Elk hunting in New Mexico Unit 6B: hunts, draw and harvest
NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 15 elk hunt codes in Unit 6B, 15 of them drawn with 350 licenses, from September 1 to December 9, 2026 (pages 77 and 78). In the 2026 draw, 7,207 applicants chose one of these hunts first, for 350 licenses (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 350 licenses sold, 325 hunters reporting, a 51% success rate, 60 bulls and 109 cows taken on the Unit 6B 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 forestNational Park ServiceTribal landUnit 6BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Unit | Unit 6B |
|---|---|
| Hunt codes, 2026-27 | 15 (15 drawn) |
| Draw licenses | 350 |
| Season span | September 1 to December 9, 2026 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 7,207 |
| NMDGF harvest, 2025-26 | 169 (60 bulls, 109 cows) |
| Success rate, 2025-26 | 51% (NMDGF) |
| Public land | 99.9% (88,748 acres) |
| Residents only | 10 of the 15 codes |
Which elk hunts are in Unit 6B for 2026-27?
Every elk hunt code NMDOW lists for Unit 6B (all of them Valles Caldera, hunter orientation required), with the code's own 2025-26 result where NMDGF reported one under the same code and units.
| Hunt code | Weapon | Dates, 2026-27 | Bag limit | Licenses | Who may apply | 2025-26 result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-2-219 | bow | Sep 1-14 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 25 | Any applicant | 25 sold, 45% success, 10 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-2-220 | bow | Sep 1-14 | Antlerless elk | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 17% success, 0 bulls, 1 cow |
| ELK-2-221 | bow | Sep 15-24 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 25 | Any applicant | 25 sold, 42% success, 10 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-2-222 | bow | Sep 15-24 | Antlerless elk | 10 | residents only | 10 sold, 38% success, 0 bulls, 3 cows |
| ELK-3-223 | muzzleloader | Oct 10-14 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 15 | Any applicant | 15 sold, 79% success, 12 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-3-224 | muzzleloader | Oct 10-14 | Antlerless elk | 20 | residents only | 20 sold, 31% success, 0 bulls, 6 cows |
| ELK-1-225 | any legal weapon | Oct 17-21 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 15 | Any applicant | 15 sold, 86% success, 11 bulls, 1 cow |
| ELK-1-226 | any legal weapon | Oct 17-21 | Antlerless elk | 20 | residents only | 20 sold, 50% success, 0 bulls, 9 cows |
| ELK-1-227 | any legal weapon | Oct 24-28 | Either sex (any one elk, includes spike bull) | 20 | Any applicant | 20 sold, 74% success, 14 bulls, 0 cows |
| ELK-1-228 | any legal weapon | Oct 24-28 | Antlerless elk | 15 | residents only | 15 sold, 45% success, 0 bulls, 6 cows |
| ELK-1-229 | any legal weapon | Oct 31-Nov 4 | Antlerless elk | 35 | residents only / youth only | 35 sold, 45% success, 1 bull, 15 cows |
| ELK-1-230 | any legal weapon | Nov 7-11 | Antlerless elk | 35 | residents only | 35 sold, 53% success, 0 bulls, 18 cows |
| ELK-1-231 | any legal weapon | Nov 21-25 | Antlerless elk | 35 | residents only | 35 sold, 58% success, 1 bull, 15 cows |
| ELK-1-232 | any legal weapon | Nov 28-Dec 2 | Antlerless elk | 35 | residents only / youth only | 35 sold, 53% success, 0 bulls, 18 cows |
| ELK-1-233 | any legal weapon | Dec 5-9 | Antlerless elk | 35 | residents only | 35 sold, 55% success, 1 bull, 18 cows |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 77 and 78. Results: NMDGF 2025-26 elk harvest report. Success rate is NMDGF's own figure.
How many hunters applied for Unit 6B elk in 2026?
7,207 applicants put one of these 15 drawn hunts as their first choice in the 2026 draw, for 350 licenses; 220 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-2-219 | 25 | 768 | 21 | 2.7% |
| ELK-2-220 | 10 | 34 | 7 | 20.6% |
| ELK-2-221 | 25 | 1,347 | 24 | 1.8% |
| ELK-2-222 | 10 | 58 | 10 | 17.2% |
| ELK-3-223 | 15 | 871 | 14 | 1.6% |
| ELK-3-224 | 20 | 64 | 8 | 12.5% |
| ELK-1-225 | 15 | 2,487 | 14 | 0.6% |
| ELK-1-226 | 20 | 151 | 12 | 7.9% |
| ELK-1-227 | 20 | 861 | 12 | 1.4% |
| ELK-1-228 | 15 | 69 | 5 | 7.2% |
| ELK-1-229 | 35 | 158 | 25 | 15.8% |
| ELK-1-230 | 35 | 140 | 20 | 14.3% |
| ELK-1-231 | 35 | 73 | 15 | 20.5% |
| ELK-1-232 | 35 | 51 | 15 | 29.4% |
| ELK-1-233 | 35 | 75 | 18 | 24% |
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 6B?
NMDGF's totals for the Unit 6B elk hunts, season by season, with its herd estimates where the report prints them. The newest, 2025-26: 350 licenses sold, 325 hunters reporting, a 51% success rate, 60 bulls and 109 cows taken.
| Season | Licenses sold | Hunters reporting | Success rate | Bulls | Cows | Population estimate | Bulls : cows : calves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 350 | 325 | 51% | 60 | 109 | ||
| 2024-25 | 350 | 322 | 44% | 57 | 78 | ||
| 2023-24 | 351 | 320 | 50% | 69 | 91 | ||
| 2022-23 | 265 | 246 | 55% | 68 | 65 | ||
| 2021-22 | 266 | 236 | 49% | 73 | 45 | ||
| 2020-21 | 265 | 250 | 54% | 60 | 73 | ||
| 2019-20 | 269 | 249 | 51% | 73 | 60 | ||
| 2018 | 247 | 219 | 44% | 62 | 39 | ||
| 2017 | 247 | 232 | 51% | 64 | 54 | ||
| 2016 | 247 | 231 | 44% | 61 | 46 |
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 6B?
99.9% of Unit 6B is public land, 88,748 of 88,794 acres, most of it national forest (75 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 6B.
Questions hunters ask
How many elk licenses are there in Unit 6B?
NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 15 elk hunt codes for Unit 6B with 350 draw licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 77 and 78).
What is the elk success rate in Unit 6B?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives a 51% success rate for the Unit 6B elk hunts as a whole: 325 hunters reported and 169 elk were taken. Across the 10 seasons NMDGF reported for this area, the rate ran from 44% to 55%.
When is elk season in Unit 6B in 2026?
The Unit 6B elk hunts run from September 1, 2026 to December 9, 2026. Bow hunts start Sep 1 and Sep 15, muzzleloader hunts start Oct 10 and 9 any legal weapon hunts start between Oct 17 and Dec 5 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 77 and 78).
Can nonresidents hunt elk in Unit 6B?
Yes, for 5 of the drawn codes. 10 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).