New Mexico Elk · GMU 48
New Mexico GMU 48 covers 242,197 acres and lies 23 miles south-east of Angel Fire and 40 miles east of Taos. 31% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (29%) and state land (1%). In 2025, 532 people hunted elk here and took 219, a 34% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-2-373, put up 4 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 24 nonresident first-choice applicants, 3 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
14 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
99% State
242,197 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 48
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-375 Standard | Unit 48 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 13% | |
| ELK-1-375 Outfitter | Unit 48 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 100% | |
| ELK-1-376 Standard | Unit 48 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-376 Outfitter | Unit 48 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 26% | |
| ELK-1-377 Standard | Unit 48 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 14-18 | not open | |
| ELK-1-377 Outfitter | Unit 48 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 14-18 | not open | |
| ELK-1-378 Standard | Unit 48 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | not open | |
| ELK-1-378 Outfitter | Unit 48 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Dec. 5-9 | not open | |
| ELK-2-372 Standard | Unit 48 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 10% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-372 Outfitter | Unit 48 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 53% | |
| ELK-2-373 Standard | Unit 48 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 13% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-373 Outfitter | Unit 48 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 14% | |
| ELK-3-374 Standard | Unit 48 — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 | 14% (small sample) | |
| ELK-3-374 Outfitter | Unit 48 — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 | 100% |
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 | 532 | 219 | 34% |
| 2024 | 542 | 230 | 37% |
| 2023 | 550 | 220 | 36% |
| 2022 | 499 | 245 | 36% |
| 2021 | 546 | 223 | 32% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg · rifle · 64 licenses | 50 | 15 | 28% |
| Reg · rifle · 50 licenses | 45 | 17 | 37% |
| Reg · rifle · 54 licenses | 49 | 25 | 50% |
| Reg · archery · 60 licenses | 59 | 14 | 27% |
| Reg · archery · 59 licenses | 56 | 13 | 22% |
| Reg · rifle · 77 licenses | 65 | 23 | 33% |
| Reg · rifle · 76 licenses | 60 | 23 | 33% |
2025 split: rifle 103 (79%) from 269 hunters, 38%, archery 27 (21%) from 115 hunters, 23%
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 | 71,423 ac | 29% |
| State land | 2,955 ac | 1% |
| BLM | 759 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 167,058 ac | 69% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 48: Beginning at the intersection of I-25 and NM 120 at Wagon Mound, then northwest along NM 120 to its intersection with the south boundary of the Maxwell Grant, then east along the south boundary of the Maxwell Grant to its intersection with I-25, then south along I-25 to its intersection with NM 120 at Wagon Mound.
▸ 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.
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 · All New Mexico elk hunts