New Mexico Elk — GMU 36

New Mexico GMU 36 covers 635,192 acres and lies 3 miles north-west of Ruidoso and 13 miles south-west of Capitan. 61% of it is public land, mostly national forest (24%) and state trust land (23%). In 2025, 1,400 people hunted elk here and took 978 — 57% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 14 tags here for 218 first-choice applicants.

Tags (2026):132 Nonresident share:capped at 6% Applicants:1,928 Hunter success (2025):57% Public land:61% Size:635,192 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every elk license type on offer in GMU 36, 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-1-361 Unit 36 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 8 tags · 442 applicants · Standard

<1% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
ELK-1-361 Unit 36 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 14 tags · 218 applicants · Outfitter

2% Long shot 1% as 2nd choice
ELK-1-362 Unit 36 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 8 tags · 176 applicants · Standard

1% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
ELK-1-362 Unit 36 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 14 tags · 75 applicants · Outfitter

5% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
ELK-1-363 Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard

— Not open to nonresidents
ELK-1-363 Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 10 tags · 2 applicants · Outfitter

100% Undersubscribed 60% as 2nd choice
ELK-1-364 Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard

— Not open to nonresidents
ELK-1-364 Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 6 tags · 4 applicants · Outfitter

100% Undersubscribed
ELK-1-365 Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Jan. 23-27, ‘27 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard

— Not open to nonresidents
ELK-1-365 Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Jan. 23-27, ‘27 6 tags · 4 applicants · Outfitter

100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
ELK-2-358 Unit 36 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 8 tags · 205 applicants · Standard

3% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
ELK-2-358 Unit 36 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 14 tags · 99 applicants · Outfitter

8% Long shot 3% as 2nd choice
ELK-2-359 Unit 36 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 8 tags · 242 applicants · Standard

2% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
ELK-2-359 Unit 36 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 14 tags · 162 applicants · Outfitter

7% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
ELK-3-360 Unit 36 — either sex — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 8 tags · 188 applicants · Standard

3% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
ELK-3-360 Unit 36 — either sex — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 14 tags · 111 applicants · Outfitter

5% Long shot 4% as 2nd choice

Hunt	Your odds	As 2nd choice	Points needed	Tags / applicants	License	Season
ELK-1-361 ↗ Unit 36 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle	<1% Long shot	<1%	—	8 / 442	Standard	Oct 17–21, 2026
ELK-1-361 ↗ Unit 36 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle	2% Long shot	1%	—	14 / 218	Outfitter	Oct 17–21, 2026
ELK-1-362 ↗ Unit 36 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 Rifle	1% Long shot	<1%	—	8 / 176	Standard	Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026
ELK-1-362 ↗ Unit 36 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 Rifle	5% Long shot	2%	—	14 / 75	Outfitter	Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026
ELK-1-363 ↗ Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 Rifle	Not open to nonresidents	—	—	0 / 0	Standard	Dec 5–9, 2026
ELK-1-363 ↗ Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 Rifle	100% Undersubscribed	60%	—	10 / 2 undersubscribed	Outfitter	Dec 5–9, 2026
ELK-1-364 ↗ Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 Rifle	Not open to nonresidents	—	—	0 / 0	Standard	Dec 12–16, 2026
ELK-1-364 ↗ Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 12-16 Rifle	100% Undersubscribed	—	—	6 / 4 undersubscribed	Outfitter	Dec 12–16, 2026
ELK-1-365 ↗ Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Jan. 23-27, ‘27 Rifle	Not open to nonresidents	—	—	0 / 0	Standard	Jan 23–27, 2027
ELK-1-365 ↗ Unit 36 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Jan. 23-27, ‘27 Rifle	100% Undersubscribed	0%	—	6 / 4 undersubscribed	Outfitter	Jan 23–27, 2027
ELK-2-358 ↗ Unit 36 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery	3% Long shot	<1%	—	8 / 205	Standard	Sep 1–14, 2026
ELK-2-358 ↗ Unit 36 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery	8% Long shot	3%	—	14 / 99	Outfitter	Sep 1–14, 2026
ELK-2-359 ↗ Unit 36 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery	2% Long shot	<1%	—	8 / 242	Standard	Sep 15–24, 2026
ELK-2-359 ↗ Unit 36 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery	7% Long shot	<1%	—	14 / 162	Outfitter	Sep 15–24, 2026
ELK-3-360 ↗ Unit 36 — either sex — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader	3% Long shot	<1%	—	8 / 188	Standard	Oct 10–14, 2026
ELK-3-360 ↗ Unit 36 — either sex — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader	5% Long shot	4%	—	14 / 111	Outfitter	Oct 10–14, 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

GMU 36 within New Mexico

GMU 36 and its neighbours

Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.

Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.

Who owns the ground

National Forest 151,902 ac · 24%
State trust land 145,757 ac · 23%
BLM 90,380 ac · 14%
State land 1,327 ac · 0%
Tribal 63 ac · 0%
Department of Defense 0 ac · 0%
Private or other non-public land 245,760 ac · 39%

Source: BLM_Surface_Management_2023 (BLM New Mexico State Office Surface Management Agency layer)

Nearby areas

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	1,400	978	57%
2024	1,429	949	56%
2023	1,371	1,027	60%
2022	1,264	892	57%
2021	1,275	834	55%

What people carried (2025 harvest)

Rifle 246 · 76% · 432 hunters, 57% success
Archery 49 · 15% · 138 hunters, 36% success
Muzzleloader 29 · 9% · 170 hunters, 17% success

What the agency says about the area

GMU 36: Beginning at the junction of Otero county road B006 and the east boundary of the White Sands missile range at Tularosa gate and running north along the east boundary to its intersection with the Lincoln-Otero county line, then east along the county line to its intersection with US 54, then north along US 54 to its intersection with US 380 at Carrizozo, then east along US 380 to its...

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

Harvest: 2023 New Mexico Elk Hunter Harvest Report

How we compute draw odds · All New Mexico elk hunts