New Mexico Elk — GMU 6A
New Mexico GMU 6A covers 845,619 acres and lies 32 miles north of Bernalillo. 50% of it is public land, mostly national forest (45%) and BLM (4%). A further 43% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2025, 786 people hunted elk here and took 372 — 50% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 15 tags here for 93 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 6A, 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-
3% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
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4% Long shot 3% as 2nd choice
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6% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
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6% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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<1% Long shot 4% as 2nd choice
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8% Long shot 3% as 2nd choice
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3% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
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4% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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2% Long shot 3% as 2nd choice
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4% Long shot 8% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-216 ↗ Unit 6A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 3% Long shot | <1% | — | 6 / 152 | Standard | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-216 ↗ Unit 6A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 4% Long shot | 3% | — | 10 / 187 | Outfitter | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-217 ↗ Unit 6A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 6% Long shot | <1% | — | 6 / 48 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-217 ↗ Unit 6A — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 6% Long shot | 2% | — | 10 / 95 | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-218 ↗ Unit 6A — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| ELK-1-218 ↗ Unit 6A — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | — | 4 / 3 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| ELK-2-213 ↗ Unit 6A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | <1% Long shot | 4% | — | 9 / 110 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-213 ↗ Unit 6A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 8% Long shot | 3% | — | 15 / 93 | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-214 ↗ Unit 6A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 3% Long shot | <1% | — | 6 / 192 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-214 ↗ Unit 6A — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 4% Long shot | 0% | — | 10 / 229 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-3-215 ↗ Unit 6A — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 2% Long shot | 3% | — | 6 / 130 | Standard | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-3-215 ↗ Unit 6A — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 4% Long shot | 8% | — | 10 / 77 | 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 378,458 ac · 45%
- Tribal 363,615 ac · 43%
- BLM 37,504 ac · 4%
- State trust land 2,359 ac · 0%
- Department of Defense 2,179 ac · 0%
- State land 99 ac · 0%
- National Park Service 1 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 61,401 ac · 7%
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 | 786 | 372 | 50% |
| 2024 | 781 | 388 | 50% |
| 2023 | 777 | 336 | 47% |
| 2022 | 756 | 356 | 43% |
| 2021 | 791 | 324 | 39% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 117 · 74% · 198 hunters, 59% success
- Archery 24 · 15% · 69 hunters, 35% success
- Muzzleloader 18 · 11% · 31 hunters, 58% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 6A: Starting at the junction of interstate 25 and US 550 at Bernalillo and running northwest and west along US 550 past San Ysidro to it’s intersection with the boundary of the Zia Indian Reservation, then south, west, and north along the Zia Reservation boundary of the Jemez Indian Reservation, then west, north, and east along Jemez Indian Reservation boundary to it’s intersection with US...
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