Too Many Hunters, Limited Tags—New Mexico’s Hunting Tag System Takes Heat

New Mexico’s big game tag system faces growing criticism as hunters, outfitters and conservation groups question whether access to public wildlife is becoming uneven, KOB 4 reports. More than 290,000 people applied for big game tags this year, but the draw results showed only about one in five were successful, leaving around 230,000 applicants empty-handed.

State law allocates 84% of public draw tags to residents, 10% to hunters using outfitters and 6% to nonresidents, but critics say those figures don’t tell the full story. Through a separate channel, the Elk Private Land Use System, landowners receive permits they can use or sell, often on the open market. A 2020 Legislative Finance Committee report found that about three-quarters of private land elk tags go to out-of-state hunters.

“The system is rigged against New Mexico residents,” Jesse Deubel of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation told KOB 4. His group’s analysis suggests resident hunters receive closer to two-thirds of all elk tags once private land permits are counted. Kerrie Romero, executive director of the New Mexico Council of Outfitters & Guides, called the outfitter pool a business incentive for rural economies. Artesia outfitter Cole Johnson said some private land elk permits sell for $15,000 to $20,000, though he compared the draw system to a welfare system for outfitters.

Darren Vaughan, communications director for the Department of Game and Fish, said the department hears the public’s concerns but will abide by whatever the Legislature requires.

Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit KOB 4’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.