New Mexico Elk · GMU 18
New Mexico GMU 18 spans 1,564,967 acres, centered 31 miles east of Socorro. 72% of it is public land, mostly BLM (40%) and state trust land (22%). In 2025, 124 people hunted elk here and took 46, a 38% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-2-394, put up 1 tag (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 11 nonresident first-choice applicants.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
6 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
55% BLM
1,564,967 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 18
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-395 Standard | Unit 18 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | not open | |
| ELK-1-395 Outfitter | Unit 18 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-393 Standard | Unit 18 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 67% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-393 Outfitter | Unit 18 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-394 Standard | Unit 18 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-394 Outfitter | Unit 18 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 6% (small sample) |
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 | 124 | 46 | 38% |
| 2024 | 125 | 38 | 28% |
| 2023 | 131 | 44 | 27% |
| 2022 | 109 | 37 | 32% |
| 2021 | 99 | 30 | 26% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg | 10 | 3 | 33% |
| Mil | 9 | 8 | 88% |
2025 split: rifle 11 (100%) from 19 hunters, 58%
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
| BLM | 621,749 ac | 40% |
| State trust land | 343,727 ac | 22% |
| National Wildlife Refuge | 140,461 ac | 9% |
| Department of Defense | 11,530 ac | <1% |
| State land | 5,054 ac | <1% |
| National Park Service | 594 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 441,849 ac | 28% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 18: Beginning at the junction of US 380 and I-25 at San Antonio and running north along I-25 to its junction with US 60 at Bernardo, then east along US 60 to NM 55 at Mountainair, then south and southeast along NM 55 to its junction with US 54, then south along US 54 to its intersection with the Lincoln-Otero county line, then west along the county line to the east boundary of White Sands...
▸ 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