New Mexico Elk — GMU 42
New Mexico GMU 42 covers 2,748,354 acres and lies 38 miles north-east of Santa Rosa and 51 miles east of Las Vegas. 10% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (8%) and BLM (1%). In 2025, 142 people hunted elk here and took 179 — more than one animal per hunter. The 2026 draw put up 1 tag here for 11 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 42, 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-
0% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
-
0% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
0% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
100% Likely draw
-
17% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
33% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-413 ↗ Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 Rifle | 0% Long shot | 5% | — | 1 / 11 | Standard | Oct 1–5, 2026 |
| ELK-1-413 ↗ Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 Rifle | 0% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 9 | Outfitter | Oct 1–5, 2026 |
| ELK-2-411 ↗ Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 0% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 3 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-411 ↗ Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 100% Likely draw | — | — | 1 / 1 | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-412 ↗ Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 17% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 6 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-412 ↗ Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 33% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 3 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 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
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- State trust land 213,347 ac · 8%
- BLM 37,307 ac · 1%
- Department of Defense 10,416 ac · 0%
- National Wildlife Refuge 8,713 ac · 0%
- State land 6,390 ac · 0%
- Bureau of Reclamation 643 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 2,471,537 ac · 90%
Source: BLM_Surface_Management_2023 (BLM New Mexico State Office Surface Management Agency layer)
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 | 142 | 179 | 73% |
| 2024 | 104 | 143 | 64% |
| 2023 | 90 | 102 | 76% |
| 2022 | 68 | 97 | 61% |
| 2021 | 85 | 86 | 52% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 21 · 88% · 45 hunters, 47% success
- Archery 1 · 4% · 17 hunters, 6% success
- Muzzleloader 2 · 8% · 20 hunters, 10% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 42: Beginning at the intersection of I-40 and the Pecos River at Santa Rosa and running northwest up the Pecos River to its intersection with US 84 at Dilia, then northwest along US 84 to its junction with I-25 at Romeroville, then northeast along I25 to its intersection with the Mora River at Watrous, then east down the Mora River to the Canadian River, then south down the Canadian River...
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