New Mexico Unit 53:elk draw odds & harvest
10 hunt codes for elk. 2026: 50 to 131 tags, 25 to 112 applicants per hunt.
New Mexico · Unit 53
Unit 53Neighbor units
Odds for:Nonresident · 0 pts
Harvest success, 3 yr
4–33%
Compare species at a glanceShow
Hunt codes
Best draw odds
- Elk96% drew
- Deer45% drew
- Bighorn sheep<1% drew
Hardest draw in Unit 532026 draw
ELK-1-38880 tags, 112 applied, 28% drew.
323rd hardest of 521 New Mexico elk draws in 2026.
Hunt codes
Elk huntsin Unit 53
Whole-hunt draw results: applicants, tags and the share that drew.
| Hunt code | What it is | Draw result · 2022 | Tags | Success 3-yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-1-355 | Unit 53 (North of Sunshine Valley road) | 18 of 22 drew | 3–19% | |
| ELK-1-388 | any legal - excluding cerro portion · Oct 17–Oct 21Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion | 29 of 97 drew | 80 | 6–10% |
| ELK-1-389 | any legal - excluding cerro portion · Oct 24–Oct 28Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion | 32 of 50 drew | 131 | 5–12% |
| ELK-1-390 | A · any legal - excluding cerro portion / nm · Nov 14–Nov 18Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion | 45 of 71 drew | 94 | 8–19% |
| ELK-1-391 | A · any legal - excluding cerro portion / nm · Nov 21–Nov 25Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion | 24 of 25 drew | 94 | 8–33% |
| ELK-2-348 | Unit 53 | 18 of 32 drew | 6–13% | |
| ELK-2-349 | Unit 53 | 35 of 74 drew | 7–13% | |
| ELK-2-385 | bow · Sep 1–Sep 14Unit 53 | 19 of 25 drew | 65 | 4–9% |
Some hunt codes cover several units; the hunt page lists them all.
Harvest
How hunters didin Unit 53.
Harvest success by hunt, 2019–2025
% successELK-1-3918–33%
19%
9%
10%
11%
8%
13%
33%
2019202020212022202320242025
ELK-1-3553–31%
31%
19%
4%
3%
2019202020212022
ELK-2-3486–13%
12%
6%
13%
7%
2019202020212022
ELK-2-3497–14%
14%
7%
13%
9%
2019202020212022
ELK-1-3886–10%
6%
9%
10%
202320242025
ELK-1-3895–12%
12%
7%
5%
202320242025
ELK-1-3908–19%
8%
19%
18%
202320242025
ELK-2-3854–9%
6%
4%
9%
202320242025
ELK-2-3867–11%
9%
7%
11%
202320242025
ELK-3-38712–22%
22%
12%
17%
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-1-388Any Legal - Excluding Cerro portionOct 17–Oct 21
- ELK-1-389Any Legal - Excluding Cerro portionOct 24–Oct 28
- ELK-1-390Any Legal - Excluding Cerro portion / NMNov 14–Nov 18
- ELK-1-391Any Legal - Excluding Cerro portion / NMNov 21–Nov 25
- ELK-2-385BowSep 1–Sep 14
- ELK-2-386BowSep 15–Sep 24
- ELK-3-387Muzzle - Excluding Cerro portionOct 10–Oct 14
Confirm in the regulations before you go.
Map & access
Unit 53and 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 53into your map app
Opens in onX, Gaia GPS, CalTopo, Google Earth, and Garmin. Works offline in those apps.
Members
Unit 53 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 53 · ELK-1-355
18 of 22 drew
Success3–19%
Ask FarWide
Answers use the same figures as this page.
Source: NMDGF · Updated Nov 13, 2026