Looks like the New Mexico G&F EPlus program has changed gmu46 from Special to Secondary.

Elk tag private land authorizations were allocated, now will be unlimited over the counter.

Ya, a lot of people weren’t happy they didn’t open up E-Plus in the rule making this cycle.

Here’s all the changes for elk if you haven’t seen it.

https://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/do....31.14-NMAC-Rule-Making-Record-FINAL.pdf

SLM, looking over that chart for unit 34, did they add 200 antlerless tags for one late january and another 200 tags for an early february season over the next 4 years?? and is that 400 tags additional per year or 400 tags spread out over the all the years?

400 per year.

Thank you.

I'll pass this information along to a lady and her son who live in the southern Sacramento mts. They put in every year for the NM resident 34 tags and never draw. Hopefully this will increase their odds at one or both getting a tag. They'd be over the moon to draw an antlerless.

Talked to a long-time gmu46 elk hunter and hunting guide about this change.

In addition to much bigger pressure on the elk population, he thinks this will lead to a large increase in trespassing on private land and cut wire fencing.

Some guys will get OTC elk tags after buying hunt permission from registered small ranches that really don't have much elk presence. If they succeed in poaching an elk on some other ranch, they can use their elk tag as cover to get past NMG&F highway checkpoints and with wildlife game processors etc.