Well there is big controversy on the alocation of the number of tags sold to out of state residents in NM. However, rumor has it that NM is especially kind to NON resident hunters. I cant confirm or deny, just saying.
Well, as a NON-resident of New Mexico who is on his 8th consecutive year of non-guided hunting there, let me be the first to dispell that rumor. From the NM Game & Fish website:
New Mexico’s big game drawing is subject to a quota system. In accordance with state law, the draw attempts to distribute 78 percent of the licenses for each hunt to New Mexico residents, 12 percent to nonresidents who’ve contracted with an outfitter and 10 percent to nonresidents who have not contracted with an outfitter (this does not prohibit nonresidents in the 10 percent pool from contracting with an outfitter if they are lucky in the draw).
That's right, residents get 78% of the tags. In the unit in which my father and I hunt, first rifle season there are 75 bull tags. That means that non-guided hunters like myself and my father have a shot at 7-8 tags...for the entire unit. Guided non-residents get 9 tags, and residents get about 59 tags.
Next rifle season, 125 bull tags, so my father and I are competing for 12-13 tags, NR guided about 15 tags, and residents about 98 tags.
The last two seasons are for antlerless and there are 90 tags each season. You do the math.
NM's draw for the season is a lottery style, in other words, no preference points. It's completely random from a clean slate every year.
I fail to see how there could be any controversy as residents get over 3/4 of the tags, as they should.
The first 6 years we went, we drew bull tags and 4 of those six years we got a bull. Last year and this year however, we've dranw cow tags and though I love shooting the bulls, I just feel lucky to have been drawn at all.
For a first time elk hunter, I'd highly recommend Colorado and a couple of pieces of advice:
Be prepared to get as far away from roads as possible. Most hunters are lazy and if they can't find them by puttering down the road or walking a short distance into the woods, they're not going to expend any more effort.
Understand what you're dealing with if you kill one, especially away from roads and trails. They're not like deer in that you can't just gut 'em and drag 'em to the nearest road. Gutting, skinning and quartering a bull elk is similar to doing the same to a yearling steer. It's hard work. Nothing like you see in the glossy page hunting magazines:
Bt when you're done, you'll KNOW you've been hunting!!
Good luck!
35W