New Mexico Elk · GMU 22
New Mexico GMU 22 covers 251,154 acres and lies 36 miles south of Reserve. 77% of it is public land, mostly national forest (65%) and state trust land (12%). Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-2-280, put up 10 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 260 nonresident first-choice applicants, 5 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
10 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
not published
85% Forest Service
251,154 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Best Bets
Ranked by your odds times how often that license type's hunters filled their tag. Nonresident, first choice, 2026 draw; licenses with at least 10 tags that anyone can buy.
- Success
- —
- Season
- Oct 24–28
- Tags / Apps
- 12 / 11
- If Drawn
- $877
- Success
- —
- Season
- Sep 1–14
- Tags / Apps
- 14 / 185
- If Drawn
- $877
- Success
- —
- Season
- Sep 1–14
- Tags / Apps
- 22 / 50
- If Drawn
- $877
- Success
- —
- Season
- Sep 15–24
- Tags / Apps
- 16 / 64
- If Drawn
- $877
Every License in GMU 22
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-281 Standard | Unit 16B/22 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | <1% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-281 Outfitter | Unit 16B/22 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | 1% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-282 Standard | Unit 16B/22 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-282 Outfitter | Unit 16B/22 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 17% | |
| ELK-1-283 Standard | Unit 16B/22 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 2% | |
| ELK-1-283 Outfitter | Unit 16B/22 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 100% | |
| ELK-2-279 Standard | Unit 16B/22 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 4% | |
| ELK-2-279 Outfitter | Unit 16B/22 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 14% | |
| ELK-2-280 Standard | Unit 16B/22 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 2% | |
| ELK-2-280 Outfitter | Unit 16B/22 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 6% |
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.
The Ground
| National Forest | 163,792 ac | 65% |
| State trust land | 28,901 ac | 12% |
| BLM | 1,083 ac | <1% |
| State land | 105 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 57,271 ac | 23% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 22: Beginning at the intersection of the Gila River and US 180 south of Cliff running north along US 180 to its junction with Bursum Road (NM 159/FR 28), then east along Bursum Road to its junction with FT 182 at Sandy point, then south along FT 182 to its junction with FT 224 at the West Fork Saddle, then south on FT 224 down the west fork of Mogollon Creek to its junction with the main...
▸ Sources 5
- 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 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