Unit 5A (Lindrith)
New Mexico Hunting Guide — Elk, Mule Deer
GMU 5A covers the Lindrith area in Rio Arriba County — rolling PJ foothills, sage mesas, and scattered ponderosa along the Jicarilla Apache Reservation border. The unit is predominantly private ranchland with limited public access, making landowner permission or outfitter services critical for success. At 6,500-8,000 feet, the pinon-juniper and sage country supports a resident elk herd that uses the private hay fields and creek bottoms for forage. Hunters who secure access find quality bulls with virtually no competition.
Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 5A
Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready New Mexico Unit 5A guide around your hunt: three ranked spots with morning, afternoon and evening plays, a day-by-day plan, topo maps with every pin numbered, a camp and access plan, the legal and retrieval rules for this unit, shot discipline, a meat-care and pack-out plan, and a pre-trip checklist. Every coordinate sits on land recorded as public.
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Elk Hunting in Unit 5A
GMU 5A covers the Lindrith area in Rio Arriba County — rolling PJ foothills, sage mesas, and scattered ponderosa along the Jicarilla Apache Reservation border. The unit is predominantly private ranchland with limited public access, making landowner permission or outfitter services critical for success. At 6,500-8,000 feet, the pinon-juniper and sage country supports a resident elk herd that uses the private hay fields and creek bottoms for forage. Hunters who secure access find quality bulls with virtually no competition.
Where to Find Elk in Unit 5A (Lindrith)
Elk in GMU 5A use the PJ mesas, sage valleys, and irrigated ranch country around the Lindrith community.
PJ Mesa Country (6,500–8,000 ft)
The pinon-juniper mesas and foothills across the unit provide bedding cover and daytime habitat for elk. Bulls bed in the thicker PJ stands and feed in adjacent openings. The rolling terrain creates natural travel corridors between drainages.
Ranch Bottomlands
Irrigated hay fields and creek bottoms on private ranches attract elk for supplemental forage. Elk stage in the PJ above the fields and move down to feed during low-light hours. This pattern is the key to hunting this unit — but requires landowner permission for access to the fields and surrounding cover.
Jicarilla Border Country
The unit borders the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, and elk move freely between the reservation and GMU 5A. The boundary country can hold concentrated elk, especially when reservation hunting seasons push animals onto private ranchland.
Unit 5A terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 6,836–7,577 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 7,257 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 228 sq mi inside the boundary.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest — 60%
- State Trust — 8%
- Private / Other — 32%
Roughly 68% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.
Water on the ground
- 134 tanks
- 2,587 stream segments
- 1 lakes
Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.
How to Hunt Elk in Unit 5A
Elk Success Rates
Elk Draw Odds
Draw odds data not available for this specific unit/species combination in our database.
Search New-mexico Draw OddsUnit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the elk success rate in New Mexico Unit 5A?
How does Unit 5A relate to the Valles Caldera?
What is the mule deer success rate in Unit 5A?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & Verification
Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-16.
- 2026-2027 New Mexico Hunting Rules and Info (RIB) — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: Unit boundaries and hunt codes, Season dates per species/weapon, Tag quotas per hunt code, License + stamp requirements · accessed 2026-04-16
- NMDGF General and Big-Game Rules — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: Carcass tag rules, Legal methods of take, Mandatory harvest reporting · accessed 2026-04-16
- NMDGF Elk Species Info — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: Species management overview, GMU eligibility, Season/structure summary · accessed 2026-04-16
- NMDGF Applications and Draw Information — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: Draw application deadlines, Resident/nonresident/outfitter quotas, Draw odds reports · accessed 2026-04-16
- NMDGF E-PLUS (Elk Private Land Use System) — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: Landowner elk permits by ranch, Private-land unit participation, Tag allocation rules · accessed 2026-04-16
- NMDGF Hunt Unit Maps — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: GMU boundary maps, Land ownership overlays, Access restrictions · accessed 2026-04-16
- New Mexico Elk Unit 5A Profile — GOHunt · supports: Hunter-community unit profile, Historical draw odds snapshot, Public-access overview · accessed 2026-04-16
- NMDGF Mule Deer Species Info — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: Species management overview, GMU eligibility, Season/structure summary · accessed 2026-04-16
- New Mexico Mule Deer Unit 5A Profile — GOHunt · supports: Hunter-community unit profile, Historical draw odds snapshot, Public-access overview · accessed 2026-04-16