New Mexico Elk ELK-1-294
Mature bull elk in GMU 16D, any legal weapon, Oct 17–21, 2026. 92% public land, mostly National Forest. Quality high demand.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
Your odds · 2026 draw
about 1 in 142, every year you apply
Every applicant has the same chance each year: in 2026, 3 tags went to 425 first-choice applicants.
Points: none, same chance every year
- NR Tags
- 3
- Applicants
- 425
- Success
- 54%
First-choice nonresidents, standard draw; nonresidents capped at 6%. Success: all hunters in GMU 16D, 2025.
Odds by Year, 2023–2026
Odds (tags ÷ applicants) ran from <1% to <1% across 2023–2026. Applicants per tag: 237:1 in 2023, 142:1 in 2026.
What It Costs · 2026 NR Fees
Closes Mar 17 · 150 daysThe $13 nonresident draw application fee (per species, nonrefundable; included in the printed draw price) is not refunded. The $90 nonresident Game-Hunting License (must be purchased, nonrefundable, before applying for any big-game draw) is not refunded. The $4 habitat Management and Access Validation (HMAV), mandatory age 18+, added automatically with the Game-Hunting License is not refunded. Drawing adds the $10 habitat Stamp (required to hunt on BLM and Forest Service land; buy by May 15 to be printed on the licence/tag). The $760 nonresident Standard Elk License, mature bull or either sex (printed draw price $773 incl. $13 application fee); charged at application, refunded if unsuccessful. Quality / high-demand hunt codes are $998 printed is refunded if you miss.
- Opens
- —
- Closes
- Mar 17, 2027
- Results
- about Apr 21
Next application window: Closes Mar 17, 2027 (expected). Dates are last cycle's, rolled forward until New Mexico Department of Game and Fish publishes 2027.
▸ Every Fee, With Sources
- Nonresident draw application fee (per species, nonrefundable; included in the printed draw price) · paid at application $13 NMDGF 2026-2027 Draw Hunt License Fees / Draw…
- Nonresident Game-Hunting License (must be purchased, nonrefundable, before applying for any big-game draw) · paid at application $90 NMDGF 2026-2027 Over-the-Counter License Fees
- Habitat Management and Access Validation (HMAV), mandatory age 18+, added automatically with the Game-Hunting License · paid at application $4 NMDGF 2026-2027 Over-the-Counter License Fees
- Habitat Stamp (required to hunt on BLM and Forest Service land; buy by May 15 to be printed on the licence/tag) · paid if drawn $10 NMDGF 2026-2027 Over-the-Counter License Fees
- Nonresident Standard Elk License, mature bull or either sex (printed draw price $773 incl. $13 application fee); charged at application, refunded if unsuccessful. Quality / high-demand hunt codes are $998 printed · paid at application, refundable $760 NMDGF 2026-2027 Draw Hunt License Fees / Draw…
Details
Odds in This Draw · 2026 Draw
| Who | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everyone | <1% (small sample) | — | 3 |
First-choice tags drawn ÷ first-choice applicants, as published. A dash means New Mexico Department of Game and Fish did not publish a count for that level. As a lower choice, ELK-1-294 drew no one in 2026, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: NMDGF 2026 Big Game Drawing Odds Complete Report, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of GMU 16D | 530 | 275 | 54% |
Across every license type in GMU 16D, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish counted 530 hunters and 275 elk taken in 2025, and 54% of them took an elk. Post-season survey, not draw statistics. Source: NMDGF 2025-2026 Elk Harvest Report; NMDGF 2024-2025 Elk Harvest Report.
▸ Year-by-Year Numbers 4 draws
The standard draw for nonresidents, one row per year.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Per Tag | Published Odds | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 425 | 141.7 | <1% | NMDGF 2026 Big Game Drawing Odds Complete Report |
| 2025 | 3 | 415 | 138.3 | <1% | NMDGF 2025-26 Big-Game Drawing Odds Complete… |
| 2024 | 3 | 627 | 209 | <1% | NMDGF 2024-25 Big-Game Drawing Odds Complete… |
| 2023 | 3 | 711 | 237 | <1% | NMDGF 2023 Big-Game Complete Drawing Odds Report |
Other Licenses Valid in GMU 16D
- ELK-1-293 Unit 16D mobility impaired only — mature bull — Any Legal - Mobility — Oct. 10-14Hunters with a disability permit only Oct 10–14 · 2 tags · 16 applied 13% (small sample)
- ELK-1-295 Unit 16D — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Oct 24–28 · 3 tags · 87 applied 1% (small sample)
- ELK-1-296 Unit 16D — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 Dec 5–9 · 0 tags · not open to nonresidents in 2026 —
- ELK-1-297 Unit 16D — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 Dec 12–16 · 0 tags · not open to nonresidents in 2026 —
- ELK-2-291 Unit 16D — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Sep 1–14 · 5 tags · 329 applied 1%
- ELK-2-292 Unit 16D — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Sep 15–24 · 3 tags · 528 applied <1% (small sample)
Odds for a first-choice nonresident, standard class where offered. * fewer than 5 tags.
▸ Legal Cartridges 23 on file for New Mexico elk
23 cartridges on file are legal for elk with a rifle in New Mexico (this license takes any legal weapon). Rules and sources: New Mexico hunting laws.
▸ Sources 14
- NMDGF 2026 Big Game Drawing Odds Complete Report draw results, seasons, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- NMDGF 2025-26 Big-Game Drawing Odds Complete… earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- NMDGF 2024-25 Big-Game Drawing Odds Complete… earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- NMDGF 2023 Big-Game Complete Drawing Odds Report earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- New Mexico Commission of Public Records - State Records Center and Archives 2023 19.31.3 NMAC draw rules, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- NMDGF 2026-2027 Draw Hunt License Fees / Draw… fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- NMDGF 2026-2027 Over-the-Counter License Fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- NMDGF 2025-2026 Elk Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- NMDGF 2024-2025 Elk Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- NMDGF 2023 Elk Hunter Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- NMDGF 2022 Elk Hunter Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- NMDGF 2021 Elk Hunter Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- NMDGF 2026 NM Game Management Units, layer 0 boundary, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023 land ownership, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
About These Numbers
Odds are from the 2026 draw, the latest on file, computed from New Mexico Department of Game and Fish's published results (first-choice tags drawn ÷ first-choice applicants, as published). They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward. How we compute these.
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We don't take applications: check New Mexico Department of Game and Fish's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from New Mexico Department of Game and Fish's results, not a forecast · Methodology · All New Mexico elk hunts