New Mexico uses a quota system for draw hunts whereby 84 percent of the licenses are awarded to residents, 6 percent to non-residents and 10 percent to hunters filing an application through a state registered outfitter (resident or non-resident). So theoretically, all applicants have an equal chance in the draw each year. Unlike other states, there is no preference or bonus point system. The Land of Enchantment issues 35,000-plus elk licenses annually, through both a lottery drawing system with mid-March application deadline and private landowner authorizations. Like eastern Arizona, much of the New Mexico COER area has received sufficient moisture, so antler growth prospects are rated "average or slightly above average" for 2017. This means there are plenty of older age class bulls with proven genetics capable of producing trophy-sized racks, given the right conditions. These include the Greater Gila (GMU-15, GMUs 16A-E), San Mateo/Magdalena (GMU-17), Sacramento (GMU-34), Ruidoso (GMU-36), Jemez (GMUs 6A-C), and North Central (GMUs 4, 5B, 50, 51, 52). New Mexico Department of Game & Fish elk program manager James Pitman identified a number of herds and game management units (GMUs) with high bull-to-cow and calf-to-cow ratios. Biologists estimate the current elk population at 80-90,000. Elk numbers remain at the optimum carrying capacity of the land in most COER (Core Occupied Elk Range) areas, and elk are moving into other areas outside of the COER. Over the past several years, the state of New Mexico has grown in popularity with elk hunters seeking big bulls. Langley countered that due to the ruggedness of Arizona's elk habitat, "aerial surveys can easily miss a large bachelor (bull) group and skew the numbers slightly." I mentioned that my observations seem to indicate a higher percentage of bulls over the past few years. Arizona manages for a bull-to-cow ratio of 25:75 in most areas, and 30:70 in select areas.
When calories are burned through stress there is less of that energy available for growing antlers. Like many big game experts, Langley believes that low stress promotes greater antler growth. With adequate moisture to grow forage rich in nutrients, mild winters, and elk occupied areas that have dodged the wildfire bullet for a few years, Arizona's elk are comparatively stress-free. Despite unusually dry late spring and extremely warm early summer conditions that may hurt late stage antler growth in the west, he noted, "There has been enough moisture on the eastern side of the state for antlers to finish well." "We had a mild, wet winter, so antlers got a good start," he explained.
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