New Mexico Elk — GMU 30
New Mexico GMU 30 covers 1,883,421 acres and lies 33 miles west of Carlsbad and 42 miles west of Loving. 83% of it is public land, mostly BLM (47%) and state trust land (18%). In 2025, 150 people hunted elk here and took 80 — 47% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 3 tags here for 41 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 30, 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-
0% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
<1% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
3% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
0% Long shot 4% as 2nd choice
-
7% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
3% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
-
0% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
-
<1% Long shot 3% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-400 ↗ Units 29, 30 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 Rifle | 0% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 82 | Standard | Oct 1–5, 2026 |
| ELK-1-400 ↗ Units 29, 30 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 Rifle | <1% Long shot | 0% | — | 2 / 297 | Outfitter | Oct 1–5, 2026 |
| ELK-1-401 ↗ Units 29, 30 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 Rifle | 3% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 29 | Standard | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-1-401 ↗ Units 29, 30 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 Rifle | 0% Long shot | 4% | — | 3 / 41 | Outfitter | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-398 ↗ Units 29, 30 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 7% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 14 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-398 ↗ Units 29, 30 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 3% Long shot | 5% | — | 2 / 36 | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-399 ↗ Units 29, 30 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 0% Long shot | 5% | — | 1 / 21 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-399 ↗ Units 29, 30 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | <1% Long shot | 3% | — | 2 / 102 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 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
- BLM 890,767 ac · 47%
- State trust land 340,588 ac · 18%
- National Forest 283,612 ac · 15%
- National Park Service 46,517 ac · 2%
- State land 2,144 ac · 0%
- Bureau of Reclamation 1,303 ac · 0%
- Department of Defense 720 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 317,766 ac · 17%
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 | 150 | 80 | 47% |
| 2024 | 144 | 72 | 38% |
| 2023 | 136 | 80 | 40% |
| 2022 | 78 | 44 | 51% |
| 2021 | 79 | 48 | 47% |
What the agency says about the area
GMU 30: Beginning at the NM/TX state line near Dell City, Texas, and its intersection with NM 506/CR E038, then northeast, north, west and north along NM 506/CR E038 through Crow Flats and Cornucopia Draw to its junction with NM 24 east of Pinon, then northeast along NM 24 to its junction with US 82 north of Dunken, then east along US 82 to its intersection with US 285 at Artesia, then south...
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