With nearly 40 percent of the state publicly-owned (about 32 million acres worth), New Mexico offers plentiful access to some pretty solid hunting and fishing options.
Marquez Wildlife Area
• 15,000 acres
• Connects to Cibola National Forest
• Offers good elk, turkey and small game hunting
Gila National Forest
• 2.7 million acres
• Contains the Gila Wilderness, one of the most storied elk hunting regions in the nation
• Excellent deer and elk hunting as well as prime trout fishing
Lincoln National Forest
• 1.1 million acres
• Good elk and deer hunting, excellent turkey hunting
• Excellent trout fishing in rivers and streams
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
• 57,331 acres
• Good numbers of elk, hunting allowed in designated areas
• Oryx and mule deer hunting
Carson National Forest
• 1.5 million acres
• Good elk, turkey, mountain lion hunting
• Excellent trout fishing in streams and lakes
Find more public land access opportunities with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Hunt Planner.
Photo: Gubsight Canon, Guadalupe Mountains, Lincoln National Forest
Photo credit: flickr