New Mexico Elk · GMU 38
New Mexico GMU 38 spans 2,084,552 acres, centered 46 miles south-east of Estancia. 44% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (25%) and BLM (14%). In 2025, 78 people hunted elk here and took 80, more than one animal per hunter. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-408 (outfitter class), put up 1 tag (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 26 nonresident first-choice applicants.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
4 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
58% State
2,084,552 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 38
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-408 Standard | Unit 38 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | not open | |
| ELK-1-408 Outfitter | Unit 38 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-409 Standard | Unit 38 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-1-409 Outfitter | Unit 38 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 0% (small sample) |
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 | 78 | 80 | 25% |
| 2024 | 69 | 54 | 57% |
| 2023 | 85 | 60 | 55% |
| 2022 | 70 | 40 | 39% |
| 2021 | 62 | 45 | 50% |
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 | 529,727 ac | 25% |
| BLM | 285,954 ac | 14% |
| National Forest | 94,723 ac | 5% |
| State land | 1,714 ac | <1% |
| National Park Service | 19 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 1,172,412 ac | 56% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 38: Beginning at the junction of US 54 and NM 55 and running northwesterly along NM 55 to its junction with US 60 at Mountainair, then east along US 60 to the Guadalupe-De Baca county line, then south along the county line and along the east boundary of Lincoln County to its intersection with Hasparos Canyon, then west up Hasparos Canyon to the Southern Pacifi c Railroad tracks northeast...
▸ 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.
Report an error on this page
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