Unit 53: excluding Cerro portion: elk, mature buck/bull, any legal weapon

Hunt code
ELK-1-388
Unit
53
Weapon
Any weapon
Season
any legal weapon
Draw years
2023–2026

In 2026, 29 of 97 residents drew (30%).

In 2026, 2 of 15 nonresidents drew (13%).

Harvest success in 2025 was 10%.

Year by year

YearPermitsResidentsNonresidents
AppliedDrewAppliedDrew
2026–9729152
2025–9434343
2024–9944333
2023–11937230

Harvest

NMDGF counts licenses sold as hunters, and the harvest is NMDGF's estimate from hunter reports, public land only. The success rate is NMDGF's own printed figure, not harvest divided by licenses sold.

YearHuntersHarvestSuccess
202580710%
20248069%
20238156%

Reading these numbers

New Mexico has no points: every application has the same chance every year. Each hunt's licenses are split by law, at least 84% to residents, 6% to nonresidents without an outfitter and 10% to applicants (resident or not) who contracted with an outfitter. Counts here are first-choice applicants and first-choice draws.

  • 202680 licenses in all; by law at least 84% go to residents, 6% to nonresidents without an outfitter, 10% to an outfitter pool. Outfitter pool (residents or nonresidents who contracted with an outfitter; not counted with the residents or nonresidents above): 0 first-choice applicants, 0 drawn.
  • 202580 licenses in all; by law at least 84% go to residents, 6% to nonresidents without an outfitter, 10% to an outfitter pool. Outfitter pool (residents or nonresidents who contracted with an outfitter; not counted with the residents or nonresidents above): 2 first-choice applicants, 2 drawn.
  • 202480 licenses in all; by law at least 84% go to residents, 6% to nonresidents without an outfitter, 10% to an outfitter pool. Outfitter pool (residents or nonresidents who contracted with an outfitter; not counted with the residents or nonresidents above): 6 first-choice applicants, 4 drawn.
  • 202380 licenses in all; by law at least 84% go to residents, 6% to nonresidents without an outfitter, 10% to an outfitter pool. Outfitter pool (residents or nonresidents who contracted with an outfitter; not counted with the residents or nonresidents above): 1 first-choice applicants, 1 drawn.

Sources

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Other hunts in unit 53

Units listed next to it

In NMDGF's unit order, which often but not always means nearby.