New Mexico Elk · GMU 16E
New Mexico GMU 16E covers 613,964 acres and lies 46 miles east of Reserve and 58 miles north-west of Truth or Consequences. 81% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (55%) and BLM (24%). In 2025, 644 people hunted elk here and took 244, a 38% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-302, put up 3 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 62 nonresident first-choice applicants, 1 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
69% State
613,964 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 16E
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-300 Standard · youth | Unit 16E youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14 | 3% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-300 Outfitter · youth | Unit 16E youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14 | 7% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-302 Standard | Unit 16E — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 2% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-302 Outfitter | Unit 16E — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 0% | |
| ELK-1-303 Standard | Unit 16E — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | not open | |
| ELK-1-303 Outfitter | Unit 16E — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | not open | |
| ELK-1-304 Standard | Unit 16E — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 | not open | |
| ELK-1-304 Outfitter | Unit 16E — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 | not open | |
| ELK-2-298 Standard | Unit 16E — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 0% | |
| ELK-2-298 Outfitter | Unit 16E — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 36% | |
| ELK-2-299 Standard | Unit 16E — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 9% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-299 Outfitter | Unit 16E — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 19% | |
| ELK-3-301 Standard | Unit 16E — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 | 4% (small sample) | |
| ELK-3-301 Outfitter | Unit 16E — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 | 0% |
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 | 644 | 244 | 38% |
| 2024 | 661 | 217 | 34% |
| 2023 | 641 | 221 | 35% |
| 2022 | 656 | 236 | 32% |
| 2021 | 675 | 241 | 34% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg · rifle (hunt 2 of 2) | 65 | 15 | 23% |
| Reg · rifle (hunt 1 of 2) | 72 | 27 | 42% |
| Youth enc. (hunt 1 of 2) | 73 | 29 | 46% |
| Youth enc. (hunt 2 of 2) | 68 | 17 | 24% |
| Reg · archery · 125 licenses | 120 | 16 | 14% |
| Reg · archery · 75 licenses | 68 | 14 | 21% |
| Youth | 21 | 14 | 63% |
| Reg · muzzleloader · 100 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 89 | 27 | 29% |
| Reg · muzzleloader · 100 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 97 | 21 | 22% |
| Reg · muzzleloader · 25 licenses | 25 | 6 | 26% |
2025 split: rifle 88 (47%) from 278 hunters, 32%, archery 30 (16%) from 188 hunters, 16%, muzzleloader 68 (37%) from 232 hunters, 29%
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
| State trust land | 339,721 ac | 55% |
| BLM | 150,122 ac | 24% |
| National Forest | 3,740 ac | <1% |
| State land | 3,426 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 116,954 ac | 19% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 16E: That portion of GMU 16 beginning at the intersection of FR 551 and FR 30, northwesterly along FR 551 to its intersection with FR 28, then north on FR 28 to its intersection with NM 12, then east on NM 12 to its intersection with NM 60 at Datil, then east on NM 60 to its intersection with NM 52, then south on NM 52 to its intersection with NM 163, then west on NM 163 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. 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