New Mexico Elk — GMU 43
New Mexico GMU 43 covers 1,218,216 acres and lies 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 — 51% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 3 tags here for 1 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 43, 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-
7% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
100% Likely draw 0% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-410 ↗ Units 39, 43 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | 7% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 15 | Standard | Oct 1–5, 2026 |
| ELK-1-410 ↗ Units 39, 43 — either sex — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | 100% Likely draw | 0% | — | 3 / 1 | Outfitter | Oct 1–5, 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 308,073 ac · 25%
- National Forest 106,043 ac · 9%
- BLM 13,161 ac · 1%
- State land 3,498 ac · 0%
- Department of Defense 1,399 ac · 0%
- National Park Service 133 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 785,906 ac · 65%
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 | 45 | 27 | 51% |
| 2024 | 35 | 21 | 27% |
| 2023 | 37 | 24 | 53% |
| 2022 | 31 | 13 | 31% |
| 2021 | 31 | 10 | 34% |
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...
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