New Mexico Elk · GMU 16D
New Mexico GMU 16D covers 301,342 acres and lies 17 miles east of Reserve and 67 miles north of Silver City. 92% of it is public land, mostly national forest (83%) and BLM (5%). In 2025, 530 people hunted elk here and took 275, a 54% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-2-292, put up 3 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 528 nonresident first-choice applicants, 3 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
14 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
91% Forest Service
301,342 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 16D
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-293 Standard · hunters | Unit 16D mobility impaired only — mature bull — Any Legal - Mobility — Oct. 10-14 | 13% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-293 Outfitter · hunters | Unit 16D mobility impaired only — mature bull — Any Legal - Mobility — Oct. 10-14 | 5% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-294 Standard | Unit 16D — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | <1% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-294 Outfitter | Unit 16D — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 1% | |
| ELK-1-295 Standard | Unit 16D — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 1% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-295 Outfitter | Unit 16D — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 2% | |
| ELK-1-296 Standard | Unit 16D — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | not open | |
| ELK-1-296 Outfitter | Unit 16D — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | 100% | |
| ELK-1-297 Standard | Unit 16D — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 | not open | |
| ELK-1-297 Outfitter | Unit 16D — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-291 Standard | Unit 16D — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 1% | |
| ELK-2-291 Outfitter | Unit 16D — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 4% | |
| ELK-2-292 Standard | Unit 16D — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | <1% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-292 Outfitter | Unit 16D — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 1% |
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 | 530 | 275 | 54% |
| 2024 | 538 | 260 | 51% |
| 2023 | 530 | 244 | 48% |
| 2022 | 547 | 243 | 45% |
| 2021 | 536 | 263 | 48% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg · rifle · 50 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 40 | 23 | 49% |
| Reg · rifle · 50 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 49 | 28 | 60% |
| Youth enc. · 79 licenses | 78 | 56 | 71% |
| Youth enc. · 75 licenses | 72 | 42 | 62% |
| Reg · archery · 90 licenses | 78 | 15 | 19% |
| Reg · archery · 60 licenses | 51 | 7 | 12% |
| Reg · muzzleloader | 61 | 11 | 18% |
| Youth | 25 | 12 | 52% |
| Reg · rifle · 53 licenses | 46 | 21 | 47% |
2025 split: rifle 182 (85%) from 310 hunters, 59%, archery 22 (10%) from 129 hunters, 17%, muzzleloader 11 (5%) from 61 hunters, 18%
What New Mexico Department of Game and Fish publishes after each season, for everyone who hunted the area: harvest statistics, not draw odds. Source: NMDGF 2025-2026 Elk Harvest Report; NMDGF 2024-2025 Elk Harvest Report; NMDGF 2023 Elk Hunter Harvest Report.
The Ground
| National Forest | 249,779 ac | 83% |
| BLM | 15,194 ac | 5% |
| State trust land | 10,854 ac | 4% |
| State land | 30 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 25,482 ac | 8% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 16D: That portion of GMU 16 beginning at Apache Creek and continuing south and west along NM 12 to its junction with NM 435 at Reserve, then south along NM 435 to its junction with Negrito Creek, then east along Negrito Creek to its junction with the north fork of Negrito Creek, then east along the north fork of Negrito Creek to its junction with SFS road 94 at Collins Park, then south...
▸ 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. How we compute these.
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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 · Methodology · All New Mexico elk hunts