New Mexico Elk · GMU 34

New Mexico GMU 34 spans 1,085,460 acres, centered 17 miles east of Alamogordo. 73% of it is public land, mostly national forest (41%) and BLM (20%). In 2025, 3,176 people hunted elk here and took 1,725, a 51% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-2-346, put up 12 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 921 nonresident first-choice applicants, 11 of whom drew.

No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.

Tags, 2026

241

26 licenses · NR capped at 6%

Applicants

5,080

first choice, NR

Hunter Success

51%

2025, all licenses

Public Land

73%

56% Forest Service

Size

1,696 mi²

1,085,460 acres

Alamogordo Tularosa Ruidoso Downs Capitan Artesia 19 28 29 30 36 34

51%

hunter success · 2025

3,176 hunters, 1,725 elk

51%hunter success 2025 · 3,176 hunters, 1,725 elk

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 in 2025. Nonresident, first choice, 2026 draw; licenses with at least 10 tags that anyone can buy.

ELK-1-352

Outfitter · cow

100%

Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 28-Dec. 2

Success: 51%
Season: Nov 28 – Dec 2
Tags / Apps: 18 / 7
If Drawn: $877

ELK-1-353

Outfitter · cow

100%

Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9

Success: 51%
Season: Dec 5–9
Tags / Apps: 15 / 10
If Drawn: $877

ELK-2-355

Outfitter · any elk

38%

Unit 34 — antler-point-restricted bull (6+ points) or antlerless — Bow — Dec.…

Success: 51%
Season: Dec 19–23
Tags / Apps: 20 / 21
If Drawn: $877

ELK-3-350

Outfitter · any elk

Unit 34 — either sex — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21

Success: 51%
Season: Oct 17–21
Tags / Apps: 25 / 165
If Drawn: $877

Every License in GMU 34

90–100% 50–89% 10–49% 1–9% under 1% fewer than 5 tags: one applicant swings it

	What	Season		Tags / Apps
ELK-1-347 Standard · youth	Unit 34 youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14	Oct 10–14	<1% (small sample)	4 / 385	—
ELK-1-347 Outfitter · youth	Unit 34 youth only — either sex — Any Legal - Youth — Oct. 10-14	Oct 10–14	2%	8 / 362	—
ELK-1-348 Standard · youth	Unit 34 youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 10-14	Oct 10–14	not open	0 / 0	—
ELK-1-348 Outfitter · youth	Unit 34 youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 10-14	Oct 10–14	100%	11 / 1	—
ELK-1-349 Standard · hunters	Unit 34 mobility impaired — either sex — Any Legal - Mobility — Oct. 10-14	Oct 10–14	9% (small sample)	3 / 35	—
ELK-1-349 Outfitter · hunters	Unit 34 mobility impaired — either sex — Any Legal - Mobility — Oct. 10-14	Oct 10–14	11%	5 / 36	—
ELK-1-351 Standard	Unit 34 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28	Oct 24–28	1%	9 / 885	—
ELK-1-351 Outfitter	Unit 34 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28	Oct 24–28	2%	15 / 599	—
ELK-1-352 Standard	Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 28-Dec. 2	Nov 28 – Dec 2	not open	0 / 0	—
ELK-1-352 Outfitter	Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 28-Dec. 2	Nov 28 – Dec 2	100%	18 / 7	—
ELK-1-353 Standard	Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9	Dec 5–9	not open	0 / 0	—
ELK-1-353 Outfitter	Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9	Dec 5–9	100%	15 / 10	—
ELK-1-354 Standard	Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16	Dec 12–16	not open	0 / 0	—
ELK-1-354 Outfitter	Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16	Dec 12–16	100% (small sample)	1 / 1	—
ELK-1-356 Standard	Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Jan. 23-27, ‘27	Jan 23–27	not open	0 / 0	—
ELK-1-356 Outfitter	Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Jan. 23-27, ‘27	Jan 23–27	100%	12 / 5	—
ELK-1-357 Standard	Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Feb. 6-10, ‘27	Feb 6–10	not open	0 / 0	—
ELK-1-357 Outfitter	Unit 34 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Feb. 6-10, ‘27	Feb 6–10	100% (small sample)	4 / 1	—
ELK-2-345 Standard	Unit 34 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14	Sep 1–14	<1%	12 / 410	—
ELK-2-345 Outfitter	Unit 34 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14	Sep 1–14	4%	20 / 257	—
ELK-2-346 Standard	Unit 34 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24	Sep 15–24	1%	12 / 921	—
ELK-2-346 Outfitter	Unit 34 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24	Sep 15–24	2%	20 / 602	—
ELK-2-355 Standard	Unit 34 — antler-point-restricted bull (6+ points) or antlerless — Bow — Dec. 19-23	Dec 19–23	7%	12 / 60	—
ELK-2-355 Outfitter	Unit 34 — antler-point-restricted bull (6+ points) or antlerless — Bow — Dec. 19-23	Dec 19–23	38%	20 / 21	—
ELK-3-350 Standard	Unit 34 — either sex — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21	Oct 17–21	3%	15 / 317	—
ELK-3-350 Outfitter	Unit 34 — either sex — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21	Oct 17–21	7%	25 / 165	—

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	3,176	1,725	51%
2024	3,212	1,754	48%
2023	3,082	1,735	54%
2022	2,667	1,524	50%
2021	2,717	1,578	52%

2025 by License	Hunters	Elk	Success
Reg · rifle · 150 licenses	131	85	61%
Reg · rifle · 350 licenses (hunt 3 of 3)	309	148	48%
Reg · rifle · 350 licenses (hunt 2 of 3)	313	112	35%
Reg · rifle · 350 licenses (hunt 1 of 3)	315	161	49%
Reg · rifle · 200 licenses (hunt 2 of 2)	174	76	49%
Reg · rifle · 200 licenses (hunt 1 of 2)	179	80	44%
Youth enc.	123	56	47%
Reg · archery (hunt 1 of 2)	133	46	35%
Reg · archery (hunt 2 of 2)	131	47	37%
Reg · muzzleloader	127	74	54%
Reg · rifle · 140 licenses (hunt 2 of 2)	124	81	64%
Reg · rifle · 140 licenses (hunt 1 of 2)	132	74	56%

2025 split: rifle 873 (84%) from 1,800 hunters, 49%, archery 93 (9%) from 264 hunters, 35%, muzzleloader 74 (7%) from 127 hunters, 58%

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

National Forest	447,853 ac	41%
BLM	214,094 ac	20%
State trust land	125,046 ac	12%
Department of Defense	6,367 ac	<1%
State land	805 ac	<1%
Tribal	68 ac	<1%
National Park Service	0 ac	<1%
Private or other non-public land	291,223 ac	27%

Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.

Next Door

What the Agency Says About the Area

GMU 34: Beginning at the junction of Tulie Gate road (Otero CR B-006) and the east boundary of the White Sands missile range at Tularosa gate and running east along Tulie Gate road to its junction with Railroad avenue (Otero CR B-009), then north on Railroad avenue to its intersection with US 54, then running south along US 54 to its intersection with US 70 at Tularosa, then running northeast...

Source: NMDGF 2026 NM Game Management Units, layer 0.

▸ 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. 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