New Mexico Elk — GMU 6C
New Mexico GMU 6C covers 777,774 acres and lies 14 miles south-west of Española and 24 miles north-west of Santa Fe. 66% of it is public land, mostly national forest (49%) and BLM (7%). A further 21% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2025, 958 people hunted elk here and took 321 — 37% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 15 tags here for 13 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 6C, 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 3% as 2nd choice
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7% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
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13% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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13% Long shot 4% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
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100% No first-choice applicants 100% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
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100% No first-choice applicants 100% as 2nd choice
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14% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Likely draw 6% as 2nd choice
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9% Long shot 1% as 2nd choice
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0% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
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12% Long shot 1% as 2nd choice
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14% Long shot 11% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-237 ↗ Unit 6C — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 3% Long shot | 3% | — | 6 / 66 | Standard | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-237 ↗ Unit 6C — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 7% Long shot | 2% | — | 10 / 94 | Outfitter | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-238 ↗ Unit 6C — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 13% Long shot | 0% | — | 6 / 23 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-238 ↗ Unit 6C — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 13% Long shot | 4% | — | 10 / 38 | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-239 ↗ Unit 6C — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| ELK-1-239 ↗ Unit 6C — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 100% | — | 1 / 0 | Outfitter | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| ELK-1-240 ↗ Unit 6C — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 21-25 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| ELK-1-240 ↗ Unit 6C — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Nov. 21-25 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 100% | — | 2 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| ELK-2-234 ↗ Unit 6C — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 14% Long shot | 0% | — | 9 / 49 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-234 ↗ Unit 6C — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 100% Likely draw | 6% | — | 15 / 13 | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-235 ↗ Unit 6C — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 9% Long shot | 1% | — | 6 / 57 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-235 ↗ Unit 6C — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 0% Long shot | 5% | — | 10 / 21 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-3-236 ↗ Unit 6C — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 12% Long shot | 1% | — | 9 / 49 | Standard | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-3-236 ↗ Unit 6C — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 14% Long shot | 11% | — | 15 / 35 | 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 382,061 ac · 49%
- Tribal 165,735 ac · 21%
- BLM 51,973 ac · 7%
- National Park Service 33,839 ac · 4%
- Other public 26,305 ac · 3%
- State trust land 19,269 ac · 2%
- State land 149 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 98,439 ac · 13%
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 | 958 | 321 | 37% |
| 2024 | 934 | 334 | 38% |
| 2023 | 973 | 359 | 35% |
| 2022 | 973 | 325 | 33% |
| 2021 | 968 | 350 | 34% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 116 · 91% · 330 hunters, 35% success
- Archery 4 · 3% · 28 hunters, 14% success
- Muzzleloader 8 · 6% · 23 hunters, 35% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 6C: Starting at the junction of NM 96 and forest road (FR) 103 east of Gallina and running south along FR 103 to it’s junction with FR 117, then south along FR 117 to it’s junction with FR 527 (Pipeline road), then east along FR 527 to it’s junction with the west boundary of the Valles Caldera National Preserve, then north, east, south and west along the boundary of the preserve to it’s...
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