New Mexico Elk · GMU 5A
New Mexico GMU 5A covers 146,318 acres and lies 59 miles south-east of Bloomfield. 17% of it is public land, mostly BLM (15%) and state trust land (1%). In 2025, 386 people hunted elk here and took 340, a 25% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-144 (outfitter class), put up 1 tag (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 2 nonresident first-choice applicants.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
20 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
92% BLM
146,318 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 5A
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-138 Standard | Unit 5A public land only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | not open | |
| ELK-1-138 Outfitter | Unit 5A public land only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-139 Standard | Unit 5A public land only — antlerless — Any Legal – NM — Oct. 10-14 | not open | |
| ELK-1-139 Outfitter | Unit 5A public land only — antlerless — Any Legal – NM — Oct. 10-14 | not open | |
| ELK-1-140 Standard | Unit 5A public land only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-1-140 Outfitter | Unit 5A public land only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-141 Standard | Unit 5A public land only — antlerless — Any Legall – NM — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-1-141 Outfitter | Unit 5A public land only — antlerless — Any Legall – NM — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-1-142 Standard | Unit 5A public land only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | not open | |
| ELK-1-142 Outfitter | Unit 5A public land only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-143 Standard | Unit 5A public land only — antlerless — Any Legall – NM — Oct. 24-28 | not open | |
| ELK-1-143 Outfitter | Unit 5A public land only — antlerless — Any Legall – NM — Oct. 24-28 | not open | |
| ELK-1-144 Standard | Unit 5A public land only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 | not open | |
| ELK-1-144 Outfitter | Unit 5A public land only — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-1-145 Standard | Unit 5A public land only — antlerless — Any Legall – NM — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 | not open | |
| ELK-1-145 Outfitter | Unit 5A public land only — antlerless — Any Legall – NM — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 | not open | |
| ELK-2-136 Standard | Unit 5A public land only — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | not open | |
| ELK-2-136 Outfitter | Unit 5A public land only — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | not open | |
| ELK-2-137 Standard | Unit 5A public land only — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | not open | |
| ELK-2-137 Outfitter | Unit 5A public land only — 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 | 386 | 340 | 25% |
| 2024 | 343 | 323 | 31% |
| 2023 | 346 | 318 | 33% |
| 2022 | 355 | 356 | 62% |
| 2021 | 399 | 349 | 62% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg · rifle (hunt 1 of 4) | 9 | 1 | 13% |
| Reg · rifle (hunt 3 of 4) | 7 | 3 | 33% |
| Reg · rifle (hunt 2 of 4) | 9 | 0 | 0% |
| Reg · rifle (hunt 4 of 4) | 7 | 1 | 17% |
| Marquez/l-bar wma · archery (hunt 2 of 2) | 13 | 4 | 31% |
| Marquez/l-bar wma · archery (hunt 1 of 2) | 15 | 2 | 15% |
| Reg · archery · 82 licenses | 78 | 7 | 11% |
| Reg · archery · 83 licenses | 74 | 11 | 15% |
| Marquez/l-bar wma · muzzleloader · 21 licenses | 21 | 4 | 24% |
| Marquez/l-bar wma · muzzleloader · 15 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 15 | 8 | 57% |
| Marquez/l-bar wma · muzzleloader · 15 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 14 | 2 | 15% |
2025 split: rifle 5 (12%) from 32 hunters, 16%, archery 24 (56%) from 180 hunters, 13%, muzzleloader 14 (33%) from 50 hunters, 28%
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
| BLM | 22,462 ac | 15% |
| State trust land | 1,771 ac | 1% |
| Tribal | 126 ac | <1% |
| National Forest | 41 ac | <1% |
| State land | 15 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 121,902 ac | 83% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 5A: That portion of GMU 5 beginning at the junction of the northwest boundary of the Santa Fe National Forest and junction with the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation north of Lindrith and following the forest boundary south towards Lindrith, then northeasterly past Llaves: thence southerly to its intersection with NM 96, then west along NM 96 to its junction with NM 595 north of Regina,...
▸ 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.
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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 · All New Mexico elk hunts