New Mexico Elk — GMU 24
New Mexico GMU 24 covers 967,570 acres and lies 8 miles east of Bayard. 73% of it is public land, mostly national forest (31%) and state trust land (27%). In 2025, 85 people hunted elk here and took 42 — 44% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1 tag here for 28 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 24, 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-1-342 Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — mature bull — Any Legal — Dec. 19-23 1 tags · 28 applicants · Standard4% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
ELK-1-342 Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — mature bull — Any Legal — Dec. 19-23 1 tags · 18 applicants · Outfitter0% Long shot 11% as 2nd choice
-
ELK-1-343 Unit 24: including Ft. Bayard management area, youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents
-
ELK-1-343 Unit 24: including Ft. Bayard management area, youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14 0 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter— Not open to nonresidents
-
ELK-1-344 Unit 24: including Ft. Bayard management area, youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 24-28 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents
-
ELK-1-344 Unit 24: including Ft. Bayard management area, youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 24-28 0 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter— Not open to nonresidents
-
ELK-2-339 Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 1 tags · 10 applicants · Standard10% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
ELK-2-339 Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 1 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter100% No first-choice applicants 100% as 2nd choice
-
ELK-2-340 Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 0 tags · 1 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents 0% as 2nd choice
-
ELK-2-340 Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 1 tags · 2 applicants · Outfitter0% Long shot
-
ELK-3-341 Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 1 tags · 3 applicants · Standard0% Long shot 14% as 2nd choice
-
ELK-3-341 Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 1 tags · 1 applicants · Outfitter100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-342 ↗ Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — mature bull — Any Legal — Dec. 19-23 Rifle | 4% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 28 | Standard | Dec 19–23, 2026 |
| ELK-1-342 ↗ Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — mature bull — Any Legal — Dec. 19-23 Rifle | 0% Long shot | 11% | — | 1 / 18 | Outfitter | Dec 19–23, 2026 |
| ELK-1-343 ↗ Unit 24: including Ft. Bayard management area, youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-1-343 ↗ Unit 24: including Ft. Bayard management area, youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-1-344 ↗ Unit 24: including Ft. Bayard management area, youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-344 ↗ Unit 24: including Ft. Bayard management area, youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-2-339 ↗ Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 10% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 10 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-339 ↗ Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 100% No first-choice applicants | 100% | — | 1 / 0 | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-340 ↗ Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | Not open to nonresidents | 0% | — | 0 / 1 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-340 ↗ Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 0% Long shot | — | — | 1 / 2 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-3-341 ↗ Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 Muzzleloader | 0% Long shot | 14% | — | 1 / 3 | Standard | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-3-341 ↗ Unit 24: excluding Ft. Bayard management area — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | — | 1 / 1 undersubscribed | 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
- National Forest 299,938 ac · 31%
- State trust land 259,955 ac · 27%
- BLM 137,005 ac · 14%
- State land 8,210 ac · 1%
- Department of Defense 1,599 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 260,862 ac · 27%
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 | 85 | 42 | 44% |
| 2024 | 73 | 29 | 44% |
| 2023 | 69 | 40 | 35% |
| 2022 | 86 | 32 | 31% |
| 2021 | 72 | 26 | 30% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 152 · 34% · 244 hunters, 62% success
- Archery 179 · 41% · 544 hunters, 33% success
- Muzzleloader 110 · 25% · 234 hunters, 47% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 24: Beginning at the junction of NM 26 and US 180 north of Deming and running northwest along US 180 to its intersection with the Gila River south of Cliff, then northeast along the Gila River to its junction with Sapillo Creek, then east along Sapillo Creek to NM 35, then east and south on NM 35 to its junction with FR 152, then northeast along FR 152 to its junction with the Grant-Sierra...
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