Unit 14 Deer Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 1,656 sq mi
Draw hunts — random, no points
New Mexico has no preference or bonus points: every hunt here with draw odds is a random draw, with its own hunt code. Residents, nonresidents applying without an outfitter, and applicants applying with a registered outfitter (a pool open to residents and nonresidents) are drawn in separate pools, and the table gives each pool's odds in words. A Private-Land Only Deer License, sold outside the draw, covers private land only, with the landowner's written permission; it is never valid on public land, State Trust land included.
What hunting Unit 14 is like
Unit 14 is gentle, rolling country by the numbers — the overwhelming majority of its area is gentle or moderate slope, with only a sliver classed as steep ground and nothing rugged. Lower elevations run to shrub and brush with some grass and meadow and a little riparian cover; mid elevations mix shrub and brush with grass and meadow and a touch of conifer and pinyon-juniper; higher ground is dominated by conifer and pinyon-juniper timber with shrub and brush, grass and meadow, and a small amount of deciduous forest. It is largely foot country, with glassing across open shrub and grass flats and working timbered high ground where cover concentrates deer.
Only about 16 percent of Unit 14 is public land by ownership — a mix of National Forest, BLM, a State Wildlife Management Area, and State Trust land — and that figure is ownership, not a guarantee of access, since some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land makes up about 3 percent of the unit and can be used only during a hunter's own hunt, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads. Another 16 percent is closed to state-licensed hunting altogether — tribal and military land, neither of which a state licence covers. The remaining two-thirds or so is private, requiring written permission to hunt.
Because so little of Unit 14 is dependably reachable public ground, most hunters here lean on either the draw hunts for a shot at National Forest, BLM, or Wildlife Management Area ground, or a Private-Land Only Deer License, sold outside the draw to residents and nonresidents alike, which is valid solely on private land with the landowner's written permission and never on any public land, State Trust included. New Mexico has no points system for deer of any kind, so every application for the draw hunts starts fresh each year.
Deer hunts in Unit 14 (2026–27)
Each row is a hunt a hunter selects by its hunt code. Draw difficulty is a band in words from the 2026 first-choice results — good, fair, long or very long odds — for each pool; a dash means too few applicants to give a fair band. It is not a published percentage. The outfitter pool is open to both residents and nonresidents.
| Hunt | Dates | Legal deer | Resident | Nonresident, no outfitter | With an outfitter | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery DER-2-187 | September 1 – September 24 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Very long odds | Very long odds | Long odds | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Muzzleloader DER-3-189 | September 27 – October 3 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Long odds | Long odds | Fair odds | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Any legal weapon DER-1-186 | October 24 – October 28 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Very long odds | Very long odds | Very long odds | Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
| Archery DER-2-188 | January 1 – January 15, 2027 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Very long odds | Long odds | Very long odds | Winter Concentration / Post-Rut Recovery |
"Residents only" hunts (antlerless elk, and hunts held only on state wildlife areas) are closed to nonresidents. "Unlimited" hunts are private-land hunts: no quota, no draw, valid on private land only with the landowner's written permission. A "Quality hunt" is a State Wildlife Commission designation for hunts meant to improve the chance of a successful harvest, offer a wider selection of mature animals, or give a better experience through timing or hunter density. Youth, mobility-impaired, military and other special-eligibility hunts are not listed.
Archery · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · September 1 – September 24
Early fall archery season falls in the velvet shed and early fall transition phase, when bucks are just settling into post-velvet habits but otherwise hold to much the same routine they kept through summer. The hunt rewards glassing shady pockets and north-facing slopes in the shrub and brush and timbered conifer and pinyon-juniper cover at higher elevations, since bucks feed into the morning and then bed for most of the day. First-light glassing to mark a bedding buck, followed by a midday stalk while he holds tight, is the core approach, and a buck that seems to vanish is most likely still nearby in a crevice or draw. This is a draw hunt only, open to fork-antlered deer with any residency or outfitter status, and odds run very long for residents and nonresidents applying without an outfitter, with long odds for those applying with a registered outfitter.
Muzzleloader · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · September 27 – October 3
The muzzleloader hunt spans the tail end of the velvet shed phase into the early fall migration and nocturnal buck phase, a stretch where bucks increasingly shift toward moving after dark. Through this window the same glassing routine still applies early on — shady pockets, north-facing slopes, bucks bedding for most of the day — but as October arrives bucks grow progressively harder to catch moving in daylight, even though most are still using the same country they held through summer. Hunters working the shrub and brush and conifer and pinyon-juniper cover at higher elevations should expect more patience and less daytime movement as the week goes on. Draw odds sit at long for both resident and nonresident applicants without an outfitter, improving to fair odds for those applying with a registered outfitter.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · October 24 – October 28
This short any-legal-weapon hunt falls in the early pre-rut and migration corridor staging phase, when deer may begin shifting from summer range toward the ground they will use during the rut. The window is narrow, so the approach is to glass the country between where deer spent the summer and where they are headed, watching travel routes through the shrub and brush, grass and meadow, and timbered higher elevations rather than committing to a single static spot. Any legal weapon is allowed on fork-antlered deer, and with the short dates the hunt rewards mobility over patience. All three draw pools face very long odds for this hunt.
Archery · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · January 1 – January 15, 2027
The January archery hunt falls in the winter concentration and post-rut recovery phase, when deer have settled into the season's later pattern. January in this unit averages modest snowfall with lows near 19°F, and if substantial snow has accumulated by the opener, concentrating effort on lower shrub and brush and grass and meadow ground where deer gather can pay off, while milder conditions may keep animals spread across a broader range including higher conifer and pinyon-juniper cover. The hunt is limited to archery equipment for fork-antlered deer. Draw odds run very long for residents and for outfitter applicants, while nonresidents applying without an outfitter face long odds.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,700–10,100 ft, typically around 6,000 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 86% gentle · 10% moderate · 4% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~270 sq mi
Habitat & cover
What grows here, by elevation. Each band adds to 100% on its own — these are shares of that band, not of the unit.
Lower elevations
- Shrub and brush68%
- Other cover21%
- Grass and meadow9%
- Riparian2%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush56%
- Grass and meadow31%
- Other cover7%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper6%
Higher elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper62%
- Shrub and brush28%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Other cover3%
- Deciduous forest1%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 16% of Unit 14 is public land by ownership — National Forest, State Trust land, BLM and State Wildlife Management Area. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- National Forest13%
- State Trust land3%
- BLM<1%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- tribal land12%
- military land4%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private67%
Public land includes State Trust land (3% of this unit). You may use it only during your own hunt, plus up to 7 days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads (NM State Land Office / Game Commission easement). Some parcels are withdrawn; check the State Land Office's hunting-access map.
Tribal land requires the tribe's own permission and licence — a New Mexico deer licence is not valid there.
Military land is closed to hunting except where a specific hunt says otherwise.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 86°F, lows around 55°F
- September — highs around 80°F, lows around 48°F
- October — highs around 69°F, lows around 37°F, about 0.4 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 56°F, lows around 26°F, about 0.8 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 46°F, lows around 19°F, about 3.6 in of snowfall
Unit 14 deer hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get a deer licence for Unit 14?
A hunter can apply for one of the draw hunts listed for Unit 14, each identified by its own hunt code and open to fork-antlered deer under different weapons and dates. Alternatively, a hunter can obtain a Private-Land Only Deer License sold outside the draw, which is valid solely on private land with the landowner's written permission and never on any public land, State Trust included.
How hard are the Unit 14 deer hunts to draw, and does it differ by pool?
Odds vary by hunt and by pool. The muzzleloader hunt offers long odds for residents and nonresidents without an outfitter and fair odds for those applying with a registered outfitter, while the archery and any-legal-weapon hunts mostly run very long odds across pools, with the January archery hunt showing long odds for nonresidents applying without an outfitter. All odds are per application, not per person, and are never guaranteed.
Can a nonresident hunt deer in Unit 14?
Yes. Nonresidents can apply for any of the draw hunts either without an outfitter or through the outfitter pool, which is open to both residents and nonresidents, and nonresidents can also obtain a Private-Land Only Deer License for private ground with landowner permission.
Does New Mexico use points for deer in Unit 14?
No. New Mexico has no preference points or bonus points system for deer at all, so every applicant enters the random draw fresh each year regardless of past application history.
How much of Unit 14 is public land, and what is the rule on State Trust land?
About 16 percent of Unit 14 is public land by ownership, including National Forest, BLM, a State Wildlife Management Area, and State Trust land, though ownership does not mean every parcel is open since some are closed or restricted. State Trust land makes up roughly 3 percent of the unit and can be used only during a hunter's own hunt, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads.
Data sources & methodology
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — Hunting Rules & Info booklet (2026-27) — season dates, legal animals, hunt codes and the rules for each hunt
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — How the New Mexico draw works — the random draw, the choices a hunter ranks and how licences are split among the draw pools
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — Applications and draw information — the draw results behind the draw-difficulty bands for each pool
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — Game management unit maps — unit boundaries and the official unit maps
- USGS / MRLC — National Land Cover Database — habitat and cover classes by elevation band
- USGS PAD-US — Protected Areas Database of the United States — land ownership and access
- Daymet daily climate, 1991–2020 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) — fall weather
- National Interagency Fire Center — wildfire perimeters — recent fires, their size and where they burned
Draw difficulty is a qualitative band from first-choice results for each pool, not published odds. Rut phases are regional timing, not New Mexico-specific dates. Land shares are separate, non-overlapping categories. Confirm current dates and rules in the New Mexico Hunting Rules & Info booklet before you hunt. Unit data last updated October 21, 2026.