Elk Hunting

Mid-October is prime time in elk country, and the current round of hunts is already under way across the Carson National Forest. For hunters holding draw licenses, and for everyone else sharing the trails this week, knowing which units are active helps make for a safer, calmer trip.

Few places in the American West carry a name as fitting as the Valle Vidal — Spanish for "Valley of Life." This 101,794-acre sweep of high mountain country on the Questa Ranger District of the Carson National Forest is exactly that: a vast, rolling basin where elk herds numbering up to 2,000 head drift through meadows at 9,500 feet, where mule deer, black bear, mountain lion, Merriam's turkey, and the rare Rio Grande cutthroat trout all make their homes.

Elk season is the main event of the New Mexico hunting year, and much of the best elk country in the state lies within the Carson National Forest. If you are planning to hunt elk in the Carson country this fall, here is how the 2026 seasons shape up.