Unit 15 Deer Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 1,634 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 15 is like
Unit 15 covers 1,634 square miles of rolling country with some steeper breaks, running from a low of 5,700 feet up to 10,200 feet, with most of the hunting happening around 7,700 feet. The slope numbers back this up: two-thirds of the unit is gentle ground, a little over a quarter is moderate, and only a sliver is steep, with no rugged country at all. That makes most of it walkable, foot-huntable terrain rather than technical climbing. Lower elevations mix shrub and brush with conifer and pinyon-juniper and open grass and meadow, mid elevations shift to majority conifer and pinyon-juniper with shrub and brush and some grass, and the higher country is almost entirely conifer and pinyon-juniper timber. That range of cover gives a hunter real choice in how to still-hunt or glass depending on elevation.
About 79% of the unit is public land under National Forest, BLM, and State Trust ownership, though ownership is not the same as guaranteed access — some parcels are closed or restricted, and State Trust land (6% of the unit) can only be used during a hunter's own hunt, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads. The remaining 21% is private, and written permission is required to hunt it. Hunters who want ground without the draw can look at a Private-Land Only Deer License, sold outside the draw to residents and nonresidents alike, valid solely on private land with the landowner's written permission and never on public land, State Trust included. Two fires have burned on the unit's east side: the Antone fire of 2024 and the Bear fire of 2026, both relatively small relative to the unit's overall size; hunters should check for current fire closures before heading out.
Three draw hunts cover fork-antlered deer here, each with its own hunt code and season, and New Mexico has no points of any kind for deer — none to build or hold. Draw hunts are filled by random sequence number rather than by choice order: each application is given a random sequence number, and the computer works through applications in that order. Each application's first, second, and third choices are checked before the next application is processed, so an earlier-sequenced applicant's second or third choice can be awarded before a later-sequenced applicant's first choice is ever considered.
Deer hunts in Unit 15 (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-2-190 | September 1 – September 24 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Fair odds | Long odds | — | Late Fawning / Velvet Shed |
| Muzzleloader DER-3-192 | October 31 – November 4 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Fair odds | Long odds | Good odds | Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern |
| Archery DER-2-191 | January 1 – January 15, 2027 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Fair odds | Long odds | Long odds | Primary Rut / Late Rut |
"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
September in Unit 15 falls in the Late Fawning / Velvet Shed phase, early in the season before any rut activity builds. Archers working this hunt can use the lower and mid-elevation mix of shrub and brush, conifer and pinyon-juniper, and grass and meadow to move quietly and glass across open pockets between timbered draws. The gentle-to-moderate slope across most of the unit makes it reasonable to cover ground on foot looking for fork-antlered deer, whether mule deer or white-tailed. Residents draw this hunt (DER-2-190) at fair odds, while nonresidents applying without an outfitter face long odds.
Muzzleloader · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · October 31 – November 4
By the end of October into early November the unit sits in the Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern phase, with bucks carrying hardened antlers and movement not yet shaped by rut activity. This muzzleloader hunt runs through country where mid and higher elevations are dominated by conifer and pinyon-juniper timber, giving hunters plenty of cover to work through on foot given the mostly gentle terrain. November brings an average of under an inch of snowfall with lows near 24°F, and if any snow has accumulated by the hunt dates it is worth watching how it affects movement through the open grass and meadow patches at lower elevations. Residents hold fair odds on this hunt (DER-3-192), nonresidents without an outfitter face long odds, and those applying with a registered outfitter see good odds.
Archery · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · January 1 – January 15, 2027
The January archery hunt lands squarely in the Primary Rut / Late Rut phase, the only one of the three seasons here that falls during rut activity for fork-antlered deer. Cold is a real factor by this point, with January averaging about 3.3 inches of snowfall and lows around 18°F, and any snow on the ground can concentrate deer and change how they use the shrub and brush versus timbered cover across elevations. The rolling terrain and open grass and meadow at lower elevations give archers lanes to glass into timber edges where deer may be moving. Residents draw at fair odds (DER-2-191), while both nonresidents without an outfitter and those applying with an outfitter face long odds.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,700–10,200 ft, typically around 7,700 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 67% gentle · 27% moderate · 6% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~1,287 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 brush44%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper30%
- Grass and meadow25%
- Other cover1%
Mid elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper58%
- Shrub and brush32%
- Grass and meadow10%
Higher elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper87%
- Shrub and brush8%
- Grass and meadow5%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Recent fires
Wildfires in the last several seasons that burned a meaningful share of Unit 15. Fire perimeters show where a fire burned, not how hot — and closures change through the year, so check current fire closures and restrictions before you go.
- Antone fire, 2024 — about 12,000 acres in the unit (1%), mostly on its east side.
- Bear fire, 2026 — about 7,800 acres in the unit, mostly on its east side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 79% of Unit 15 is public land by ownership — National Forest, BLM and State Trust land. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- National Forest58%
- BLM15%
- State Trust land6%
- Private21%
Public land includes State Trust land (6% 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.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 78°F, lows around 49°F
- September — highs around 74°F, lows around 43°F
- October — highs around 65°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.5 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 55°F, lows around 24°F, about 0.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 47°F, lows around 18°F, about 3.5 in of snowfall
Unit 15 deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a deer licence for Unit 15 without going through the draw?
Yes. New Mexico sells a Private-Land Only Deer License outside the draw to both residents and nonresidents. It is valid only on private land with the landowner's written permission and cannot be used on any public land, including State Trust land (usable only during a hunter's own hunt, plus scouting beforehand).
How hard is it to draw a deer hunt in Unit 15, and does it differ by pool?
It depends on the hunt and the pool. Residents sit at fair odds on all three fork-antlered deer hunts (DER-2-190, DER-3-192, DER-2-191). Nonresidents applying without an outfitter face long odds across all three, while applicants paired with a registered outfitter see good odds on the muzzleloader hunt and long odds on the January archery hunt.
Can a nonresident hunt deer in Unit 15?
Yes, a nonresident can apply for any of the three draw hunts, though the nonresident-without-outfitter pool faces long odds on each. A nonresident can also apply through the outfitter pool, which is open to both residents and nonresidents, or pursue a Private-Land Only Deer License valid solely on private land.
Does New Mexico use preference or bonus points for deer hunts in Unit 15?
No. New Mexico has no points system of any kind for deer. Every application is instead given a random sequence number, and the draw works through applications in that order rather than by any accumulated standing.
Which Unit 15 deer season falls during the rut?
The January 1 – January 15 archery hunt falls in the Primary Rut / Late Rut phase, making it the only one of the three seasons listed here that coincides with rut activity. The September archery hunt falls in the Late Fawning / Velvet Shed phase and the late-October to early-November muzzleloader hunt falls in the Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern phase, both outside the rut.
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.