New Mexico Elk · GMU 55
New Mexico GMU 55 spans 1,247,215 acres, centered 30 miles west of Raton. 11% of it is public land, mostly national forest (8%) and state land (2%). In 2025, 1,014 people hunted elk here and took 907, a 37% success rate.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
6 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
74% Forest Service
1,247,215 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 55
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-428 Standard | Unit 54/55: Colin Neblett WMA only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-1-428 Outfitter | Unit 54/55: Colin Neblett WMA only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-1-429 Standard | Unit 54/55: Colin Neblett WMA only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | not open | |
| ELK-1-429 Outfitter | Unit 54/55: Colin Neblett WMA only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | not open | |
| ELK-1-430 Standard | Unit 54/55: Colin Neblett WMA only — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 | not open | |
| ELK-1-430 Outfitter | Unit 54/55: Colin Neblett WMA only — antlerless — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 | not open |
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 | 1,014 | 907 | 37% |
| 2024 | 1,020 | 915 | 39% |
| 2023 | 950 | 902 | 36% |
| 2022 | 966 | 861 | 67% |
| 2021 | 993 | 835 | 62% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urraca wma (hunt 1 of 2) | 14 | 0 | 0% |
| Urraca wma (hunt 2 of 2) | 13 | 1 | 11% |
| Valle vidal · 35 licenses | 31 | 16 | 47% |
| Valle vidal · 29 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 26 | 10 | 38% |
| V vidal youth · 20 licenses | 19 | 7 | 41% |
| V vidal youth · 30 licenses | 25 | 7 | 26% |
| Valle vidal · 29 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 26 | 11 | 48% |
| Valle vidal · 30 licenses | 30 | 13 | 45% |
2025 split: rifle 65 (100%) from 184 hunters, 35%
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 | 99,706 ac | 8% |
| State land | 29,794 ac | 2% |
| National Wildlife Refuge | 3,589 ac | <1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 1,771 ac | <1% |
| Tribal | 74 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 1,112,279 ac | 89% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
▸ 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