New Mexico Elk — GMU 16A
New Mexico GMU 16A covers 412,289 acres and lies 55 miles north of Silver City. 99% of it is public land, mostly national forest (99%) and state trust land (1%). In 2025, 858 people hunted elk here and took 304 — 48% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 25 tags here for 281 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 16A, 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-
ELK-1-274 Unit 16A mobility impaired only — mature bull — Any Legal - Mobility — Oct. 10-14 2 tags · 28 applicants · Standard7% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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ELK-1-274 Unit 16A mobility impaired only — mature bull — Any Legal - Mobility — Oct. 10-14 2 tags · 34 applicants · Outfitter3% Long shot 3% as 2nd choice
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<1% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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<1% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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1% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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4% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
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100% Likely draw 67% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
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100% Undersubscribed
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3% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
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6% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
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<1% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
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2% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-274 ↗ Unit 16A mobility impaired only — mature bull — Any Legal - Mobility — Oct. 10-14 Rifle | 7% Long shot | 0% | — | 2 / 28 | Standard | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-1-274 ↗ Unit 16A mobility impaired only — mature bull — Any Legal - Mobility — Oct. 10-14 Rifle | 3% Long shot | 3% | — | 2 / 34 | Outfitter | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-1-275 ↗ Unit 16A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | <1% Long shot | 0% | — | 5 / 1,880 | Standard | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-275 ↗ Unit 16A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | <1% Long shot | 0% | — | 7 / 1,048 | Outfitter | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-276 ↗ Unit 16A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 1% Long shot | 0% | — | 6 / 232 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-276 ↗ Unit 16A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 4% Long shot | <1% | — | 10 / 212 | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-277 ↗ Unit 16A — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Dec 5–9, 2026 |
| ELK-1-277 ↗ Unit 16A — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 67% | — | 7 / 5 | Outfitter | Dec 5–9, 2026 |
| ELK-1-278 ↗ Unit 16A — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Dec 12–16, 2026 |
| ELK-1-278 ↗ Unit 16A — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 6 / 4 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Dec 12–16, 2026 |
| ELK-2-272 ↗ Unit 16A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 3% Long shot | <1% | — | 15 / 457 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-272 ↗ Unit 16A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 6% Long shot | 2% | — | 25 / 281 | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-273 ↗ Unit 16A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | <1% Long shot | <1% | — | 9 / 1,310 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-273 ↗ Unit 16A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 2% Long shot | 0% | — | 15 / 710 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 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.
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 | 858 | 304 | 48% |
| 2024 | 851 | 362 | 49% |
| 2023 | 846 | 321 | 55% |
| 2022 | 878 | 250 | 29% |
| 2021 | 872 | 350 | 40% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 150 · 76% · 303 hunters, 50% success
- Archery 48 · 24% · 355 hunters, 14% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 16A: That portion of GMU 16 beginning at the junction of Bursum Road (NM 159/USFS Road 28) and US 180, then north along US 180 to its junction with NM 12, then northeast along NM 12 to its junction with NM 435, then south along NM 435 to its junction with Negrito Creek south of Reserve, then east along Negrito Creek to its junction with the north fork of Negrito Creek, then east along the...
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