New Mexico Elk — GMU 13
New Mexico GMU 13 covers 2,847,763 acres and lies 42 miles west of Belen. 48% of it is public land, mostly BLM (19%) and state trust land (11%). A further 25% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2025, 1,536 people hunted elk here and took 364 — 24% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 20 tags here for 67 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 13, 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-
6% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
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10% Long shot 7% as 2nd choice
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5% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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9% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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ELK-3-258 Unit 13 youth only — either sex — Muzzle - Youth Only — Oct. 10-14 1 tags · 25 applicants · Standard0% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
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ELK-3-258 Unit 13 youth only — either sex — Muzzle - Youth Only — Oct. 10-14 3 tags · 22 applicants · Outfitter5% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
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2% Long shot 1% as 2nd choice
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5% Long shot 1% as 2nd choice
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4% Long shot 6% as 2nd choice
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19% Long shot 3% as 2nd choice
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14% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
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13% Long shot 12% as 2nd choice
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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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— Not open to nonresidents
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-2-256 ↗ Unit 13 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 6% Long shot | 2% | — | 12 / 103 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-256 ↗ Unit 13 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 10% Long shot | 7% | — | 20 / 67 | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-257 ↗ Unit 13 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 5% Long shot | 0% | — | 9 / 168 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-257 ↗ Unit 13 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 9% Long shot | 0% | — | 14 / 161 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-3-258 ↗ Unit 13 youth only — either sex — Muzzle - Youth Only — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 0% Long shot | 2% | — | 1 / 25 | Standard | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-3-258 ↗ Unit 13 youth only — either sex — Muzzle - Youth Only — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 5% Long shot | 5% | — | 3 / 22 | Outfitter | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-3-259 ↗ Unit 13 — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 Muzzleloader | 2% Long shot | 1% | — | 5 / 105 | Standard | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-3-259 ↗ Unit 13 — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 Muzzleloader | 5% Long shot | 1% | — | 8 / 119 | Outfitter | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-3-260 ↗ Unit 13 — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 24-28 Muzzleloader | 4% Long shot | 6% | — | 7 / 26 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-3-260 ↗ Unit 13 — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 24-28 Muzzleloader | 19% Long shot | 3% | — | 13 / 27 | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-3-261 ↗ Unit 13 — mature bull — Muzzle — Nov. 21-25 Muzzleloader | 14% Long shot | 5% | — | 7 / 21 | Standard | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| ELK-3-261 ↗ Unit 13 — mature bull — Muzzle — Nov. 21-25 Muzzleloader | 13% Long shot | 12% | — | 13 / 32 | Outfitter | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| ELK-3-262 ↗ Unit 13 — antlerless — Muzzle - NM — Dec. 5-9 Muzzleloader | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Dec 5–9, 2026 |
| ELK-3-262 ↗ Unit 13 — antlerless — Muzzle - NM — Dec. 5-9 Muzzleloader | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Dec 5–9, 2026 |
| ELK-3-263 ↗ Unit 13 — antlerless — Muzzle - NM — Dec. 12-16 Muzzleloader | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Dec 12–16, 2026 |
| ELK-3-263 ↗ Unit 13 — antlerless — Muzzle - NM — Dec. 12-16 Muzzleloader | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | 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
- Tribal 718,193 ac · 25%
- BLM 538,483 ac · 19%
- State trust land 310,048 ac · 11%
- National Forest 308,806 ac · 11%
- National Park Service 108,481 ac · 4%
- National Wildlife Refuge 87,249 ac · 3%
- State land 1,518 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 774,983 ac · 27%
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 | 1,536 | 364 | 24% |
| 2024 | 1,544 | 389 | 25% |
| 2023 | 1,476 | 330 | 22% |
| 2022 | 1,541 | 392 | 25% |
| 2021 | 1,521 | 460 | 30% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Muzzleloader 265 · 73% · 979 hunters, 27% success
- Archery 99 · 27% · 557 hunters, 18% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 13: Beginning at the junction of NM 53 and I-40 west of Grants and running east along I-40 to its junction with NM 6, then southeast along NM 6 to its junction with I-25 at Los Lunas, then south along I-25 to its junction with US 60 at Socorro, then west along US 60 to its junction with NM 12 at Datil, then southwest along NM 12 to its junction with Catron county road B034, then northwest...
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