New Mexico Elk — GMU 7
New Mexico GMU 7 covers 2,189,704 acres and lies 52 miles south of Bloomfield. 36% of it is public land, mostly BLM (31%) and state trust land (4%). A further 55% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2025, 190 people hunted elk here and took 107 — 40% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 3 tags here for 1 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 7, 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-
0% Long shot 7% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
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— Not open to nonresidents
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0% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants
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0% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-244 ↗ Unit 7 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 0% Long shot | 7% | — | 1 / 8 | Standard | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-244 ↗ Unit 7 — mature bull — Any Legal — Oct. 17-21 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | — | 3 / 1 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| ELK-1-245 ↗ Unit 7 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-1-245 ↗ Unit 7 — antlerless — Any Legal - NM — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| ELK-2-241 ↗ Unit 7 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 0% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 6 | Standard | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-241 ↗ Unit 7 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 Archery | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 1 / 0 | Outfitter | Sep 1–14, 2026 |
| ELK-2-242 ↗ Unit 7 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 0% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 11 | Standard | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-2-242 ↗ Unit 7 — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 Archery | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 1 / 0 | Outfitter | Sep 15–24, 2026 |
| ELK-3-243 ↗ Unit 7 — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 0% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 5 | Standard | Oct 10–14, 2026 |
| ELK-3-243 ↗ Unit 7 — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 Muzzleloader | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 1 / 0 | 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
- Tribal 1,197,410 ac · 55%
- BLM 686,376 ac · 31%
- State trust land 84,926 ac · 4%
- National Forest 7,574 ac · 0%
- State land 308 ac · 0%
- Bureau of Reclamation 250 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 212,858 ac · 10%
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 | 190 | 107 | 40% |
| 2024 | 244 | 113 | 38% |
| 2023 | 197 | 103 | 41% |
| 2022 | 197 | 80 | 29% |
| 2021 | 183 | 79 | 32% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 78 · 83% · 189 hunters, 41% success
- Archery 16 · 17% · 83 hunters, 19% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 7: Beginning at the intersection of the east boundary of the Navajo Reservation and the road between Crownpoint and Standing Rock and running north along the reservation boundary to the northeastern corner immediately west of Farmington, then east along the San Juan River to its intersection with US 550 at Bloomfi eld, then southeast along US 550 to its intersection with the west boundary...
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