Unit 16B Elk Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · Part of Unit 16 · 943 sq mi
Draw hunts — random, no points
New Mexico has no preference or bonus points: every hunt here with draw odds is a random draw, with its own hunt code. Residents, nonresidents applying without an outfitter, and applicants applying with a registered outfitter (a pool open to residents and nonresidents) are drawn in separate pools, and the table gives each pool's odds in words.
What hunting Unit 16B is like
Unit 16B is mixed country, with substantial steep ground, running from around 4,800 feet up to nearly 10,800 feet, and most of it is covered in conifer and pinyon-juniper timber at every elevation band, with shrub and brush filling in the understory and small pockets of grass and meadow and, higher up, a touch of deciduous forest. This is foot-and-glass country: the mean slope runs close to 19 degrees, and with nearly a third of the unit classed steep or rugged, a hunter who wants to cover ground away from roads should plan on hiking it. The timber makes spotting difficult in places, which is part of why the unit's burned ground matters so much to how it hunts.
Public land by ownership covers essentially the entire unit, split between National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area ground, though ownership is not the same as guaranteed access — some parcels carry closures or restrictions, so a hunter should plan routes rather than assume anything is open everywhere. The Black fire burned about 134,000 acres inside the unit in 2022, mostly on the east side, and the Pass fire added about 31,000 acres in 2023 on the north side; both are now two to four years post-fire and worth a hunter's attention. The Cub fire (2020, northwest side) and Good fire (2020, toward the middle) are older, five-to-eight-year-old burns that have grown back thick with brush and deadfall. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in. Beyond the draw hunts described here, landowners in the Elk Private Lands Use System separately issue authorizations that let a hunter buy a private-land elk licence, a distinct route from the public draw.
New Mexico has no points system for elk of any kind, so every application each year stands on its own in a random draw, and the draw works through sequence numbers rather than by first choice.
Elk hunts in Unit 16B (2026–27)
Each row is a hunt a hunter selects by its hunt code. Draw difficulty is a band in words from the 2026 first-choice results — good, fair, long or very long odds — for each pool; a dash means too few applicants to give a fair band. It is not a published percentage. The outfitter pool is open to both residents and nonresidents. Unit 16B is part of Unit 16; a hunt marked as written for all of Unit 16 is valid across its sub-units.
| Hunt | Dates | Legal elk | Resident | Nonresident, no outfitter | With an outfitter | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery ELK-2-279 Also valid in Unit 22 | September 1 – September 14 | Any elk | Fair odds | Very long odds | Long odds | Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| ArcheryQuality hunt ELK-2-280 Also valid in Unit 22 | September 15 – September 24 | Any elk | Fair odds | Very long odds | Very long odds | Primary Rut |
| Any legal weaponQuality hunt ELK-1-281 Also valid in Unit 22 | October 10 – October 14 | Mature bull | Very long odds | Very long odds | Very long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Any legal weaponQuality hunt ELK-1-282 Also valid in Unit 22 | October 17 – October 21 | Mature bull | Long odds | Very long odds | Long odds | Post-Rut Recovery |
| Any legal weapon ELK-1-283 Also valid in Unit 22 | October 24 – October 28 | Mature bull | Long odds | Very long odds | Long odds | Post-Rut Recovery |
"Residents only" hunts (antlerless elk, and hunts held only on state wildlife areas) are closed to nonresidents. "Unlimited" hunts are private-land hunts: no quota, no draw, valid on private land only with the landowner's written permission. A "Quality hunt" is a State Wildlife Commission designation for hunts meant to improve the chance of a successful harvest, offer a wider selection of mature animals, or give a better experience through timing or hunter density. Youth, mobility-impaired, military and other special-eligibility hunts are not listed.
Archery · Any elk · September 1 – September 14
Early September archery hunting here lines up with the rut onset and the start of primary rut, so bull activity may be building through the two weeks. Any elk is legal, which gives archery hunters more flexibility than the later bull-only hunts, and the timbered slopes and brushy mid-elevation bands make still-hunting and glassing openings near cover a reasonable approach. The two- to four-year-old ground on the Black and Pass fires is worth checking, since burns at that age tend to open sightlines and grow feed that draws animals out to the edges morning and evening. This hunt draws Fair odds for residents, Very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Long odds for applicants going through an outfitter.
Archery · Any elk · September 15 – September 24
Running through the heart of primary rut, this nine-day archery hunt is the unit's Quality hunt and still allows any elk. Hunting the timber edges and shrub and brush pockets near the recent burns can put a hunter where animals are feeding on new growth at the margins of standing timber. Residents see Fair odds here, while both nonresident pools face Very long odds, reflecting how competitive this slot is to draw. Because the season falls fully within primary rut, bull movement and activity are at their most intense of any hunt on this list.
Any legal weapon · Mature bull · October 10 – October 14
By mid-October the rut is winding down into its late and early post-rut phase, and mature bulls can begin pulling away from cow groups to isolate, with the larger bulls often leaving first while smaller bulls may linger with cows still cycling. Hunters should look for secluded pockets where feed, bedding cover, and water sit close together, and examine any bull closely since animals coming off the rut can be worn down and carrying broken points or beams. This is a mature-bull, any-legal-weapon hunt and a Quality hunt, with Very long odds across all three pools, so it is a long shot to draw for anyone. The timber and brush cover at mid and lower elevations, along with the open sightlines left by the two- to four-year-old burns, both offer places to work this kind of isolating bull behavior.
Any legal weapon · Mature bull · October 17 – October 21
Late October puts this hunt into post-rut recovery, when bulls tend to settle into secluded areas and limit their movement, making them act more like mule deer than rutting elk. The approach here is to glass feeding openings at the edges of timber early and late, then spend the slower midday hours walking likely ground for tracks and droppings, staying put and continuing to hunt an area once sign turns up rather than moving on. This is another mature-bull, any-legal-weapon Quality hunt, drawing Long odds for residents and for outfitted applicants and Very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter. The older, thicker growth on the Cub and Good fire scars can hold bedded bulls well during these quiet recovery weeks.
Any legal weapon · Mature bull · October 24 – October 28
The final bull season of the fall, also falling in post-rut recovery, hunts much the same as the hunt before it: bulls holding to secluded pockets, limited daylight movement, and a mule-deer-like pattern that rewards patience over covering miles. Glassing openings at first and last light and walking slower hours for fresh sign remain the core tactics, and once sign shows elk are using a spot, staying on it tends to pay off more than moving along. This mature-bull, any-legal-weapon hunt carries Long odds for residents and outfitted applicants and Very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter. The dense regrowth on the older burns and the steep, timbered terrain elsewhere in the unit both offer the kind of secluded cover recovering bulls favor this late in the season.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,800–10,800 ft, typically around 7,400 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 25% gentle · 44% moderate · 29% steep · 3% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~942 sq mi
Habitat & cover
What grows here, by elevation. Each band adds to 100% on its own — these are shares of that band, not of the unit.
Lower elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper66%
- Shrub and brush28%
- Grass and meadow5%
Mid elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper84%
- Shrub and brush13%
- Grass and meadow3%
Higher elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper63%
- Shrub and brush29%
- Grass and meadow6%
- Deciduous forest2%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Recent fires
Wildfires in the last several seasons that burned a meaningful share of Unit 16B. Fire perimeters show where a fire burned, not how hot — and closures change through the year, so check current fire closures and restrictions before you go.
- Black fire, 2022 — about 134,000 acres in the unit (22%), mostly on its east side.
- Pass fire, 2023 — about 31,000 acres in the unit (5%), mostly on its north side.
- Cub fire, 2020 — about 26,000 acres in the unit (4%), mostly on its northwest side.
- Good fire, 2020 — about 18,000 acres in the unit (3%), toward the middle of the unit.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 100% of Unit 16B is public land by ownership — National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- National Forest100%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- National Park Service<1%
Hunting is allowed on some National Park Service land (a national preserve, for example) but not in national parks, monuments or historical parks — check where it is allowed.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 77°F, lows around 51°F
- September — highs around 73°F, lows around 46°F
- October — highs around 64°F, lows around 36°F, about 0.2 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 54°F, lows around 27°F, about 0.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 46°F, lows around 21°F, about 4.3 in of snowfall
Unit 16B elk hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get an elk licence for Unit 16B?
A hunter applies for one of the specific draw hunts by its hunt code through the random public draw, listing choices that are checked in sequence order rather than by first choice alone. Separately, landowners enrolled in the Elk Private Lands Use System issue their own authorizations that let a hunter buy a private-land elk licence, which is a different licensing route from the public draw.
How hard are the Unit 16B elk hunts to draw, and does it differ by pool?
Odds vary a lot by hunt and by which of the three pools an application falls into: residents, nonresidents applying without an outfitter, and applicants of either residency applying with a registered outfitter. The early archery hunt is Fair odds for residents but Very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, while the bull hunts in October run from Long odds to Very long odds depending on the pool. No pool is guaranteed a tag, and the bands describe the chance per application, not per hunter.
Can a nonresident hunt elk in Unit 16B?
Yes, a nonresident can apply for any of the general elk hunts listed for the unit, either without an outfitter or through the outfitter pool, both of which carry their own draw odds. A nonresident is not eligible for residents-only hunts such as antlerless elk hunts or hunts held only on state wildlife management areas, though none of the hunts described for Unit 16B fall into that residents-only category.
Does New Mexico use preference or bonus points for elk?
No, New Mexico has no points system of any kind for elk. Every application in a given year is assigned a random sequence number and evaluated on its own in that year's draw, with nothing carried over from year to year.
How much of Unit 16B is public land, and what is the rule on State Trust land?
Public land by ownership covers essentially all of Unit 16B, split between National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area land, though that ownership figure does not mean every acre is open or unrestricted. Unit 16B's figures do not list any State Trust land, but where State Trust land does appear on a New Mexico unit, it can only be used during a hunter's own hunt plus a few days of scouting immediately before it.
Data sources & methodology
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — Hunting Rules & Info booklet (2026-27) — season dates, legal animals, hunt codes and the rules for each hunt
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — How the New Mexico draw works — the random draw, the choices a hunter ranks and how licences are split among the draw pools
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — Applications and draw information — the draw results behind the draw-difficulty bands for each pool
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — Game management unit maps — unit boundaries and the official unit maps
- USGS / MRLC — National Land Cover Database — habitat and cover classes by elevation band
- USGS PAD-US — Protected Areas Database of the United States — land ownership and access
- Daymet daily climate, 1991–2020 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) — fall weather
- National Interagency Fire Center — wildfire perimeters — recent fires, their size and where they burned
Draw difficulty is a qualitative band from first-choice results for each pool, not published odds. Rut phases are regional timing, not New Mexico-specific dates. Land shares are separate, non-overlapping categories. Confirm current dates and rules in the New Mexico Hunting Rules & Info booklet before you hunt. Unit data last updated October 21, 2026.