New Mexico Elk · GMU 21B
New Mexico GMU 21B spans 1,632,258 acres, centered 16 miles north-west of Hatch. 69% of it is public land, mostly BLM (44%) and state trust land (24%). In 2025, 281 people hunted elk here and took 150, a 39% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-2-322, put up 2 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 15 nonresident first-choice applicants, 1 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
20 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
63% BLM
1,632,258 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 21B
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-323 Standard | Unit 21B — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | not open | |
| ELK-1-323 Outfitter | Unit 21B — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | 4% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-324 Standard | Unit 21B — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-324 Outfitter | Unit 21B — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-325 Standard | Unit 21B — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-325 Outfitter | Unit 21B — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-326 Standard | Unit 21B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 21-25 | not open | |
| ELK-1-326 Outfitter | Unit 21B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 21-25 | not open | |
| ELK-1-327 Standard | Unit 21B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 28-Dec. 2 | not open | |
| ELK-1-327 Outfitter | Unit 21B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 28-Dec. 2 | not open | |
| ELK-1-328 Standard | Unit 21B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | not open | |
| ELK-1-328 Outfitter | Unit 21B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | not open | |
| ELK-1-329 Standard | Unit 21B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 | not open | |
| ELK-1-329 Outfitter | Unit 21B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 | not open | |
| ELK-2-321 Standard | Unit 21B — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-321 Outfitter | Unit 21B — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 20% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-322 Standard | Unit 21B — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 7% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-322 Outfitter | Unit 21B — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-330 Standard | Unit 21B — mature bull — Bow — Dec. 19-23 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-330 Outfitter | Unit 21B — 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 | 281 | 150 | 39% |
| 2024 | 285 | 154 | 38% |
| 2023 | 275 | 160 | 42% |
| 2022 | 273 | 161 | 44% |
| 2021 | 268 | 147 | 39% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg · rifle · 15 licenses (hunt 2 of 3) | 11 | 4 | 43% |
| Reg · rifle · 15 licenses (hunt 3 of 3) | 11 | 4 | 27% |
| Reg · rifle · 15 licenses (hunt 1 of 3) | 15 | 5 | 36% |
| Reg · rifle · 20 licenses | 19 | 3 | 23% |
| Reg · archery · 125 licenses | 114 | 9 | 9% |
| Reg · archery · 75 licenses | 70 | 5 | 8% |
| Reg · archery · 15 licenses | 15 | 1 | 8% |
| Reg · muzzleloader | 71 | 10 | 15% |
| Youth | 25 | 15 | 65% |
2025 split: rifle 31 (55%) from 81 hunters, 38%, archery 15 (27%) from 199 hunters, 8%, muzzleloader 10 (18%) from 71 hunters, 14%
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 | 713,959 ac | 44% |
| State trust land | 395,429 ac | 24% |
| State land | 18,520 ac | 1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 699 ac | <1% |
| National Forest | 243 ac | <1% |
| Tribal | 29 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 503,377 ac | 31% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 21B: that portion of GMU 21 that that portion of GMU 21 that lies outside 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.
Report an error on this page
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