Elk hunting in New Mexico Unit 55A: hunts, draw and harvest
NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 19 elk hunt codes in Unit 55A, 19 of them drawn with 335 licenses, from September 1 to December 2, 2026 (pages 90 and 91). In the 2026 draw, 3,141 applicants chose one of these hunts first, for 335 licenses (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, the 19 codes NMDGF reported here sold 333 licenses and took 66 bulls and 32 cows.
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 forestWildlife Commission landTribal landUnit 55ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Unit | Unit 55A |
|---|---|
| Hunt codes, 2026-27 | 19 (19 drawn) |
| Draw licenses | 335 |
| Season span | September 1 to December 2, 2026 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 3,141 |
| Public land | 13.2% (132,899 acres) |
| Residents only | 13 of the 19 codes |
Which elk hunts are in Unit 55A for 2026-27?
Every elk hunt code NMDOW lists for Unit 55A, 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-2-431 | E.S. Barker WMA only | bow | Sep 1-14 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 5 | residents only | 5 sold, 0% success, 0 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-2-434 | Urraca WMA only | bow | Sep 1-14 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 5 | residents only | 5 sold, 50% success, 3 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-2-441 | Valle Vidal only (Once-in-a-Lifetime) | bow | Sep 1-14 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 25 | Once-in-a-Lifetime | 25 sold, 20% success, 5 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-2-432 | E.S. Barker WMA only | bow | Sep 15-24 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 5 | residents only | 5 sold, 0% success, 0 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-2-435 | Urraca WMA only | bow | Sep 15-24 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 5 | residents only | 5 sold, 0% success, 0 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-2-442 | Valle Vidal only (Once-in-a-Lifetime) | bow | Sep 15-24 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 25 | Once-in-a-Lifetime | 25 sold, 57% success, 12 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-433 | E.S. Barker WMA only | any legal weapon | Oct 10-14 | Mature bull. A spike bull is not legal | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 38% success, 4 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-3-436 | Urraca WMA only | muzzleloader | Oct 10-14 | Mature bull. A spike bull is not legal | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 17% success, 0 bulls, 1 cow |
| ELK-3-443 | Valle Vidal only (Once-in-a-Lifetime) | muzzleloader | Oct 10-14 | Mature bull. A spike bull is not legal | 20 | Once-in-a-Lifetime | 20 sold, 29% success, 6 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-437 | Urraca WMA only | any legal weapon | Oct 17-21 | Mature bull. A spike bull is not legal | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 14% success, 1 bull, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-444 | Valle Vidal only (Once-in-a-Lifetime) | any legal weapon | Oct 17-21 | Mature bull. A spike bull is not legal | 35 | Once-in-a-Lifetime | 35 sold, 47% success, 16 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-445 | Valle Vidal only (Once-in-a-Lifetime) | any legal weapon | Oct 24-28 | Mature bull. A spike bull is not legal | 30 | Once-in-a-Lifetime | 29 sold, 38% success, 10 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-446 | Valle Vidal only (Once-in-a-Lifetime) | any legal weapon | Oct 31-Nov 4 | Mature bull. A spike bull is not legal | 20 | Once-in-a-Lifetime / youth only | 20 sold, 41% success, 7 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-438 | Urraca WMA only | any legal weapon | Nov 7-11 | Mature bull. A spike bull is not legal | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 10% success, 1 bull, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-447 | Valle Vidal only (Once-in-a-Lifetime) | any legal weapon | Nov 7-11 | Antlerless elk | 30 | Once-in-a-Lifetime / residents only / youth only | 30 sold, 26% success, 0 bulls, 7 cows |
| ELK-1-439 | Urraca WMA only | any legal weapon | Nov 14-18 | Antlerless elk | 15 | residents only | 15 sold, 0% success, 0 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-448 | Valle Vidal only (Once-in-a-Lifetime) | any legal weapon | Nov 14-18 | Antlerless elk | 30 | Once-in-a-Lifetime / residents only | 29 sold, 48% success, 1 bull, 10 cows |
| ELK-1-449 | Valle Vidal only (Once-in-a-Lifetime) | any legal weapon | Nov 21-25 | Antlerless elk | 30 | Once-in-a-Lifetime / residents only | 30 sold, 45% success, 0 bulls, 13 cows |
| ELK-1-440 | Urraca WMA only | any legal weapon | Nov 28-Dec 2 | Antlerless elk | 15 | residents only | 15 sold, 11% success, 0 bulls, 1 cow |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 90 and 91. Results: NMDGF 2025-26 elk harvest report. Success rate is NMDGF's own figure.
How many hunters applied for Unit 55A elk in 2026?
3,141 applicants put one of these 19 drawn hunts as their first choice in the 2026 draw, for 335 licenses; 232 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-2-431 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 30% |
| ELK-2-434 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 62.5% |
| ELK-2-441 | 25 | 224 | 20 | 8.9% |
| ELK-2-432 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 27.8% |
| ELK-2-435 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 66.7% |
| ELK-2-442 | 25 | 434 | 23 | 5.3% |
| ELK-1-433 | 10 | 74 | 7 | 9.5% |
| ELK-3-436 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 58.3% |
| ELK-3-443 | 20 | 301 | 17 | 5.6% |
| ELK-1-437 | 10 | 26 | 7 | 26.9% |
| ELK-1-444 | 35 | 1,077 | 32 | 3% |
| ELK-1-445 | 30 | 245 | 21 | 8.6% |
| ELK-1-446 | 20 | 535 | 15 | 2.8% |
| ELK-1-438 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 28.6% |
| ELK-1-447 | 30 | 29 | 8 | 27.6% |
| ELK-1-439 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 71.4% |
| ELK-1-448 | 30 | 73 | 25 | 34.2% |
| ELK-1-449 | 30 | 40 | 19 | 47.5% |
| ELK-1-440 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 62.5% |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report. Applicants and licenses drawn on second and third choices are on each hunt code's page.
How much public land is in Unit 55A?
13.2% of Unit 55A is public land, 132,899 of 1,006,943 acres, most of it national forest (101,514 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 55A.
Questions hunters ask
How many elk licenses are there in Unit 55A?
NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 19 elk hunt codes for Unit 55A with 335 draw licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 90 and 91).
When is elk season in Unit 55A in 2026?
The Unit 55A elk hunts run from September 1, 2026 to December 2, 2026. Bow hunts start Sep 1 and Sep 15, 11 any legal weapon hunts start between Oct 10 and Nov 28 and muzzleloader hunts start Oct 10 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 90 and 91).
Can nonresidents hunt elk in Unit 55A?
Yes, for 6 of the drawn codes. 13 are for residents only. 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).