New Mexico Elk — GMU 53
New Mexico GMU 53 covers 438,088 acres and lies 6 miles south-east of Questa and 18 miles north of Taos. 52% of it is public land, mostly national forest (36%) and BLM (9%). A further 23% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2025, 731 people hunted elk here and took 156 — 20% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 12 tags here for 0 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 53, 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-
ELK-1-388 Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 4 tags · 15 applicants · Standard13% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
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ELK-1-388 Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 8 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter100% No first-choice applicants
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ELK-1-389 Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 7 tags · 23 applicants · Standard13% Long shot 6% as 2nd choice
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ELK-1-389 Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 12 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter100% No first-choice applicants 63% as 2nd choice
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ELK-1-390 Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents
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ELK-1-390 Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 0 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter— Not open to nonresidents
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ELK-1-391 Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 21-25 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents
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ELK-1-391 Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 21-25 0 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter— Not open to nonresidents
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11% Long shot 8% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 25% as 2nd choice
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5% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
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100% Likely draw 40% as 2nd choice
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ELK-3-387 Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — either sex — Muzzle - Excluding — Oct. 10-14 3 tags · 9 applicants · Standard0% Long shot 15% as 2nd choice
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ELK-3-387 Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — either sex — Muzzle - Excluding — Oct. 10-14 5 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter100% No first-choice applicants
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-388 ↗ Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 13% Long shot | 5% | — | 4 / 15 | Standard | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-388 ↗ Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 8 / 0 | Outfitter | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-389 ↗ Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 13% Long shot | 6% | — | 7 / 23 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-389 ↗ Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 63% | — | 12 / 0 | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-390 ↗ Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| ELK-1-390 ↗ Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| ELK-1-391 ↗ Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 21-25 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| ELK-1-391 ↗ Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 21-25 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| ELK-2-385 ↗ Unit 53 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 11% Long shot | 8% | — | 4 / 18 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-385 ↗ Unit 53 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 25% | — | 6 / 1 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-386 ↗ Unit 53 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 5% Long shot | 5% | — | 3 / 19 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-386 ↗ Unit 53 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 100% Likely draw | 40% | — | 6 / 1 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-3-387 ↗ Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — either sex — Muzzle - Excluding — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 0% Long shot | 15% | — | 3 / 9 | Standard | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-3-387 ↗ Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion — either sex — Muzzle - Excluding — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 5 / 0 | Outfitter | Oct 10–14, 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
- National Forest 158,711 ac · 36%
- Tribal 99,756 ac · 23%
- BLM 38,572 ac · 9%
- State trust land 28,966 ac · 7%
- State land 190 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 111,890 ac · 26%
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 | 731 | 156 | 20% |
| 2024 | 730 | 108 | 14% |
| 2023 | 704 | 94 | 14% |
| 2022 | 773 | 105 | 12% |
| 2021 | 779 | 164 | 19% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 65 · 100% · 271 hunters, 24% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 53: Beginning at the intersection of NM 567 and the Rio Grande and of NM 567 and the Rio Grande and running north along the Rio Grande running north along the Rio Grande to the NM/CO state line, then east to the NM/CO state line, then east along the state line to its junction with along the state line to its junction with NM 522, then south along NM 522 to NM 522, then south along NM 522...
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