New Mexico Elk · GMU 5B
New Mexico GMU 5B covers 264,652 acres and lies 45 miles north-west of Española and 64 miles north-west of Santa Fe. 98% of it is public land, mostly national forest (96%) and BLM (2%). In 2025, 656 people hunted elk here and took 191, a 35% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-1-186, put up 5 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 66 nonresident first-choice applicants, 5 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
18 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
97% Forest Service
264,652 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 5B
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-180 Standard | Unit 5B — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | 0% | |
| ELK-1-180 Outfitter | Unit 5B — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 10-14 | 22% | |
| ELK-1-181 Standard | Unit 5B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-1-181 Outfitter | Unit 5B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-1-182 Standard | Unit 5B — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 8% | |
| ELK-1-182 Outfitter | Unit 5B — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 | 100% | |
| ELK-1-183 Standard | Unit 5B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 | not open | |
| ELK-1-183 Outfitter | Unit 5B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 | not open | |
| ELK-1-184 Standard | Unit 5B — mature bull — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 | 0% | |
| ELK-1-184 Outfitter | Unit 5B — mature bull — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 | 100% | |
| ELK-1-185 Standard | Unit 5B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 14-18 | not open | |
| ELK-1-185 Outfitter | Unit 5B — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 14-18 | 67% | |
| ELK-1-186 Standard | Unit 5B — mature bull — Any Legal — Dec. 19-23 | 8% | |
| ELK-1-186 Outfitter | Unit 5B — mature bull — Any Legal — Dec. 19-23 | 10% | |
| ELK-2-178 Standard | Unit 5B — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 4% (small sample) | |
| ELK-2-178 Outfitter | Unit 5B — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 0% | |
| ELK-2-179 Standard | Unit 5B — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 6% | |
| ELK-2-179 Outfitter | Unit 5B — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 100% |
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 | 656 | 191 | 35% |
| 2024 | 663 | 160 | 30% |
| 2023 | 645 | 172 | 29% |
| 2022 | 651 | 194 | 29% |
| 2021 | 641 | 194 | 28% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg · rifle · 87 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 80 | 14 | 17% |
| Reg · rifle · 59 licenses | 54 | 19 | 35% |
| Reg · rifle · 87 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 81 | 39 | 48% |
| Youth enc. | 20 | 12 | 61% |
| Reg · archery · 59 licenses | 53 | 6 | 14% |
| Reg · archery · 55 licenses | 49 | 10 | 20% |
| Reg · rifle · 120 licenses | 105 | 21 | 20% |
| Reg · rifle · 125 licenses | 103 | 15 | 13% |
2025 split: rifle 120 (88%) from 443 hunters, 27%, archery 16 (12%) from 102 hunters, 16%
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 | 253,229 ac | 96% |
| BLM | 6,049 ac | 2% |
| State trust land | 647 ac | <1% |
| Tribal | 18 ac | <1% |
| State land | 1 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 4,706 ac | 2% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 5B: (Boundary change) Beginning at the intersection of the east boundary of the Jicarilla Apache Indian reservation [and], the south boundary of the Tierra Amarilla grant and the Rio Chama, running south along the Rio Chama to its intersection with the Piedra Lumbre grant boundary line, then northeast along the Piedra Lumbre grant boundary line to its intersection with US 84, then south...
▸ 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.
Report an error on this page
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