New Mexico Elk — GMU 10
New Mexico GMU 10 covers 1,434,977 acres and lies 19 miles south-east of Gallup and 34 miles west of Milan. 35% of it is public land, mostly national forest (23%) and state trust land (6%). A further 45% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2025, 790 people hunted elk here and took 231 — 31% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 12 tags here for 21 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 10, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
4% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
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4% Long shot 8% as 2nd choice
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ELK-1-161 Unit 10 youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 14-18 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents
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ELK-1-161 Unit 10 youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 14-18 0 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter— Not open to nonresidents
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— Not open to nonresidents
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— Not open to nonresidents
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12% Long shot 4% as 2nd choice
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33% Long shot 7% as 2nd choice
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9% Long shot 1% as 2nd choice
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14% Long shot 12% as 2nd choice
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6% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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11% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-160 ↗ Unit 10 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 4% Long shot | 2% | — | 4 / 52 | Standard | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-160 ↗ Unit 10 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 4% Long shot | 8% | — | 7 / 54 | Outfitter | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-161 ↗ Unit 10 youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| ELK-1-161 ↗ Unit 10 youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| ELK-1-162 ↗ Unit 10 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Dec 5–9, 2026 |
| ELK-1-162 ↗ Unit 10 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Dec 5–9, 2026 |
| ELK-2-157 ↗ Unit 10 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 12% Long shot | 4% | — | 8 / 42 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-157 ↗ Unit 10 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 33% Long shot | 7% | — | 12 / 21 | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-158 ↗ Unit 10 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 9% Long shot | 1% | — | 8 / 65 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-158 ↗ Unit 10 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 14% Long shot | 12% | — | 12 / 29 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-3-159 ↗ Unit 10 — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 6% Long shot | 0% | — | 4 / 53 | Standard | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-3-159 ↗ Unit 10 — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 11% Long shot | 5% | — | 7 / 36 | Outfitter | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- As 2nd choice —
- New Mexico lets you name more than one hunt on the application. Miss on your first choice and you go into the pot for whatever tags are left, alongside everyone else's second choices. Points never help a lower choice, so this number is the same whatever you have banked — it is usually worth naming a hunt that goes undersubscribed.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard license | $867 | $107 | $877 |
| Outfitter license | $867 | $107 | $877 |
Application window: closes Mar 18, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- Tribal 651,179 ac · 45%
- National Forest 328,536 ac · 23%
- State trust land 89,090 ac · 6%
- BLM 62,404 ac · 4%
- Department of Defense 15,264 ac · 1%
- State land 3,065 ac · 0%
- National Park Service 276 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 285,160 ac · 20%
Source: BLM_Surface_Management_2023 (BLM New Mexico State Office Surface Management Agency layer)
How the hunting has gone
What New Mexico Department of Game and Fish publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 790 | 231 | 31% |
| 2024 | 780 | 220 | 26% |
| 2023 | 761 | 212 | 26% |
| 2022 | 774 | 175 | 19% |
| 2021 | 802 | 190 | 21% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 94 · 84% · 276 hunters, 34% success
- Archery 18 · 16% · 34 hunters, 53% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 10: Beginning at the junction of the north boundary of the Zuni Indian Reservation with the NM/AZ state line and running north along the state line to the south boundary of the Navajo Indian Reservation, then east along the south boundary of the Navajo Reservation and north along its east boundary to its intersection with the Standing Rock-Crownpoint road, then southeast along the Standing...
Source: NM Game Management Units (NMDGF_Game_Management_Units_I_E__v2_WFL1), layer 0
Boundary: NM Game Management Units (NMDGF_Game_Management_Units_I_E__v2_WFL1), layer 0
Harvest: 2025-2026 Elk Harvest Report
Harvest: 2024-2025 Elk Harvest Report