Application Strategy 2023: New Mexico deer and antelope

New Mexico's 2023 deer and antelope application overview

Jump to: NEW FOR 2023 State Information Draw System Mule Deer Breakdown Coues Deer Breakdown Antelope Breakdown

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.

---

Noteworthy for 2023

• Only iron sights are allowed on muzzleloader rifle when used during muzzleloader hunts
• New early archery mule deer hunt in Unit 27 (Sept. 1 to 24, 2023)
• New late archery mule deer hunt in Units 7 and 9 (Jan. 1 to 15, 2024)
• New archery Coues deer hunt in Unit 27 (Sept. 1 to 24, 2023)
• New rifle Coues deer hunt in Unit 26 (Dec. 2 to 10, 2023)
• New rifle Coues deer hunt in Unit 21 (Dec. 2 to 10, 2023)

---

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?

• Save unit seasons in Filtering 2.0 
  • Never lose track of units you want to further research
• Rank seasons
  • Can help decide what unit to apply for or what order to place your units when applying on a state's website
• Compare seasons (up to three at a time)
• Save the filter settings you used in Filtering 2.0 to find a great hunt
• Add notes to your research folder under season level or hunt folder level
  
• And much more!

Learn more about Hunt Planner here

---

State Information

New Mexico State Profile Mule Deer Profile Coues Deer Profile Antelope Profile GOHUNT Maps Draw Odds Filtering 2.0 Hunt Planner

Important dates and information

• The deadline to apply is March 22, 2023 at 5 p.m. MST. Apply online here.
• Applicants can also apply via telephone by calling (888) 248-6866. 
• Results will be available online on or shortly before April 26, 2023.
• The draw is completely random. There is no bonus or preference points system.
• Applicants must purchase a hunting or combination hunting/fishing license to apply.
• An applicant cannot edit an application once submitted. They can withdraw it and reapply, but will have to pay the application fees once again.
• Applicants must front the entire cost of the license(s) they apply for.
• Unsuccessful applicants in the draw will have the license fees reimbursed minus the hunting license and application fees.
• Up to four applicants can apply in a party for deer and antelope.
• Residents and nonresidents can apply together on a group application.
• There is no minimum age requirement to apply and hunt.
• Hunters under the age of 18 must have completed a hunter’s education course to purchase a hunting license and apply in the draw.
• Up to 6% of the licenses for each hunt can be allocated to nonresidents in the draw.
• Up to 10% of the licenses for each hunt can be allocated to applicants applying with an outfitter/guide.
• Both residents and nonresidents can apply in the guide draw, but they must have a signed guide/client agreement to do so.
• Residents are guaranteed a minimum of 84% of the licenses for each hunt. 
• Applicants cannot return and obtain a refund for a permit that they drew.
• Harvest reporting is mandatory, even if you do not harvest.

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!

Minimum number of permits to ensure they are available to draw for nonresidents
Number of applicants	Min. permit number if applying in nonresident draw	Min. permit number if applying in guide draw
1 (single applicant)	13	7
2 (party application)	25	19
3 (party application)	44	25
4 (party application)	63	38

 

New Mexico license and permit costs
Item	Resident	Nonresident
Hunting license	$15 adult $10 youth	$65 adult $15 youth
Habitat stamp	$10	$10
Habitat management and access validation	$4	$4
Application fee per species	$7	$13
Deer (standard)	$41	$283
Deer (high demand/quality)	$41	$368
Antelope	$60	$283

The current drought/moisture status in New Mexico

2023

2022

2021

New Mexico is still a dry state and is still experiencing abnormal to moderate drought conditions in large portions of the state. The good news is that current range conditions are much better than they were in 2021 and 2022. New Mexico’s antler growth in most areas of the state is directly tied to the quality of the feed derived from winter, spring and early summer moisture. This is the case for southern states and moisture is much more critical in these areas than it is in states north of their borders. Antler growth has been decent during the previous few years, but there is much more potential for better growth in 2023. Compared to the two previous years, 2023 is lining up to be a great antler growth year. 

Antelope shed their horns, or sheaths, in mid-November. Prior to shedding a horn, a new one will already begin growing beneath it from an inner boney core. After the horn is shed, new growth begins with the prong and goes upward. From the time they shed in November until mid to late March, bucks will have put the growth into the prong and upper portion of the horn. Later in the year, from the end of March to July, the growth is added below the prong and mass is added near the base of the skull. By late July, the horn has hardened in preparation for the rut, which typically occurs in August to late September.

The timeframe between December and late March is critical for good prong length and height in general. The later months from April to July are more critical for mass and some length below the prong. Feed is always important to horn/antler growth and antelope are selective feeders. Ideally, horn growth for antelope is best when there is good fall and winter moisture, but not in a manner where snow piles up and herds experience prolonged freezing temperatures. New Mexico has had much better fall and winter moisture and temperatures have been relatively mild. Range conditions should be much better this year and antelope bucks should experience an excellent growth year. 

---

THE NEW MEXICO DRAW SYSTEM

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. 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. 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 deer and antelope. 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 is no odds advantage 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

New Mexico allows applicants to include up to five hunt 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 then consider your second choice. If there are no licenses remaining for your second choice, then they will then consider your third choice. If there are no licenses remaining for the third choice, they will then move to the next application. Fourth and fifth choices are only considered if there are leftover permits after every application has been considered in the draw. 

If you include a fourth and fifth choice, applicants are agreeing to accept any leftover license, which means that they may allocate you a license that was not your fourth and fifth choice. We highly recommend that you do not include fourth and fifth choices unless you are willing to accept any leftover license.

Hunt choice strategy

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.

Standard, High Quality, High Demand

New Mexico lists each hunt as either a standard, high demand, quality or, in some cases, quality/high demand. A quality hunt is one that the state manages for better trophy potential and typically less hunting pressure. A high demand hunt is a hunt where the total number of applicants for a hunt exceeds 22% of the total applicants based on the draw for the two years prior. The standard hunts are typically lower quality, opportunity type hunts, but the cost is lower for the license. The cost for the quality, high demand and quality/high demand hunts is higher than it is for the standard license.

---

New Mexico's 2023 mule deer breakdown

New Mexico generally has stable deer populations and, although it’s not considered among the top tier trophy producing states, there are a decent number of big bucks taken each year. New Mexico is farther to travel to hunt deer for most of us, but personally I do believe New Mexico is an excellent option for deer and the trophy potential is likely better than most believe. The best hunts for trophy caliber mule deer bucks have been the late season hunts in the northwestern corner of the state. Units 2B, 2C, 5B and Unit 7 have all offered hunts that occur in early to mid-November. The resident deer populations of these areas are not high, but in a year when snow and cold temperatures occur, it can improve the migration from Colorado to these areas in New Mexico and the hunting can be really good. The draw odds for these late season hunts are very long, typically 1% or less, but for those who do draw a tag and have the time to hunt, there are good opportunities for 170”+ bucks. If your goal is to hunt and harvest this type of buck, I would suggest that the hunts/units above should make up at least two of your three choices. There are good bucks taken in other parts of the state, but be prepared for a lot of scouting and time to hunt in order to find older age class bucks. 

The rest of the state does have good populations and, for 2023, many of the hunts in the southwest and northern portions of the state will see an increase in the number of tags available. In regards to areas that can also offer the chance at bigger bucks, I would suggest applicants consider what it requires for a buck to mature and acquire the age to grow a trophy set of antlers. For one, good antler growth requires moisture and quality feed, especially in New Mexico and 2023 is shaping up to be a much better year. In addition, portions of New Mexico have significant amounts of high elevation summer range and are less prone to the major impacts of drought. Secondly, in order for a buck to reach 4 to 6 plus years old, there also has to be some sort of refuge. Refuge primarily comes in the form of remote, rough wilderness areas or areas that are mostly private land or a complex mix of private/public that can be hard to access. New Mexico has areas that meet these criteria and the bulk of the bigger bucks that are coming out of New Mexico that are outside of the well known hunts are coming from those areas — areas that have good habitat/feed and provide refuge from other hunters. 

Consider these factors as you look at the individual units. GOHUNT Maps can be very helpful in finding hidden gem areas that can offer you a chance at a bigger buck. 

It’s worth noting as you look through the following tables of the hit list and other good hunts that New Mexico genuinely offers nonresidents good odds at drawing a mule deer tag. Compared to other more notable mule deer states like Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, the odds of drawing a permit are good and the trophy potential is not far off the units that you can draw in those states. New Mexico should be on your radar for mule deer for 2023 and the coming years.

GOHUNT hit list for New Mexico mule deer
Unit	Trophy potential	Harvest success	Resident draw odds	Nonresident draw odds	Total number of licenses
2C	190”+	Late archery: 20% Muzzleloader: 35% Rifle: 64%	7.6% 4.2% 1.2%	0.42% 0.42% 0.05%	50 20 30
5B	190”+	Archery: 50% Muzzleloader: 50% Rifle: 83%	6.8% 3.3% 1.5%	No tags No tags 0.19%	10 10 30
2B	180”+	Archery: 8% Late archery: 39% Muzzleloader: 12% Rifle: 33% Rifle: 52% Rifle: 55%	48% 12% 32% 14% 17% 9.4%	17% 1.5% 19% 8.8% 7.3% 3.0%	130 180 175 275 350 400
7	170+”	Archery: 17% Late archery: new Muzzleloader: 22% Rifle: 32%	22% New hunt 16% 6.5%	No tags New hunt 3.5% 2.0%	10 15 25 30

The units above represent the best options in terms of quality, but there are many more hunts to choose from — many of which have better odds. The table below indicates some of the better mid-tier hunts with generally better odds that can still offer a good hunt.

Access our standalone Draw Odds here

Other solid mule deer options to consider
Unit	Trophy potential	Harvest success	Resident draw odds	Nonresident draw odds	Total number of licenses
2A	170”+	Archery: 24% Late archery: 16% Muzzleloader: 21% Rifle: 23%	38% 28% 34% 17%	22% 3.7% 25% 9.2%	40 80 50 150
36	170”+	Archery: 26% Late archery: 33% Muzzleloader: 40% Rifle: 30% Rifle: 23%	61% 32% 49% 25% 41%	35% 15% 21% 21% 25%	225 125 115 300 300
45	170”+	Archery: 34% Muzzleloader: 48% Rifle: 35% Rifle: 22%	29% 25% 20% 24%	25% 26% 27% 30%	165 160 250 250
24	170”+	Archery: 34% Late archery: 36% Muzzleloader: 26% Rifle: 20% Rifle: 20%	79% 42% 100% 46% 89%	48% 17% 100% 30% 41%	135 85 280 400 400
51B	170”+	Archery: 22% Rifle: 40% Rifle: 38%	27% 7.4% 9.5%	N/A 8.3% 10%	15 20 15
52	170”+	Archery: 20% Muzzleloader: 39% Rifle: 39% Rifle: 23%	32% 20% 15% 17%	19% 19% 14% 14%	80 25 90 90
18	170”+	Archery: 6% Late archery: 13% Muzzleloader: 26% Rifle: 25% Rifle: 16%	99% 32% 48% 17% 28%	93% 14% 44% 43% 23%	50 40 75 70 70
33	170”+	Archery: 6% Late archery: 24% Muzzleloader: 12% Rifle: 22% Rifle: 28%	93% 17% 73% 13% 21%	27% 4.4% 27% 6.0% 6.3%	60 50 140 150 150
48	160’+	Archery: 35% Muzzleloader: 40% Rifle: 53% Rifle: 38%	41% 25% 16% 29%	24% 35% 9.7% 38%	45 30 50 50
6A/6C	160”+	Archery: 24% Muzzleloader: 46% Rifle: 36%	11% 11% 4.1%	11% 10% 4.0%	100 115 110
17	160”+	Archery: 11% Late archery: 15% Muzzleloader: 35% Rifle: 43% Rifle: 49%	31% 21% 13% 5.3% 9.6%	28% 8.4% 7.6% 3.7% 4.3%	75 75 80 80 80
49	160”+	Archery: 21% Rifle: 43% Rifle: 29%	33% 11% 19%	34% 17% 18%	105 100 100
20	160”+	Archery: 15% Late archery: 50% Muzzleloadder: 16% Rifle: 31% Rifle: 29%	100% 17% 48% 15% 29%	100% 24% 42% 21% 21%	45 25 85 90 90
34	160”+	Archery: 11% Late archery: 21% Muzzleloader: 19% Rifle: 13% Rifle: 13%	98% 56% 81% 38% 51%	59% 20% 47% 28% 34%	450 350 340 650 650
16	160”+	Archery: 14% Late archery: 17% Muzzleloader: 28% Rifle: 26% Rifle: 30%	41% 47% 48% 16% 27%	20% 21% 32% 9.9% 14%	230 175 300 300 300
23 Burro Mtns	160”+	Late archery: 17% Muzzleloader: 42% Rifle: 33%	21% 29% 8.4%	6.0% 9.4% 3.2%	40 40 35

Find your draw odds

---

New Mexico's 2023 Coues deer breakdown

New Mexico is not talked about nearly as much as Arizona for Coues deer, but there are good populations and good trophy potential in the southwest portion of the state. The best bucks are harvested every year in the Burro Mountains, but outside of that area in Units 23, 24, 26 and 27, there are still good opportunities for a nice buck. Below are the best hunts for Coues deer in New Mexico. Be aware that mule deer and Coues deer are not separate applications/species. You can mix your choices with mule deer and Coues deer hunts, but you cannot apply for three mule deer hunts and three Coues deer hunts. Deer is one application in New Mexico.

See your Coues deer draw odds here

New Mexico Coues deer hunts with nonresident tags available
Unit	Trophy potential	Harvest success	Resident draw odds	Nonresident draw odds	Total number of licenses
23 Burro Mtns	100”+	Archery: 15% Late archery: 24% Muzzleloader: 27% Rifle: 38%	85% 65% 43% 12%	24% 9.1% 7.8% 0.72%	20 50 40 40
23 excluding Burro Mtns	100”+	Archery: 4% Late archery: 14% Muzzleloader: 32% Rifle: 25% Rifle: 28%	100% 100% 90% 50% 25%	100% 80% 13% 6.4% 2.0%	100 50 75 100 55
24	100”+	Archery: 18% Late archery: 15% Muzzleloader: 28% Rifle: 19% Rifle: 18%	100% 81% 99% 69% 42%	100% 13% 29% 14% 3.6%	60 40 75 100 50
27	100”+	New archery hunt Late archery: 26% Muzzleloader: 50% Rifle: 29% Rifle: 53%	New hunt 92% 65% 25% 13%	New hunt 11% 10% 2.2% 1.1%	15 40 50 40 25
26	N/A	New rifle hunt	New hunt	New hunt	25
21	N/A	New rifle hunt	New hunt	New hunt	25

---

New Mexico's 2023 antelope breakdown

In terms of trophy potential, New Mexico is near the top of the list and if you are an antelope fanatic, we strongly recommend you apply. Populations of antelope are not nearly as strong as they are in other states like Wyoming, Montana or even Colorado, but once again, the potential for an 80”+ buck is good. Given the moisture and improving range conditions in 2023, it would be a phenomenal year to have an antelope permit in New Mexico. 

New Mexico made some changes to their antelope draw a few years ago and most applicants are aware of the changes at this point; however, it's worth noting those once again. Previously, applicants who applied for and drew a rifle permit would have a private ranch/parcel assigned to them that they could hunt in addition to the public land in their unit. That is no longer the case. Applicants who draw an archery, muzzleloader or rifle permit can only hunt public lands within their unit(s) or any private land that they can gain written permission to hunt. Currently, New Mexico offers unlimited antelope private land permits. For hunters who hunt with an outfitter who has access to private lands or are able to obtain permission to hunt private land, they can simply buy a permit over-the-counter (OTC) from the New Mexico Game and Fish Department (NMGFD). Gaining access to hunt private land on your own is not easy due to outfitters’ leasing access to the quality private land parcels. If you are willing to go on a guided hunt and dig into finding a quality outfitter with access to good ranches, the hunting can be very good. Many of the biggest bucks each year are harvested from private lands; however, there are still great bucks on public land for the DIY draw hunters.

Because of the changes, there are far fewer permits available than there once was and the odds of drawing have suffered. As you review the odds, you’ll see that in 2022, there were 102 hunts and, for nonresidents, there were only 52 hunts that offered a permit that could actually be drawn. It’s important that nonresidents review the number of permits available for each hunt to make sure there is even a permit available to draw. As indicated in the table above, there must be a minimum of 13 total permits to offer at least one unguided permit to a nonresident. I do not recommend applicants applying as a group for antelope to maximize their chance of drawing.

For those applicants applying in the draw for permits, New Mexico offers archery, rifle and some muzzleloader licenses in select units. Be aware that in 2023, muzzleloader hunters cannot use magnified scopes. Muzzleloader hunters can only use open sights. In my opinion, this change does have the potential to improve odds for the muzzleloader hunts. The archery hunt is early — generally running from Aug. 12 to 20, 2023. Hunting water can be a good option on a dry year, but monsoon rains can make that challenging and are not uncommon. Decoying can also be effective with bucks just beginning to rut. 

In 2023, most units have a few rifle hunts and there are some date changes this year. NMGFD has moved the rifle dates that traditionally occur in late August to late September and early October. The later season dates should offer a better rut rifle hunt. 

GOHUNT hit list for New Mexico antelope
Unit	Trophy potential	Harvest success	Resident draw odds	Nonresident draw odds	Total number of licenses
13	80”+	Archery: 11% Rifle: 100% Rifle: 80%	8.6% 1.7% 2.5%	No tags No tags No tags	10 10 10
15	80”+	Archery: 25% Rifle: 100% Rifle: 67%	9.6% 1.1% 3.4%	1.8% No tags No tags	20 10 5
16	80”+	Archery: 63% Rifle: 89% Rifle 93%	7.3% 1.0% 3.5%	1.1% 0.28% N/A	20 15 25
17	80”+	Archery: 27% Rifle: 75% Rifle: 50% Rifle: 100%	7.0% 0.82% 1.9% 2.8%	1.4% No tags No tags No tags	20 5 5 10
18	80”+	Archery: 23% Rifle: 57% Rifle: 57%	13% 2.1% 3.5%	3.2% 0.24% 0.47%	25 15 15
36/37	80”+	Archery: 31% Rifle: 78% Rifle: 67% Rifle: 38%	20% 2.9% 5.1% 6.8%	5.2% No tags No tags 1.2%	20 10 10 15
38	80”+	Archery: 37% Rifle: 86% Rifle: 50% Rifle: 69%	19% 3.5% 6.3% 8.5%	6.4% 0.62% 1.3% 1.3%	20 15 20 30
21/24	75”+	Archery: 43% Rifle: 100% Rifle: 67% Rifle: 93%	14% 1.4% 3.1% 4.6%	5.4% No tags No tags 0.84%	25 5 10 15
22/23	75%	Archery: 30% Rifle: 75% Rifle: 89%	9.9% 2.0% 4.1%	No tags No tags No tags	10 5 10
25/26/27	75%	Archery: 25% Rifle: 100% Rifle: 50%	11% 2.0% 3.8%	No tags No tags No tags	10 5 10
29	80”+	Muzzleloader: 100% Muzzleloader: 72%	3.4% 6.3%	0.58% 1.1%	15 25
31N	75”+	Archery: 35% Rifle: 100% Rifle: 78% Rifle: 86%	17% 1.4% 3.8% 7.1%	6.1% No tags No tags 1.6%	25 5 10 15
31S	75”+	Archery: 33% Rifle: 100% Rifle: 100% Rifle: 100%	17% 2.3% 4.1% 5.9%	5.1% No tags No tags  1.1%	50 10 10 20
32E	75”+	Archery: 40% Rifle: 44% Rifle: 80% Rifle: 73%	19% 2.4% 3.5% 7.4%	7.9% No tags No tags 1.7%	25 10 5 15
32W	75”+	Archery: 31% Rifle: 85% Rifle: 100% Rifle: 77%	14% 2.7% 4.6% 5.8%	5% 1.4% N/A 1.5%	20 25 20 25
33	75”+	Archery: 33% Rifle: 76% Rifle: 89% Rifle: 86%	15% 2.9% 5.2% 7.1%	2.6% 1.1% 1.5% 2.0%	30 25 20 25

 

Antelope hunts with nonresident permits but limited public land/access
Unit	Trophy potential	Harvest success	Resident draw odds	Nonresident draw odds	Total number of licenses
41	80”+	Archery: 7% Rifle: 63% Rifle: 44% Rifle: 61%	38% 7.9% 12% 15%	16% 1.1% 2.2% 4.5%	35 30 30 35
47	80”+	Archery: 22% Rifle: 58% Rifle: 56% Rifle: 55%	18% 4.5% 7.8% 11%	No tags 1.9% 2.3% 3.1%	10 25 30 35
50/52	75”+	Archery: 29% Muzzleloader: 38% Rifle: New hunt	5.5% 4.0% N/A	3.7% 2.5% N/A	20 40 20
56	75”+	Archery: 31% Rifle: 100% Rifle: 86% Rifle: 75%	27% 1.4% 4.7% 8.5%	12% No tags 2.0% 3.0%	50 5 45 50
58	75”+	Archery: 37% Rifle: 71% Rifle: 78% Rifle: 68%	31% 5.1% 9.6% 13%	13% 1.8% 3.3% 4.5%	40 30 30 40
59	75”+	Archery: 34% Rifle: 100% Rifle: 63% Rifle: 73%	33% 1.8% 6.2% 10%	14% No tags 2.1% 3.6%	50 5 40 50

Find your draw odds

---

Conclusion

The units in the GOHUNT hit list table above are the best public land draw antelope hunt options. As previously stated, there is good antelope hunting on private land and those licenses are available OTC if you can gain written permission to hunt or if you book a hunt with an outfitter who has access to private lands. Those private land licenses are only valid on the private land that permission was granted, but this is still a good way to secure an antelope license. It will just require booking with an outfitter or really digging into land ownership and making cold calls. 

The second table outlines a number of hunts that have good numbers of nonresident permits, but those areas have low public land percentages and complicated access. Before applying for one of these hunts, it’s worth researching GOHUNT Maps and reviewing the land ownership layers to see if those are viable DIY options. 

New Mexico is an excellent trophy state for antelope, but getting a license can be hard for DIY draw hunters. With it being relatively cheap to apply, we encourage applicants to apply. You will be refunded the cost of the antelope license if you are unsuccessful in the draw. As long as you are buying the hunting license to apply for other species like elk, deer or the exotic species, you should strongly consider also applying for antelope!