New Mexico Elk · GMU 56
New Mexico GMU 56 spans 1,140,738 acres, centered 34 miles south-east of Raton. 28% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (28%). In 2025, 347 people hunted elk here and took 456, more than one animal per hunter. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-416 (outfitter class), put up 1 tag (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 18 nonresident first-choice applicants, 1 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
8 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
100% State
1,140,738 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 56
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-416 Standard | Unit 56 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | not open | |
| ELK-1-416 Outfitter | Unit 56 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 1-5 | 6% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-417 Standard | Unit 56 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-1-417 Outfitter | Unit 56 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-2-414 Standard | Unit 56 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | not open | |
| ELK-2-414 Outfitter | Unit 56 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | not open | |
| ELK-2-415 Standard | Unit 56 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | not open | |
| ELK-2-415 Outfitter | Unit 56 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 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 | 347 | 456 | 58% |
| 2024 | 301 | 402 | 62% |
| 2023 | 280 | 382 | 45% |
| 2022 | 259 | 358 | 75% |
| 2021 | 300 | 346 | 72% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg | 9 | 3 | 38% |
| 57 / sugarite · 3 licenses | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| 57 / sugarite · 2 licenses | 1 | 0 | 0% |
2025 split: rifle 3 (60%), archery 2 (40%)
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 | 318,725 ac | 28% |
| State land | 5,007 ac | <1% |
| BLM | 470 ac | <1% |
| National Forest | 40 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 816,495 ac | 72% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 56: Beginning at the junction of US 56 and I-25 at Springer and running north along I-25 to its junction with US 64 at Raton, then east along US 64 to its junction with US 56 at Clayton, then west along US 56 to its junction with I-25.
▸ 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