New Mexico Elk · GMU 4
New Mexico GMU 4 covers 443,634 acres and lies 54 miles west of Questa. 15% of it is public land, mostly state land (13%) and state trust land (1%). In 2025, 1,239 people hunted elk here and took 1,254, more than one animal per hunter. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-165 (outfitter class), put up 1 tag (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 16 nonresident first-choice applicants, 1 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
30 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
60% State
443,634 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 4
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-165 Standard | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | not open | |
| ELK-1-165 Outfitter | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | 6% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-166 Standard | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-1-166 Outfitter | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-167 Standard | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | not open | |
| ELK-1-167 Outfitter | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 33% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-168 Standard | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 | not open | |
| ELK-1-168 Outfitter | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 | 50% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-169 Standard | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 | not open | |
| ELK-1-169 Outfitter | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 | not open | |
| ELK-1-170 Standard · youth | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only, youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 7-11 | not open | |
| ELK-1-170 Outfitter · youth | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only, youth only — antlerless — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 7-11 | not open | |
| ELK-1-173 Standard | Unit 4: Humphries/ Rio Chama WMAs only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct.… | not open | |
| ELK-1-173 Outfitter | Unit 4: Humphries/ Rio Chama WMAs only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct.… | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-174 Standard | Unit 4: Humphries/ Rio Chama WMAs only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct.… | not open | |
| ELK-1-174 Outfitter | Unit 4: Humphries/ Rio Chama WMAs only — mature bull or antlerless — Any Legal — Oct.… | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-175 Standard | Unit 4: Humphries/ Rio Chama WMAs only — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 | not open | |
| ELK-1-175 Outfitter | Unit 4: Humphries/ Rio Chama WMAs only — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 | not open | |
| ELK-1-176 Standard · youth | Unit 4: Humphries/ Rio Chama WMAs only, youth only — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 | not open | |
| ELK-1-176 Outfitter · youth | Unit 4: Humphries/ Rio Chama WMAs only, youth only — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 | not open | |
| ELK-1-177 Standard | Unit 4: Rio Chama WMA only — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 | not open | |
| ELK-1-177 Outfitter | Unit 4: Rio Chama WMA only — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 | not open | |
| ELK-2-163 Standard | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | not open | |
| ELK-2-163 Outfitter | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 25% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-164 Standard | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | not open | |
| ELK-2-164 Outfitter | Unit 4: Sargent WMA only — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-171 Standard | Unit 4: Humphries/Rio Chama WMAs only — either sex — Bow - Humphries/ — Sept. 1-14 | not open | |
| ELK-2-171 Outfitter | Unit 4: Humphries/Rio Chama WMAs only — either sex — Bow - Humphries/ — Sept. 1-14 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-172 Standard | Unit 4: Humphries/Rio Chama WMAs only — either sex — Bow - Humphries/ — Sept. 15-24 | not open | |
| ELK-2-172 Outfitter | Unit 4: Humphries/Rio Chama WMAs only — either sex — Bow - Humphries/ — Sept. 15-24 | 100% (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 | 1,239 | 1,254 | 57% |
| 2024 | 1,299 | 1,200 | 56% |
| 2023 | 1,138 | 1,193 | 47% |
| 2022 | 1,312 | 1,213 | 60% |
| 2021 | 1,383 | 1,302 | 63% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sargent youth | 10 | 6 | 67% |
| Hum / rio wma · 15 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 14 | 8 | 54% |
| Hum / rio wma · 15 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 15 | 5 | 38% |
| Hum / rio wma · 10 licenses | 10 | 5 | 63% |
| Hum / rio youth | 14 | 5 | 38% |
| Rio chama wma | 16 | 6 | 38% |
| Reg · archery · 76 licenses | 65 | 13 | 18% |
| Reg · archery · 75 licenses | 65 | 9 | 14% |
| Reg · rifle · 86 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 75 | 21 | 25% |
| Reg · rifle · 59 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 53 | 9 | 18% |
| Reg · rifle · 86 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 78 | 15 | 22% |
| Reg · rifle · 59 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 55 | 14 | 25% |
2025 split: rifle 94 (81%) from 340 hunters, 28%, archery 22 (19%) from 130 hunters, 17%
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 land | 59,291 ac | 13% |
| Tribal | 36,870 ac | 8% |
| State trust land | 3,887 ac | <1% |
| BLM | 3,865 ac | <1% |
| National Forest | 610 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 339,109 ac | 76% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 4: Beginning at the junction of the east boundary of the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation and the NM/CO state line and running east along the state line to the eastern boundary of the Tierra Amarilla Grant, then south along the east boundary of the Tierra Amarilla Grant and west along its south boundary to its junction with the east boundary of the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation,...
▸ 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