New Mexico Elk · GMU 42
New Mexico GMU 42 spans 2,748,354 acres, centered 38 miles north-east of Santa Rosa. 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. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-413, put up 1 tag (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 11 nonresident first-choice applicants.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
6 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
79% State
2,748,354 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 42
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-413 Standard | Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-413 Outfitter | Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-411 Standard | Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-411 Outfitter | Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-412 Standard | Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 17% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-412 Outfitter | Units 42, 47, 59 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 33% (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 | 142 | 179 | 73% |
| 2024 | 104 | 143 | 64% |
| 2023 | 90 | 102 | 76% |
| 2022 | 68 | 97 | 61% |
| 2021 | 85 | 86 | 52% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg | 30 | 17 | 63% |
| Colin neblett s · archery (hunt 1 of 2) | 9 | 1 | 13% |
| Colin neblett s · archery (hunt 2 of 2) | 8 | 0 | 0% |
| Colin neblett s · muzzleloader | 20 | 2 | 13% |
| Colin neblett s · rifle | 15 | 4 | 25% |
2025 split: rifle 21 (88%) from 45 hunters, 47%, archery 1 (4%) from 17 hunters, 6%, muzzleloader 2 (8%) from 20 hunters, 10%
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 | 213,347 ac | 8% |
| BLM | 37,307 ac | 1% |
| Department of Defense | 10,416 ac | <1% |
| National Wildlife Refuge | 8,713 ac | <1% |
| State land | 6,390 ac | <1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 643 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 2,471,537 ac | 90% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
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...
▸ 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