New Mexico Elk · GMU 9
New Mexico GMU 9 spans 2,129,765 acres, centered 31 miles west of Rio Rancho. 27% of it is public land, mostly BLM (11%) and national forest (9%). A further 29% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2025, 435 people hunted elk here and took 132, a 27% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, ELK-2-152, put up 5 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 21 nonresident first-choice applicants, 3 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
22 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
20% BLM
2,129,765 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 9
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-2-146 Standard | Unit 9 Marquez/LBar WMA only — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | not open | |
| ELK-2-146 Outfitter | Unit 9 Marquez/LBar WMA only — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | not open | |
| ELK-2-147 Standard | Unit 9 Marquez/LBar WMA only — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | not open | |
| ELK-2-147 Outfitter | Unit 9 Marquez/LBar WMA only — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | not open | |
| ELK-2-151 Standard | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | 18% | |
| ELK-2-151 Outfitter | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — either sex — Bow — Sept. 1-14 | not open | |
| ELK-2-152 Standard | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 14% | |
| ELK-2-152 Outfitter | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — either sex — Bow — Sept. 15-24 | 100% | |
| ELK-3-148 Standard | Unit 9 Marquez/LBar WMA only — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 | not open | |
| ELK-3-148 Outfitter | Unit 9 Marquez/LBar WMA only — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 10-14 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-3-149 Standard | Unit 9 Marquez/LBar WMA only — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-3-149 Outfitter | Unit 9 Marquez/LBar WMA only — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 | not open | |
| ELK-3-150 Standard | Unit 9 Marquez/LBar WMA only — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 24-28 | not open | |
| ELK-3-150 Outfitter | Unit 9 Marquez/LBar WMA only — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 24-28 | not open | |
| ELK-3-153 Standard · hunters | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA - mobility impaired only — mature bull — Muzzle… | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-3-153 Outfitter · hunters | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA - mobility impaired only — mature bull — Muzzle… | not open | |
| ELK-3-154 Standard | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-3-154 Outfitter | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 17-21 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-3-155 Standard | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 24-28 | 0% (small sample) | |
| ELK-3-155 Outfitter | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 24-28 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-3-156 Standard | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 | 100% (small sample) | |
| ELK-3-156 Outfitter | Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — mature bull — Muzzle — Oct. 31-Nov. 4 | 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 | 435 | 132 | 27% |
| 2024 | 454 | 170 | 31% |
| 2023 | 443 | 148 | 29% |
| 2022 | 490 | 123 | 22% |
| 2021 | 504 | 151 | 25% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mip | 14 | 2 | 18% |
| Reg · muzzleloader · 35 licenses (hunt 2 of 2) | 33 | 4 | 13% |
| Reg · muzzleloader · 35 licenses (hunt 1 of 2) | 34 | 3 | 9% |
| Reg · muzzleloader · 21 licenses | 19 | 3 | 20% |
| Reg · archery · 124 licenses | 114 | 10 | 9% |
| Reg · archery · 125 licenses | 112 | 3 | 3% |
| Reg · muzzleloader · 70 licenses | 63 | 18 | 27% |
| Reg · rifle | 65 | 20 | 33% |
2025 split: muzzleloader 30 (48%) from 163 hunters, 18%, archery 13 (21%) from 226 hunters, 6%, rifle 20 (32%) from 65 hunters, 31%
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
| Tribal | 612,891 ac | 29% |
| BLM | 233,825 ac | 11% |
| National Forest | 185,428 ac | 9% |
| State trust land | 85,523 ac | 4% |
| State land | 71,577 ac | 3% |
| National Park Service | 7,100 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 933,419 ac | 44% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 9: Beginning at Prewitt at the junction of I-40 and CR 19 (the road to Hospah) and running north along the CR 19 to its intersection with Inditos draw, then south and east down Inditos draw to its junction with Voght draw, then east down Voght draw to its junction with arroyo Chico, then east down arroyo Chico to its intersection with the BLM road 1103 (the San Luis road, leading from...
▸ 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. How we compute these.
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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 · Methodology · All New Mexico elk hunts