New Mexico Elk · GMU 12
New Mexico GMU 12 spans 1,657,794 acres, centered 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, a 28% success rate (sum of published weapon rows). Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-248, put up 2 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 133 nonresident first-choice applicants, 1 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
20 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
45% BLM
1,657,794 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 12
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-248 Standard | Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | <1% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-248 Outfitter | Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | 2% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-249 Standard | Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 8% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-249 Outfitter | Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 7% | |
| ELK-1-250 Standard | Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 5% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-250 Outfitter | Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 11% | |
| ELK-1-251 Standard | Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 | 5% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-251 Outfitter | Unit 12 — mature bull — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 | 18% | |
| ELK-1-252 Standard | Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 21-25 | not open | |
| ELK-1-252 Outfitter | Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 21-25 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-253 Standard | Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 28-Dec. 2 | not open | |
| ELK-1-253 Outfitter | Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 28-Dec. 2 | not open | |
| ELK-1-254 Standard | Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | not open | |
| ELK-1-254 Outfitter | Unit 12 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-246 Standard | Unit 12 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 7% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-246 Outfitter | Unit 12 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 12% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-247 Standard | Unit 12 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-247 Outfitter | Unit 12 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 8% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-255 Standard | Unit 12 — antler-point-restricted bull (6+ points) — Bow — Dec. 12-16 | 33% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-255 Outfitter | Unit 12 — antler-point-restricted bull (6+ points) — Bow — Dec. 12-16 | 100% (small sample) |
First-choice nonresident odds, 2026 draw. No points in this draw: every applicant has the same chance.
Draw results: NMDGF 2026 Big Game Drawing Odds Complete Report, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
If you draw (2026 nonresident fees): Standard $877 ($867 to apply) · Outfitter $877 ($867 to apply). Closes Mar 17, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Harvest
| Year | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 (summed) | 894 | 252 | 28% |
| 2024 (summed) | 900 | 225 | 25% |
| 2023 (summed) | 866 | 215 | 25% |
| 2022 (summed) | 847 | 247 | 29% |
| 2021 (summed) | 844 | 227 | 27% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg · rifle · 80 licenses | 77 | 23 | 32% |
| Reg · rifle · 60 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 54 | 21 | 37% |
| Reg · rifle · 60 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 56 | 31 | 60% |
| Reg · rifle · 64 licenses | 60 | 32 | 58% |
| Reg · archery · 202 licenses | 186 | 23 | 12% |
| Reg · archery · 148 licenses | 136 | 20 | 14% |
| Youth | 30 | 19 | 70% |
| Reg · muzzleloader · 86 licenses | 75 | 23 | 31% |
| Reg · muzzleloader · 126 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 113 | 26 | 22% |
| Reg · muzzleloader · 126 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 107 | 34 | 30% |
2025 split: rifle 107 (42%) from 247 hunters, 43%, archery 43 (17%) from 322 hunters, 13%, muzzleloader 102 (40%) from 325 hunters, 31%
What New Mexico Department of Game and Fish publishes after each season, for everyone who hunted the area: harvest statistics, not draw odds. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish publishes no whole-GMU line for 2025; a year's total is the sum of published weapon rows, added only where the lines do not overlap. Source: NMDGF 2025-2026 Elk Harvest Report; NMDGF 2024-2025 Elk Harvest Report; NMDGF 2023 Elk Hunter Harvest Report.
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 | <1% |
| State land | 169 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 834,767 ac | 50% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
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...
▸ Sources 10
- NMDGF 2026 Big Game Drawing Odds Complete Report draw results, 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, area description, 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. 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.
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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 · All New Mexico elk hunts