Skip to content
New Mexico, 2027 shed season

New Mexico Shed Antler Season 2027

New Mexico allows obviously shed antlers to be picked up, and nonresidents need a Shed Hunting License to keep more than two.

“Although possession of shed antlers is legal (page 12), possession of antlers attached to a skull found in the field is not.” New Mexico Department of Wildlife

Permit or course
Rule type
from New Mexico Department of Wildlife
6
Rules quoted
each linked to the agency page
Yes
Course or permit
Shed Hunting License (non-residents only; not issued to residents)
September 21, 2026
Rules read
from the agency page
The rule

Shed antler rules in New Mexico

Permit or course

Antlers still on a skull found in the field remain state property. Driving off an established road, or on a closed road, while shed hunting on public land is against New Mexico rules, and sheds gathered in breach of a closure or trespass law are seized.

Statewide

Possessing obviously shed antlers found in the field is legal without a department invoice or permit.

Although possession of shed antlers is legal (page 12), possession of antlers attached to a skull found in the field is not.
New Mexico Department of Wildlife, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source

Statewide (nonresidents)

Nonresidents must buy a Shed Hunting License to possess more than two shed antlers.

All non-resident shed antler hunters must purchase a Shed Hunting License to possess more than two shed antlers.
New Mexico Department of Wildlife, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source

Public land

Driving off an established road or on a closed road while searching for or gathering shed antlers on public land is unlawful.

It is unlawful to drive or ride in a motor vehicle which is being driven off an established road or on a closed road when gathering or searching for shed antlers on public land.
New Mexico Department of Wildlife, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source

Statewide

Sheds collected in violation of a state or federal land closure, trespass law or commission rule remain state property and are seized.

All shed antlers collected in violation of any New Mexico State Wildlife Commission, state or federal land closure, in violation of section 30–14–1 NMSA 1978 or in violation of any of the provisions of Chapter 17 or State Wildlife Commission rule remain property of the State of New Mexico and shall be seized.
New Mexico Department of Wildlife, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source
Advertisement
Courses, sale and state land

More New Mexico shed rules

Required: Shed Hunting License (non-residents only; not issued to residents)

Shed Hunting License (non-residents only; not issued to residents).

All non-resident shed antler hunters must purchase a Shed Hunting License to possess more than two shed antlers.
New Mexico Department of Wildlife, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source

Buying and selling sheds

Antlers of legally taken or possessed protected species may be bartered or sold, with a written description supplied to the recipient; antlers attached to a skull found in the field require a department receipt.

Only the skins, heads, antlers, horns, rendered fat, teeth or claws of legally taken or possessed protected species, any parts of furbearers, and the feathers of non-migratory game birds may be bartered or sold.
New Mexico Department of Wildlife, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source
When antlers drop

When deer shed antlers in New Mexico

For white-tailed deer, Iowa Department of Natural Resources puts the drop at mid January to mid March.

Whitetail deer have about a two-month shedding period in Iowa, beginning mid-Jan. and ending mid-March.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Read it at the source
A large elk antler lying in green grass with snow covered mountains in the distance
An elk shed on the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming, with the Tetons behind. Elk winter range in the West is where most dated shed closures fall, because the closures exist for the animals wintering there. “Shed Antler on the National Elk Refuge (53662858076)”, USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain

New Mexico shed antler questions

Advertisement

Shed antler rules in other states

New Mexico deer seasonArchery and firearms dates for New Mexico, read from New Mexico Department of Wildlife.New Mexico deer rutWhen bucks breed in the fall, months before those antlers drop.Shed antler rules by stateEvery state's shed rule, the dated western closures and when each species drops.
A young bull elk carrying a single antler standing among elk bedded in snow
A young bull that has already dropped one antler, among elk bedded in snow. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says elk may start shedding in February and run through April. “Bull Elk and Herd (6258537907)”, USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain

Compiled September 21, 2026. Every rule above is republished from 2026-2027 New Mexico Hunting Rules and Information, NMDOW and the other New Mexico Department of Wildlife pages linked beside each quote, read on September 21, 2026. Rules change between winters, so the agency page is the one to check before a trip. Every state is in the national shed antler guide.