New Mexico Elk · GMU 37
New Mexico GMU 37 spans 1,054,256 acres, centered 18 miles north-east of Capitan. 55% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (24%) and national forest (20%). In 2025, 384 people hunted elk here and took 273, a 52% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-404, put up 1 tag (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 157 nonresident first-choice applicants, 1 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
12 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
43% State
1,054,256 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 37
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-404 Standard | Unit 37 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | <1% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-404 Outfitter | Unit 37 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | 1% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-405 Standard | Unit 37 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-405 Outfitter | Unit 37 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 3% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-406 Standard | Unit 37 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 28-Dec. 2 | not open | |
| ELK-1-406 Outfitter | Unit 37 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 28-Dec. 2 | not open | |
| ELK-2-402 Standard | Unit 37 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 4% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-402 Outfitter | Unit 37 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 10% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-403 Standard | Unit 37 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-403 Outfitter | Unit 37 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 2% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-407 Standard | Unit 37 — antler-point-restricted bull (6+ points) — Bow — Dec. 5-9 | 20% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-407 Outfitter | Unit 37 — antler-point-restricted bull (6+ points) — Bow — Dec. 5-9 | 100% |
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 | 384 | 273 | 52% |
| 2024 | 437 | 251 | 44% |
| 2023 | 360 | 225 | 40% |
| 2022 | 370 | 198 | 41% |
| 2021 | 370 | 183 | 40% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg · 30 licenses | 29 | 22 | 75% |
| Reg · 45 licenses | 35 | 23 | 67% |
| Reg · 10 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 8 | 2 | 29% |
| Reg · 10 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 10 | 1 | 11% |
2025 split: rifle 48 (100%) from 82 hunters, 59%
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
| State trust land | 247,947 ac | 24% |
| National Forest | 210,941 ac | 20% |
| BLM | 121,170 ac | 11% |
| State land | 545 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 473,652 ac | 45% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 37: Beginning at the intersection of US 380 and US 54 at Carrizozo and running north along US 54 to its junction with NM 462 west of Ancho, then east along NM 462 to its intersection with the Southern Pacific railroad tracks, then north along the railroad tracks to Hasparos canyon, then east down Hasparos canyon to the east boundary of Lincoln county, then south along the east boundary of...
▸ 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.
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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 · All New Mexico elk hunts