Elk hunting in New Mexico Unit 4: hunts, draw and harvest
NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 15 elk hunt codes in Unit 4, 15 of them drawn with 175 licenses, from September 1 to November 18, 2026 (pages 75 and 76). In the 2026 draw, 1,341 applicants chose one of these hunts first, for 175 licenses (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 2,008 licenses sold, 1,239 hunters reporting, a 57% success rate, 748 bulls and 506 cows taken on the Unit 4 hunts.
Data updated October 2026. Hunts: NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information. Draw: NMDOW's 2026 drawing report. Harvest: NMDGF reports to 2025-26.
National forestBLMState trust landWildlife Commission landState parkTribal landUnit 4Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Unit | Unit 4 |
|---|---|
| Hunt codes, 2026-27 | 15 (15 drawn) |
| Draw licenses | 175 |
| Season span | September 1 to November 18, 2026 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 1,341 |
| NMDGF harvest, 2025-26 | 1,254 (748 bulls, 506 cows) |
| Success rate, 2025-26 | 57% (NMDGF) |
| Public land | 11.7% (51,905 acres) |
| Residents only | 15 of the 15 codes |
Which elk hunts are in Unit 4 for 2026-27?
Every elk hunt code NMDOW lists for Unit 4, with the code's own 2025-26 result where NMDGF reported one under the same code and units.
| Hunt code | Where | Weapon | Dates, 2026-27 | Bag limit | Licenses | Who may apply | 2025-26 result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-2-163 | Sargent WMA only | bow | Sep 1-14 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 44% success, 3 bulls, 1 cow |
| ELK-2-171 | Humphries and Rio Chama WMAs only, Humphries/Rio Chama WMAs only | bow | Sep 1-14 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 43% success, 4 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-2-164 | Sargent WMA only | bow | Sep 15-24 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 67% success, 6 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-2-172 | Humphries and Rio Chama WMAs only, Humphries/Rio Chama WMAs only | bow | Sep 15-24 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 43% success, 4 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-165 | Sargent WMA only | any legal weapon | Oct 10-14 | Mature bull or antlerless elk. A spike bull is not legal | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 67% success, 6 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-173 | Humphries and Rio Chama WMAs only | any legal weapon | Oct 10-14 | Mature bull or antlerless elk. A spike bull is not legal | 15 | residents only | 15 sold, 54% success, 8 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-166 | Sargent WMA only | any legal weapon | Oct 17-21 | Mature bull or antlerless elk. A spike bull is not legal | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 71% success, 7 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-174 | Humphries and Rio Chama WMAs only | any legal weapon | Oct 17-21 | Mature bull or antlerless elk. A spike bull is not legal | 15 | residents only | 15 sold, 38% success, 5 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-167 | Sargent WMA only | any legal weapon | Oct 24-28 | Mature bull or antlerless elk. A spike bull is not legal | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 75% success, 5 bulls, 1 cow |
| ELK-1-168 | Sargent WMA only | any legal weapon | Oct 31-Nov 4 | Mature bull or antlerless elk. A spike bull is not legal | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 75% success, 4 bulls, 2 cows |
| ELK-1-169 | Sargent WMA only | any legal weapon | Nov 7-11 | Antlerless elk | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 57% success, 0 bulls, 4 cows |
| ELK-1-170 | Sargent WMA only | any legal weapon | Nov 7-11 | Antlerless elk | 10 | residents only / youth only | 10 sold, 67% success, 0 bulls, 6 cows |
| ELK-1-175 | Humphries and Rio Chama WMAs only | any legal weapon | Nov 7-11 | Antlerless elk | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 63% success, 0 bulls, 5 cows |
| ELK-1-176 | Humphries and Rio Chama WMAs only | any legal weapon | Nov 7-11 | Antlerless elk | 15 | residents only / youth only | 15 sold, 38% success, 0 bulls, 5 cows |
| ELK-1-177 | Rio Chama WMA only | any legal weapon | Nov 14-18 | Antlerless elk | 20 | residents only | 20 sold, 38% success, 0 bulls, 6 cows |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 75 and 76. Results: NMDGF 2025-26 elk harvest report. Success rate is NMDGF's own figure.
How many hunters applied for Unit 4 elk in 2026?
1,341 applicants put one of these 15 drawn hunts as their first choice in the 2026 draw, for 175 licenses; 92 of them drew on that first choice. The share is NMDOW's 2026 result, not a forecast for another year.
| Hunt code | Licenses | First-choice applicants | Drawn on first choice | Share of first-choice applicants who drew |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-2-163 | 10 | 63 | 6 | 9.5% |
| ELK-2-171 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 36.4% |
| ELK-2-164 | 10 | 141 | 7 | 5% |
| ELK-2-172 | 10 | 44 | 6 | 13.6% |
| ELK-1-165 | 10 | 441 | 10 | 2.3% |
| ELK-1-173 | 15 | 170 | 8 | 4.7% |
| ELK-1-166 | 10 | 97 | 6 | 6.2% |
| ELK-1-174 | 15 | 61 | 4 | 6.6% |
| ELK-1-167 | 10 | 95 | 6 | 6.3% |
| ELK-1-168 | 10 | 79 | 6 | 7.6% |
| ELK-1-169 | 10 | 39 | 7 | 17.9% |
| ELK-1-170 | 10 | 28 | 6 | 21.4% |
| ELK-1-175 | 10 | 23 | 5 | 21.7% |
| ELK-1-176 | 15 | 20 | 5 | 25% |
| ELK-1-177 | 20 | 29 | 6 | 20.7% |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report. Applicants and licenses drawn on second and third choices are on each hunt code's page.
How many elk are taken in Unit 4?
NMDGF's totals for the Unit 4 elk hunts, season by season, with its herd estimates where the report prints them. The newest, 2025-26: 2,008 licenses sold, 1,239 hunters reporting, a 57% success rate, 748 bulls and 506 cows taken.
| Season | Licenses sold | Hunters reporting | Success rate | Bulls | Cows | Population estimate | Bulls : cows : calves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 2,008 | 1,239 | 57% | 748 | 506 | ||
| 2024-25 | 1,981 | 1,299 | 56% | 731 | 469 | ||
| 2023-24 | 1,991 | 1,138 | 47% | 743 | 450 | ||
| 2022-23 | 2,119 | 1,312 | 60% | 734 | 479 | ||
| 2021-22 | 2,145 | 1,383 | 63% | 753 | 549 | ||
| 2020-21 | 2,140 | 1,365 | 65% | 794 | 578 | ||
| 2019-20 | 2,065 | 1,274 | 62% | 727 | 512 | ||
| 2018 | 2,095 | 1,213 | 62% | 779 | 499 | ||
| 2017 | 2,001 | 1,237 | 57% | 737 | 362 | ||
| 2016 | 2,010 | 1,126 | 58% | 701 | 413 |
Source: NMDOW elk harvest reports, the printed area totals (public-land hunt codes and, where NMDGF counts them in the total, private-land licenses).
How much public land is in Unit 4?
11.7% of Unit 4 is public land, 51,905 of 443,641 acres, most of it Wildlife Commission land (44,311 acres), measured from the BLM New Mexico surface management agency map (read 2026-10). The unit page has the map, highways, towns and neighbors: Unit 4.
Questions hunters ask
How many elk licenses are there in Unit 4?
NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 15 elk hunt codes for Unit 4 with 175 draw licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 75 and 76).
What is the elk success rate in Unit 4?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives a 57% success rate for the Unit 4 elk hunts as a whole: 1,239 hunters reported and 1,254 elk were taken. Across the 10 seasons NMDGF reported for this area, the rate ran from 47% to 65%.
When is elk season in Unit 4 in 2026?
The Unit 4 elk hunts run from September 1, 2026 to November 18, 2026. Bow hunts start Sep 1 and Sep 15 and 11 any legal weapon hunts start between Oct 10 and Nov 14 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 75 and 76).
Can nonresidents hunt elk in Unit 4?
No. Every Unit 4 elk hunt code in 2026-27 is for New Mexico residents.Statewide, at least 84% of draw licenses go to residents, 10% to applicants with a registered outfitter and 6% to nonresidents without one, and antlerless elk and WMA-only hunts are for residents (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 18).