New Mexico Elk · GMU 43
New Mexico GMU 43 spans 1,218,216 acres, centered 26 miles south of Pecos. 35% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (25%) and national forest (9%). In 2025, 45 people hunted elk here and took 27, a 51% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-410, put up 1 tag (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 15 nonresident first-choice applicants, 1 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
2 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
72% State
1,218,216 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 43
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-410 Standard | Units 39, 43 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | 7% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-410 Outfitter | Units 39, 43 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | 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 | 45 | 27 | 51% |
| 2024 | 35 | 21 | 27% |
| 2023 | 37 | 24 | 53% |
| 2022 | 31 | 13 | 31% |
| 2021 | 31 | 10 | 34% |
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 | 308,073 ac | 25% |
| National Forest | 106,043 ac | 9% |
| BLM | 13,161 ac | 1% |
| State land | 3,498 ac | <1% |
| Department of Defense | 1,399 ac | <1% |
| National Park Service | 133 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 785,906 ac | 65% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 43: Beginning at the intersection of I-40 and NM 41 at Moriarty and running north along NM 41 to the junction at Galisteo with Santa Fe County Road 42, then west along the county road to the junction with NM 14, then north along NM 14 to its junction with I-25, then northeast along I-25 to Santa Fe and east along I-25 to its junction with US 84 at Romeroville, then southeast along US 84 to...
▸ 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