Youth encouragement Elk license sale begins July 29

SANTA FE – Youth hunters will be eligible to purchase one of 1,960 antlerless Youth Encouragement Elk licenses through the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish’s Online License System starting at 10 a.m. MDT on July 29.

The Department apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the technical difficulties that postponed the original sale date. We greatly appreciate our customers’ patience during this process. The Department will announce the leftover draw license sale soon.

The Youth Encouragement Elk hunts are designed to provide additional hunting opportunities for youth and includes 1,570 licenses for any legal sporting arm and 390 licenses for muzzleloader hunts. Licenses will be sold online only on a first-come, first-served basis. To purchase a license, customers will need to log into their Online License System account.

Eligibility and requirements:

• For the first 14 days, the sale is open only to resident youth who have applied in the current license year for one or more draw hunts for deer, elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, Barbary sheep, oryx or ibex and were not successful for any hunt. Please note that the purchase of a leftover draw hunt does not count as a successful application.
• Must have a valid Hunter Education certification.
• Must be 17 years of age or younger on the opening day of the hunt.
• Beginning at 10 a.m. MDT on Aug. 12, the sale will open to any youth hunter who is eligible to purchase an elk license.
• Youth hunters must have a current 2025-2026 Game Hunting or Game Hunting and Fishing license prior to purchasing an elk license. Customers without a Game Hunting license will be directed to purchase one before purchasing a Youth Encouragement elk license.

Hunters are strongly encouraged to purchase the Game Hunting and Fishing License and other stamps for the current license year in advance of the sale opening, if not already purchased. Hunters are further advised to log in prior to the sale, as some hunt codes may sell quickly.

All purchases will be audited to verify the customer’s eligibility.

Hunters planning to purchase a Youth Encouragement license must have completed all mandatory 2024-2025 harvest reporting requirements or their purchase will be rejected in the post-sale audit. The license fee, but not the application fee, will be refunded for rejected purchases.

Following the successful purchase of a Youth Encouragement license, the license/tag will be mailed to the hunter unless the E-Tag option is selected. For more information about the Youth Encouragement elk license sale, hunting in New Mexico or for help logging in, please call the Information Center at 888-248-6866 or email ispa@dgf.nm.gov.

Youth Encouragement licenses will not be sold over the phone. For the list of available hunts, please see pages 88-90 of the 2025-2026 Hunting Rules and Information Booklet, available online.