ELK-1-138: elk hunt in Unit 5A (Public Land only), Oct 10-14
ELK-1-138 is a 2026-27 New Mexico draw hunt for a mature bull elk with any legal weapon in Unit 5A, Public Land only, October 10 to 14, with 10 licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 76). In the 2026 draw, 65 applicants chose it first and 8 of them drew it (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 10 licenses sold, 8 hunters reporting, a 14% success rate, 1 bull and 0 cows taken.
Data updated October 2026. Hunt: NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 76. Draw: NMDOW's 2026 and 2025 drawing reports. Results: NMDGF harvest reports.
National forestBLMState trust landTribal landUnit 5ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Species and bag | Elk: Mature bull. A spike bull is not legal |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Any legal weapon |
| Dates | October 10 to 14 (2026-27) |
| Unit | Unit 5A |
| Licenses | 10 (drawn) |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 | 65 (8 drew on first choice) |
| Result, 2025-26 | 14% success, 1 bull, 0 cows |
| Public land in the hunt's units | 16.3% |
How many hunters applied for ELK-1-138?
65 applicants chose ELK-1-138 first in the 2026 draw and 8 drew it on that choice, 12.3% of them. 10 of the 10 licenses were drawn in all. In 2025: 54 first-choice applicants and 4 drawn on first choice. These are NMDOW's results for those draws, not a forecast.
| Pool, 2026 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 63 | 61 | 52 | 8 | 9 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| All applicants | 65 | 64 | 61 | 8 | 10 |
| Pool, 2025 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 54 | 50 | 47 | 4 | 9 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| All applicants | 54 | 53 | 53 | 4 | 10 |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report and NMDOW 2025 big game drawing report.
How did hunters do on ELK-1-138?
NMDGF's results for ELK-1-138, season by season, for every season it reported this code in the same units. The newest success rate is 14% (2025-26), from 8 hunters reporting. Licenses sold went from 10 in 2023-24 to 10 in 2025-26.
| Season | Bag | Dates | Licenses sold | Hunters reporting | Success rate | Bulls | Cows | Days hunted, average | Hunter satisfaction, 1 to 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | MB | Oct 11-15 | 10 | 8 | 14% | 1 | 0 | 4.14 | 4 |
| 2024-25 | MB | Oct 5-9 | 10 | 7 | 43% | 4 | 0 | 3.43 | 3.71 |
| 2023-24 | MB | Oct 7-11 | 10 | 8 | 57% | 5 | 0 | 2.86 | 3.71 |
Source: NMDGF 2025-26 elk harvest report, NMDGF 2024-25 elk harvest report and NMDGF 2023-24 elk harvest report and earlier NMDOW elk harvest reports.
How does ELK-1-138 compare with the other Unit 5A elk hunts?
ELK-1-138 is one of 10 elk hunt codes NMDOW lists for Unit 5A in 2026-27. In the 2026 draw it had the 2nd most first-choice applicants of the 10 drawn ones (65). Its 2025-26 success rate, 14%, was the 5th highest of the 10 codes NMDGF reported there that season. Unit 5A elk hunts has all of them side by side, with the area's harvest by season. The hunt's units are 16.3% public land (23,914 acres).
Questions hunters ask
How many licenses does ELK-1-138 have?
NMDOW lists 10 licenses for ELK-1-138 in 2026-27 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 76). NMDGF's 2024-25 report shows 10 sold.
What is the success rate for ELK-1-138?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives ELK-1-138 a 14% success rate, from 8 hunters reporting. Over the 3 seasons NMDGF reported it, the rate ran from 14% to 57%.
How many people applied for ELK-1-138 in 2026?
190 applicants listed ELK-1-138 as a first, second or third choice in the 2026 draw; 65 chose it first and 8 of those drew it, 12.3% of first-choice applicants (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025, 54 chose it first.
Can nonresidents apply for ELK-1-138?
Yes. Nonresidents draw from the 6% of licenses set aside for them, or the 10% for applicants with a registered outfitter (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 18). NMDOW warns that with 10 licenses a nonresident is extremely unlikely to draw it.