New Mexico Elk — GMU 16E
New Mexico GMU 16E covers 613,964 acres and lies 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 — 38% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 9 tags here for 11 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 16E, 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-1-300 Unit 16E youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14 2 tags · 35 applicants · Standard3% Long shot 1% as 2nd choice
-
ELK-1-300 Unit 16E youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14 2 tags · 14 applicants · Outfitter7% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
-
2% Long shot 3% as 2nd choice
-
0% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
— Not open to nonresidents
-
— Not open to nonresidents
-
— Not open to nonresidents
-
— Not open to nonresidents
-
0% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
-
36% Long shot 6% as 2nd choice
-
9% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
-
19% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
-
4% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
-
0% Long shot 36% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-300 ↗ Unit 16E youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14 Rifle | 3% Long shot | 1% | — | 2 / 35 | Standard | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-1-300 ↗ Unit 16E youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14 Rifle | 7% Long shot | 2% | — | 2 / 14 | Outfitter | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-1-302 ↗ Unit 16E — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 2% Long shot | 3% | — | 3 / 62 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-302 ↗ Unit 16E — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 0% Long shot | 0% | — | 5 / 31 | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-303 ↗ Unit 16E — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Dec 5–9, 2026 |
| ELK-1-303 ↗ Unit 16E — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Dec 5–9, 2026 |
| ELK-1-304 ↗ Unit 16E — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Dec 12–16, 2026 |
| ELK-1-304 ↗ Unit 16E — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Dec 12–16, 2026 |
| ELK-2-298 ↗ Unit 16E — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 0% Long shot | 5% | — | 5 / 39 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-298 ↗ Unit 16E — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 36% Long shot | 6% | — | 9 / 11 | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-299 ↗ Unit 16E — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 9% Long shot | 2% | — | 3 / 23 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-299 ↗ Unit 16E — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 19% Long shot | 5% | — | 6 / 26 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-3-301 ↗ Unit 16E — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 Muzzleloader | 4% Long shot | 2% | — | 4 / 24 | Standard | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-3-301 ↗ Unit 16E — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 Muzzleloader | 0% Long shot | 36% | — | 7 / 12 | Outfitter | Oct 17–21, 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
- 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: 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.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 644 | 244 | 38% |
| 2024 | 661 | 217 | 34% |
| 2023 | 641 | 221 | 35% |
| 2022 | 656 | 236 | 32% |
| 2021 | 675 | 241 | 34% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 88 · 47% · 278 hunters, 32% success
- Archery 30 · 16% · 188 hunters, 16% success
- Muzzleloader 68 · 37% · 232 hunters, 29% success
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...
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