New Mexico Elk — GMU 12
New Mexico GMU 12 covers 1,657,794 acres and lies 55 miles south-west of Milan. 41% of it is public land, mostly BLM (23%) and state trust land (18%). In 2025, 894 people hunted elk here and took 252 — 28% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 8 tags here for 27 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 12, 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-
<1% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
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2% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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8% Long shot 1% as 2nd choice
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7% Long shot 1% as 2nd choice
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5% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
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11% Long shot 7% as 2nd choice
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5% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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18% Long shot 9% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
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100% No first-choice applicants
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— Not open to nonresidents
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— Not open to nonresidents
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— Not open to nonresidents
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100% No first-choice applicants
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7% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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12% Long shot 7% as 2nd choice
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0% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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8% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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ELK-2-255 Unit 12 — antler-point-restricted bull (6+ points) — Bow — Dec. 12-16 2 tags · 3 applicants · Standard33% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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ELK-2-255 Unit 12 — antler-point-restricted bull (6+ points) — Bow — Dec. 12-16 2 tags · 1 applicants · Outfitter100% Likely draw
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-248 ↗ Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 Rifle | <1% Long shot | 2% | — | 2 / 133 | Standard | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-1-248 ↗ Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 Rifle | 2% Long shot | 0% | — | 3 / 152 | Outfitter | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-1-249 ↗ Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 8% Long shot | 1% | — | 3 / 25 | Standard | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-249 ↗ Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 7% Long shot | 1% | — | 6 / 59 | Outfitter | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-250 ↗ Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 5% Long shot | 5% | — | 4 / 21 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-250 ↗ Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 11% Long shot | 7% | — | 8 / 27 | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-251 ↗ Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | 5% Long shot | 0% | — | 4 / 39 | Standard | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| ELK-1-251 ↗ Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | 18% Long shot | 9% | — | 8 / 11 | Outfitter | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| ELK-1-252 ↗ Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 21-25 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| ELK-1-252 ↗ Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 21-25 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 1 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| ELK-1-253 ↗ Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 28-Dec. 2 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Nov 28 – Dec 2, 2026 |
| ELK-1-253 ↗ Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 28-Dec. 2 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 28 – Dec 2, 2026 |
| ELK-1-254 ↗ Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Dec 5–9, 2026 |
| ELK-1-254 ↗ Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 1 / 0 | Outfitter | Dec 5–9, 2026 |
| ELK-2-246 ↗ Unit 12 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 7% Long shot | 0% | — | 2 / 27 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-246 ↗ Unit 12 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 12% Long shot | 7% | — | 3 / 17 | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-247 ↗ Unit 12 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 0% Long shot | 0% | — | 2 / 52 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-247 ↗ Unit 12 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 8% Long shot | 0% | — | 3 / 39 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-255 ↗ Unit 12 — antler-point-restricted bull (6+ points) — Bow — Dec. 12-16 Archery | 33% Long shot | 0% | — | 2 / 3 | Standard | Dec 12–16, 2026 |
| ELK-2-255 ↗ Unit 12 — antler-point-restricted bull (6+ points) — Bow — Dec. 12-16 Archery | 100% Likely draw | — | — | 2 / 1 | Outfitter | Dec 12–16, 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
- BLM 373,059 ac · 23%
- State trust land 302,622 ac · 18%
- Tribal 145,568 ac · 9%
- National Park Service 1,607 ac · 0%
- State land 169 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 834,767 ac · 50%
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. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish publishes these per hunt rather than per unit; the rows below add its own figures together, since a hunter holds one tag for the species in a season.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 894 | 252 | 28% |
| 2024 | 900 | 225 | 25% |
| 2023 | 866 | 215 | 25% |
| 2022 | 847 | 247 | 29% |
| 2021 | 844 | 227 | 27% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 107 · 42% · 247 hunters, 43% success
- Archery 43 · 17% · 322 hunters, 13% success
- Muzzleloader 102 · 40% · 325 hunters, 31% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 12: Beginning at the intersection of US 60 and the NM/AZ state line and running north along the state line to the south boundary of the Zuni Indian Reservation, then east along the south boundary of the reservation and north along its east boundary to its intersection with NM 53, then east along NM 53 to its junction with Cibola County Road 42, then south along Cibola County Road 42 to its...
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