New Mexico Unit 18:elk draw odds & harvest
5 hunt codes for elk. 2026: 10 to 25 tags, 16 to 298 applicants per hunt.
New Mexico · Unit 18
Unit 18Neighbor units
Hardest draw in Unit 182026 draw
ELK-1-39510 tags, 298 applied, 2% drew.
One of New Mexico's hardest elk draws: 15th hardest of 521 in 2026.
Hunt codes
Elk huntsin Unit 18
Whole-hunt draw results: applicants, tags and the share that drew.
| Hunt code | What it is | Draw result · 2022 | Tags | Success 3-yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-359 | Unit 18 | 7 of 126 drew | 38–67% | |
| ELK-1-395 | any legal · Oct 1–Oct 5Unit 18 | 7 of 150 drew | 10 | 33–78% |
| ELK-2-357 | Unit 18 | 9 of 10 drew | 9–20% | |
| ELK-2-393 | bow · Sep 1–Sep 14Unit 18 | 6 of 13 drew | 25 | 4–23% |
| ELK-2-394 | bow · Sep 15–Sep 24Unit 18 | 9 of 28 drew | 25 | 13–20% |
Some hunt codes cover several units; the hunt page lists them all.
Harvest
How hunters didin Unit 18.
Harvest success by hunt, 2019–2025
% successELK-2-3940–50%
50%
20%
0%
0%
14%
13%
20%
2019202020212022202320242025
ELK-1-35938–82%
82%
50%
67%
38%
2019202020212022
ELK-2-3579–24%
24%
19%
20%
9%
2019202020212022
ELK-1-39533–78%
78%
38%
33%
202320242025
ELK-2-3934–23%
6%
4%
23%
202320242025
45%+28–45%Under 28%
Before you apply
- Leftovers
- “Licenses remaining after 14 days shall be available to any youth hunter eligible to purchase an elk license, whether they applied for draw hunts or not. Hunts will only be offered online on a first-come, first-served basis.”
- Tag fee
- “A $70 Not issued”
- Tag fee
- “ES $100 $998”
- Points
- “New Mexico does not grant preference to previously unsuccessful applicants.”
Rules for 2026.
Season dates · 2026
- ELK-1-395Any LegalOct 1–Oct 5
- ELK-2-393BowSep 1–Sep 14
- ELK-2-394BowSep 15–Sep 24
Confirm in the regulations before you go.
Map & access
Unit 18and the units around it
Neighbors with a FarWide page open on click.
Public land & access
Each program opens on the state's site. Check on-the-ground signage.
Offline maps
Take Unit 18into your map app
Opens in onX, Gaia GPS, CalTopo, Google Earth, and Garmin. Works offline in those apps.
Members
Unit 18 hunt pack
One file, layered: the unit boundary, with each elk hunt's draw odds and harvest success attached to the unit.
- Unit boundary
- Draw odds per hunt
- Harvest success per hunt
Unit 18 · ELK-1-359
7 of 126 drew
Success38–67%
Ask FarWide
Answers use the same figures as this page.
Source: NMDGF · Updated Nov 13, 2026