New Mexico Elk · GMU 21A
New Mexico GMU 21A covers 298,975 acres and lies 28 miles west of Truth or Consequences and 37 miles north-east of Santa Clara. 100% of it is public land, mostly national forest (100%). In 2025, 208 people hunted elk here and took 59, a 28% success rate (sum of published weapon rows). Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-316, put up 1 tag (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 37 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
100% Forest Service
298,975 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 21A
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-316 Standard | Unit 21A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | 3% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-316 Outfitter | Unit 21A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | 2% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-317 Standard | Unit 21A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-317 Outfitter | Unit 21A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 7% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-318 Standard | Unit 21A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-318 Outfitter | Unit 21A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 11% | |
| ELK-1-319 Standard | Unit 21A — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | not open | |
| ELK-1-319 Outfitter | Unit 21A — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-314 Standard | Unit 21A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 12% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-314 Outfitter | Unit 21A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 25% | |
| ELK-2-315 Standard | Unit 21A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 9% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-315 Outfitter | Unit 21A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 7% | |
| ELK-2-320 Standard | Unit 21A — mature bull — Bow — Dec. 19-23 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-320 Outfitter | Unit 21A — mature bull — Bow — Dec. 19-23 | 100% (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 (summed) | 208 | 59 | 28% |
| 2024 | 229 | 68 | 42% |
| 2023 | 230 | 51 | 31% |
| 2022 (summed) | 219 | 65 | 30% |
| 2021 | 222 | 50 | 24% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg · rifle · 35 licenses | 29 | 8 | 25% |
| Reg · rifle · 55 licenses | 50 | 11 | 24% |
| Reg · rifle · 30 licenses | 30 | 10 | 37% |
| Reg · archery · 25 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 24 | 4 | 18% |
| Reg · archery · 25 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 21 | 7 | 32% |
| Reg · archery · 15 licenses | 11 | 1 | 13% |
| Reg · rifle · 10 licenses | 10 | 8 | 80% |
| Reg · rifle · 15 licenses | 14 | 3 | 27% |
| Reg · rifle · 25 licenses | 19 | 7 | 29% |
2025 split: rifle 47 (80%) from 152 hunters, 31%, archery 12 (20%) from 56 hunters, 21%
What New Mexico Department of Game and Fish publishes after each season, for everyone who hunted the area: harvest statistics, not draw odds. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish publishes no whole-GMU line for 2025; a year's total is the sum of published weapon rows, added only where the lines do not overlap. Source: NMDGF 2025-2026 Elk Harvest Report; NMDGF 2024-2025 Elk Harvest Report; NMDGF 2023 Elk Hunter Harvest Report.
The Ground
| National Forest | 297,891 ac | 100% |
| State trust land | 189 ac | <1% |
| BLM | 3 ac | <1% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 21A: That northwest portion of GMU 21 that lies within the Gila National Forest.
▸ 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.
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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 · All New Mexico elk hunts