New Mexico Elk · GMU 49
New Mexico GMU 49 covers 271,806 acres and lies 9 miles south of Taos and 31 miles south of Questa. 81% of it is public land, mostly national forest (73%) and BLM (8%). In 2025, 475 people hunted elk here and took 145, a 34% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-381, put up 4 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 74 nonresident first-choice applicants, 2 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
12 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
85% Forest Service
271,806 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 49
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-381 Standard | Unit 49 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | 3% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-381 Outfitter | Unit 49 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | 12% | |
| ELK-1-382 Standard | Unit 49 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 17% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-382 Outfitter | Unit 49 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 100% | |
| ELK-1-383 Standard | Unit 49 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 7-11 | not open | |
| ELK-1-383 Outfitter | Unit 49 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 7-11 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-384 Standard | Unit 49 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 14-18 | not open | |
| ELK-1-384 Outfitter | Unit 49 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 14-18 | not open | |
| ELK-2-379 Standard | Unit 49 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 9% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-379 Outfitter | Unit 49 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 8% | |
| ELK-2-380 Standard | Unit 49 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 2% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-380 Outfitter | Unit 49 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 10% |
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 | 475 | 145 | 34% |
| 2024 | 490 | 142 | 30% |
| 2023 | 467 | 162 | 31% |
| 2022 | 470 | 175 | 35% |
| 2021 | 476 | 157 | 31% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg · rifle · 77 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 75 | 21 | 29% |
| Reg · rifle · 77 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 70 | 12 | 17% |
| Youth enc. | 49 | 17 | 41% |
| Reg · archery · 65 licenses | 61 | 5 | 9% |
| Reg · archery · 60 licenses | 55 | 5 | 11% |
| Reg · muzzleloader | 42 | 7 | 17% |
| Reg · rifle · 80 licenses | 66 | 7 | 10% |
| Reg · rifle · 131 licenses | 107 | 6 | 5% |
2025 split: rifle 63 (79%) from 367 hunters, 17%, archery 10 (13%) from 116 hunters, 9%, muzzleloader 7 (9%) from 42 hunters, 17%
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
| National Forest | 197,311 ac | 73% |
| BLM | 22,216 ac | 8% |
| Tribal | 11,253 ac | 4% |
| State trust land | 1,462 ac | <1% |
| State land | 8 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 39,555 ac | 15% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 49: Beginning on the Rio Grande at Embudo Creek and running north along the Rio Grande to its intersection with NM 567 at Taos Junction Bridge, then east on NM 567 to NM 570, then northeast on NM 570 to its junction with NM 68 immediately south of Ranchos de Taos, then north along NM 68 to the south boundary of the Taos Pueblo lands, then east along the pueblo’s south boundary to the Taos...
▸ 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.
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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 · Methodology · All New Mexico elk hunts