Mobility-Impaired and Military/Veterans — Submit your documents ASAP!
Hunters who plan to apply for 2026-2027 draw hunts requiring mobility-impaired certification or proof of military/veteran status should submit their documentation ASAP to ensure they qualify for special hunt opportunities. Please include your Department-issued Customer Identification Number (CIN) when sending your documentation. The draw application will open later this month.
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) and Fort Bliss use the contact information you provide in your account to communicate specific hunt information necessary if you are successful, including payment of the mandatory access fee.
Mobility-Impaired (MI) Certification:
MI certification by the Department is required prior to submitting a draw application for MI-only pronghorn, oryx, elk, or deer hunts. To qualify for MI certification, an individual must have a permanent impairment that:
- limits his/her mobility to a walker, wheelchair, or crutches;
- or one or more permanent disabilities or conditions which substantially limit the individual’s ability to walk.
The MI certification form is available online under the "Disability" tab. This form must be signed by the applicant’s physician and attest that one or more of the above mobility-impaired conditions apply.
Military-Only or Resident Veteran:
Current proof of service/eligibility must be provided to the New Mexico Department of Wildlife prior to applying for any military-only hunts, resident veteran hunts or Fort Bliss resident status hunts. You will not be able to apply for these hunts until you have provided documentation of service to the Department, and verification has been entered into the system.
When applying, if you do not see the military-only hunt codes or resident veteran oryx hunt codes, it means the Department has not yet verified your eligibility, or you have already fulfilled your once-in-a-lifetime oryx hunt (resident veterans only).
To qualify for resident veteran hunts, applicants must submit a DD-214 form, which demonstrates their honorable discharge from the military. Resident veterans who have already been verified in our system DO NOT need to resubmit their DD-214.
Please redact your social security number EXCEPT for the last 4 digits prior to submitting your qualifying military or veteran documentation, if possible.
Also, please note that Fort Bliss and WSMR require all hunters to have proof of passing a state-certified Hunter Education course.
All other rules and laws must be followed, including all applicable stamp and validation requirements.
The Department strongly recommends that you DO NOT wait until the last minute to provide your documents. Due to the high volume of draw applications received at the end of the application period, the Department cannot guarantee that your documents will be entered into the system if they are submitted after March 13, 2026.
Please email questions, completed mobility-impaired certification form, or military documentation to special.hunts@dgf.nm.gov.
