakdown

New Mexico's 2023 Bighorn Sheep and Exotics Application Overview

Note: The online application deadline for New Mexico Barbary sheep, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, ibex, javelina, antelope and oryx is March 22, 2023 by 5 p.m. MST. Apply online here.

Insider Features

Hunt Planner

To aid in your research and planning efforts, we created a brand new tool for Insiders called Hunt Planner. This tool will help you be more efficient at planning for hunts and also keeps all your research data organized. No more notepads getting lost or headaches when trying to remember what units caught your eye during your research! Everything you need is always in one place at GOHUNT.

What can you do in Hunt Planner?

Learn more about Hunt Planner here

Important Dates and Information

Three years ago, New Mexico made a slight adjustment to their license allocation to guarantee that 84% of the licenses for each hunt goes to resident applicants. This change has continued to cause some confusion for applicants in knowing how many total permits must be available to offer one to a nonresident in the regular draw and the guide draw. Use the table below to cross reference with the total number of licenses to ensure the hunts you are applying for will have enough licenses. Every year, we see a good number of applicants who apply for hunts that have no nonresident licenses available. In essence, they are wasting that chance to draw a hunt. Nonresidents should not apply for hunts that they have no chance of drawing!

The Current Drought/moisture Status in New Mexico

2023

2022

2021

As previously noted in the other New Mexico Application Strategy articles, the state is still dry for the most part; however, 2023 has been a much better year for moisture and range conditions have improved. Horn growth for bighorn sheep and the other exotic species is not as dependent on moisture as species like deer, elk and antelope, but the improved range conditions will offer better survival and horn growth.

New Mexico has a random draw system for all species. There is no preference or bonus point system. This means that every applicant is on an equal playing field to draw — even if this is the first year they are applying in New Mexico.

There are three pools of permits: the resident pool, the nonresident pool and the guided pool. For Barbary sheep, ibex and oryx residents are guaranteed 84% of the permits for each hunt. Nonresidents can draw up to 6% of the permits for each hunt. Up to 10% of the permits for each hunt are allocated to applicants through the draw who have a signed agreement with a guide/outfitter. Both residents and nonresidents can apply with a guide and be considered to draw from the guide pool of permits. Once you have an agreement with a guide, you will apply in the draw with their guide number. If you enter the draw with a guide/outfitter and draw a permit, you are required to hunt in the field with that guide for a minimum of two days. The draw odds are typically better for applicants applying with an outfitter. If you can afford a guided hunt in New Mexico, applying with a guide is a great way to improve your chances of drawing a permit.

The total number of permits for each hunt should be considered before applying for Barbary sheep, ibex and oryx. As indicated in the table above, there are minimum numbers of permits required for nonresidents to have a chance to draw. Make sure that there are enough permits for the hunts you apply for to offer you a chance in the draw. Every year, nonresident applicants apply for hunts that they have no chance to draw because there are not enough total permits. Do not be that applicant!

Party Applications

Up to four applicants can apply as a party for Barbary sheep. Up to two applicants can apply as a party for oryx. Party applications for ibex and bighorn sheep are not allowed. Nonresidents and residents can apply together in a party.

A party application is treated as a single application in the draw. If selected, all applicants on the application would receive a license provided there are enough licenses to offer one to each applicant. New Mexico will not over allocate the license quota to cover a group application. In the case that residents and nonresidents apply together, nonresident licenses are pulled from the nonresident quota. When applying as a party, one applicant will apply first and, upon completing the process, will receive a party application number. The rest of the party will then select “attach to an existing application,” then enter the application code.

There are no odds advantages to applying as a party. In fact, there may be a slight disadvantage. For example, if an application with two people is drawn and there is only one license remaining, then that application will be rejected or if a nonresident and a resident apply together and there are not enough nonresident licenses, neither the resident or nonresident will be given a license.

Hunt Choices for Barbary Sheep, Ibex, Oryx

New Mexico allows applicants to include three choices when they apply. In the draw, they will consider your first three choices before moving to the next applicant.

To further explain: once your application is considered, they will attempt to allocate your first hunt choice. If there are no licenses remaining for that choice, then they will consider your second choice. If there are no licenses remaining for your second choice, then they will consider your third choice. If there are no licenses remaining for the third choice, they will then move to the next application.

Because of the way New Mexico conducts their draw, there is some strategy in how you stagger your hunt choices. First, applicants should apply for a hunt for their first, second and third choice on their application. All of those choices matter and will be considered in the draw. Second, we recommend that you apply with the best hunt (worst odds) as your first choice and then select progressively better odds (average hunts) as your second and third choices. The reasoning behind this strategy is that, with a random draw, you never know what position your application will be in the draw. Your application could be one of the first selected in the draw and, as such, you want to receive the best permit/hunt possible. If your first hunt choice had better odds than your second and third choice, you are essentially wasting those choices.

Bighorn Sheep Draw System

Every year, we get a significant number of questions about applying for bighorn sheep in New Mexico. First, you have to front the cost of the bighorn sheep license when you apply, which is $3,160 for a nonresident. Before even considering what hunts to apply for, you’ll need to be sure that you can front the entire cost on a credit card or debit card. If you are unsuccessful in the draw, you will be refunded the cost of that license within about 10 days.Secondly, after you have decided to apply, for nonresidents in 2023 there will only be one license for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and possibly two licenses for desert bighorn sheep allocated in the nonresident draw statewide. There will also be two licenses for each species allocated in the guide draw, which could go to nonresidents who have a signed contract with an outfitter and apply in the guided draw. With that, I would reiterate again that statewide there is only one Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and possibly two desert ram bighorn sheep licenses awarded in the nonresident unguided draw. The draw is random with no point system, but the odds of drawing are .07% in the nonresident draw and .16% for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and .14% for desert bighorn in the guided draw.

When you apply, applicants can apply for Rocky Mountain bighorn and Desert bighorn, but you will need to select one or the other as your first and second hunt choices. Hunt code BHS-1-201 is for Rocky Mountain bighorn ram and includes Units 16B, 22, 23, 24, 45, 53, 55, 49, 50 and 58. The desert bighorn ram hunt code is BHS-1-204 and includes Units 13, 17 19, 20, 26 and 27. When you apply, you will need to select one of those hunt codes as your first choice and one as your second choice and then select hunts beneath it as first, second and third choices. I would recommend that you apply for top-tier hunts as your choices because there are so few licenses. Below in the table you will find the best hunt for both species.

Lastly, be aware that New Mexico does offer Rocky Mountain bighorn ewe licenses. Those licenses cost the same as a ram license and you apply in the same draw. They are not separate applications. The hunt codes for ewe are BHS-1-202 and BHS-2-203, which is an archery ewe hunt. Be careful when you apply that you are applying for the license that you want!

Find your Draw Odds here

In terms of cost of the license, draw odds and opportunity for exotics in New Mexico, Barbary sheep are at the top of the list. Barbary sheep can be hunted in a number of units and also on an OTC tag. Overall, harvest success is generally good on most of these hunts and the OTC option can be a great one to consider with some careful homework and local help. The biggest news for Barbary sheep in New Mexico is that Unit 34 will now be included as an OTC unit. Previously, the unit was divided with the west side of the unit being OTC and the east side part of a limited entry hunt. That is no longer the case and the entire unit can now be hunted with an OTC license.

In regards to quality, Unit 28 has a good number of quality rams,, but the either sex hunt is only five days long and occurs on the McGregor Range. The number of permits is being reduced in 2023 for that hunt from 20 to 10. As such, there will not be a nonresident license, but for residents or applicants going into the guide draw, it’s a great option for a quality ram.

Units 29/30 have healthy populations for Barbary sheep and there is a ton of public lands to hunt. The quality is not as good as it is in Unit 28 and potentially even some of the other units like Units 32, 36 and 37; however, those areas have more access and private land issues. There are still good opportunities to find success, but it will require more research and effort in the field potentially. The hunts on Units 29/30 and 32/36/37 will be shortened in 2023 to seven days; however, three additional hunts are being added. The earlier hunts are more sought after due to there being a few more available rams. There is also a January archery only hunt if you want to match your skills against the open, rocky terrain and the keen eyesight of Barbary sheep.

The OTC option is valid statewide outside of draw units and wildlife management areas (WMA) (during closures), White Sands Missile Range, Fort Bliss and portions of Unit 19 as well. The OTC hunt runs from April 1 to March 31, 2024, and licenses are unlimited. If you purchase a license and hunt, you can harvest a ram or ewe. The success rates are not high and very few hunters harvest mature rams. It’s worth noting that Barbary sheep rut a few times a year — once in October and generally again in February. Perhaps one of the best times to try to kill a mature ram is during the rut in areas that border units with larger populations. Be prepared to hunt for as many days as you can string together and the likelihood that you may see very few Barbary sheep. The OTC can be a grind, but it is an opportunity to hunt Barbary sheep!

Access our standalone Draw Odds here

New Mexico offers hunts for ibex in the Florida Mountains. Within these hunts, applicants will have the option to apply for archery, muzzleloader or rifle hunts. Draw odds for these hunts are steep and the terrain is very challenging, but the adventure is unique. New Mexico does also offer a statewide OTC tag, but harvest success is virtually nonexistent and this is not a viable option for most nonresident hunters. There is one rifle hunt available for billies; however, this hunt is a once-in-a-lifetime tag.

See your draw odds here

New Mexico offers hopeful applicants the opportunity to apply for a few different oryx opportunities within the state. These include once-in-a-lifetime hunts, broken horn hunts and off-range hunts. With the once-in-a-lifetime hunts and the broken horn hunts, applicants will apply for specific hunting areas and dates. However, with the statewide hunt, all hunts are legal in the same areas and hunters simply need to pick a timeframe to apply for.

Find your draw odds

Conclusion

Applying for bighorn sheep and all exotic species in New Mexico is very expensive; howver, if you can afford to float the cost of the licenses, every applicant has an opportunity to draw. If you can not apply for all species, pick one or two and apply. New Mexico offers you the best opportunity to hunt these species. Good luck in the draw!