Unit 16B Deer Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · Part of Unit 16 · 943 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 16B is like
Unit 16B is mixed country, with substantial steep ground, running from low country near 4,800 feet up through timbered benches to just under 11,000 feet. At the lower elevations conifer and pinyon-juniper cover dominates alongside shrub and brush with a little grass and meadow; mid elevations become even more thickly timbered; the higher country opens slightly with more shrub and brush and a small amount of deciduous forest mixed into the conifer and pinyon-juniper. With close to a third of the ground classed steep or rugged and a mean slope over 19 degrees, this is foot-and-glass country in most places, with horses or a lot of boot leather needed to cover the moderate and gentle benches that make up the rest.
Public land under National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area ownership covers essentially all of Unit 16B, but ownership is not the same as guaranteed access — some parcels carry restrictions, and any State Trust land present can only be used during a hunter's own hunt dates, plus limited scouting beforehand. A hunter without access to private ground can also pursue a Private-Land Only Deer License sold outside the draw, valid solely on private land with written landowner permission and never on public land of any kind. Two fires have touched the unit in the last several years: the Black fire of 2022 burned about 134,000 acres on the east side, and the Pass fire of 2023 burned about 31,000 acres on the north side; hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
The draw hunts listed here are written for all of Unit 16, not just the 16B portion, so a hunter applying for any of them is in the running across the larger unit. Every application draws a random sequence number, and the computer works through the applications in that order. Each application's first, second, and third choices are checked before the next application is processed, so an earlier-sequenced application can have even its second or third choice awarded before a later-sequenced application's first choice is ever considered.
Deer hunts in Unit 16B (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. Unit 16B is part of Unit 16; a hunt marked as written for all of Unit 16 is valid across its sub-units.
| Hunt | Dates | Legal deer | Resident | Nonresident, no outfitter | With an outfitter | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery DER-2-198 Written for all of Unit 16 | September 1 – September 24 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Fair odds | Long odds | Good odds | Late Fawning / Velvet Shed |
| Muzzleloader DER-3-200 Written for all of Unit 16 | October 31 – November 4 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Fair odds | Long odds | — | Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern |
| Any legal weapon DER-1-194 Written for all of Unit 16 | November 7 – November 11 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Long odds | Very long odds | Fair odds | Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern |
| Any legal weapon DER-1-196 Written for all of Unit 16 | November 14 – November 18 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Long odds | Very long odds | Good odds | Pre-Rut / Seeking Build-Up |
| Archery DER-2-199 Written for all of Unit 16 | January 1 – January 15, 2027 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Fair odds | Long odds | Good 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
Early September finds deer in the Late Fawning / Velvet Shed phase, still holding to the thicker timber and brush before cooler weather starts to shift patterns. Archers working Unit 16B's steep, timbered ground have to commit to covering real vertical distance on foot, using the mix of conifer and pinyon-juniper and shrub and brush to close distance on fork-antlered mule deer or whitetails. With a Fair draw for residents, Long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Good odds for those applying with an outfitter, this early archery hunt under code DER-2-198 is one of the more approachable draws on the calendar for Unit 16.
Muzzleloader · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · October 31 – November 4
By late October into early November deer are in the Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern phase, settled into fairly consistent use of the timber and brush before the rut gets underway. Muzzleloader hunters in Unit 16B are working the same steep, mixed terrain as the archery season, and with November averaging around 0.6 inches of snowfall and lows near 27°F, any snow that does accumulate is worth factoring into where a hunter chooses to glass and climb. This hunt, DER-3-200, carries Fair odds for residents and Long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, with no outfitter pool offered.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · November 7 – November 11
The second week of November still falls within the Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern phase, so deer behavior here resembles the muzzleloader hunt that precedes it rather than the rut hunts that follow later in the year. Any-legal-weapon hunters have more tools to work the unit's steep ground and timbered cover, and the same modest November snowfall and cold lows apply, worth watching if accumulation builds over the hunt's five days. Draw odds are tougher on this one, DER-1-194, with Long odds for residents, Very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Fair odds for those applying with an outfitter.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · November 14 – November 18
A week later, deer have shifted into the Pre-Rut / Seeking Build-Up phase, meaning activity may be building as the season progresses even though the rut itself has not arrived. Hunters covering Unit 16B's mixed timber and brush with any legal weapon should expect the same late-fall cold and modest snowfall as the prior hunt, adjusting travel and glassing plans if snow has piled up. This hunt, DER-1-196, draws Long odds for residents, Very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Good odds for applicants with an outfitter.
Archery · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · January 1 – January 15, 2027
The January archery hunt falls squarely in the Primary Rut / Late Rut phase, the only hunt on this unit's calendar to do so, and deer behavior through this stretch reflects that rut activity rather than the hard-antler patterns of the fall hunts. January brings heavier average snowfall near 3.1 inches and lows around 21°F, so archers should be ready to adjust to accumulated snow when picking which elevations and cover to work in the unit's steep, timbered terrain. Draw odds for DER-2-199 run Fair for residents, Long for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Good for those applying with an outfitter.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,800–10,800 ft, typically around 7,400 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 25% gentle · 44% moderate · 29% steep · 3% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~942 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
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper66%
- Shrub and brush28%
- Grass and meadow5%
Mid elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper84%
- Shrub and brush13%
- Grass and meadow3%
Higher elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper63%
- Shrub and brush29%
- Grass and meadow6%
- Deciduous forest2%
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 16B. 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.
- Black fire, 2022 — about 134,000 acres in the unit (22%), mostly on its east side.
- Pass fire, 2023 — about 31,000 acres in the unit (5%), mostly on its north side.
- Cub fire, 2020 — about 26,000 acres in the unit (4%), mostly on its northwest side.
- Good fire, 2020 — about 18,000 acres in the unit (3%), toward the middle of the unit.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 100% of Unit 16B is public land by ownership — National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- National Forest100%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- National Park Service<1%
Hunting is allowed on some National Park Service land (a national preserve, for example) but not in national parks, monuments or historical parks — check where it is allowed.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 77°F, lows around 51°F
- September — highs around 73°F, lows around 46°F
- October — highs around 64°F, lows around 36°F, about 0.2 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 54°F, lows around 27°F, about 0.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 46°F, lows around 21°F, about 4.3 in of snowfall
Unit 16B deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a deer licence for Unit 16B without going through the draw?
Yes. A Private-Land Only Deer License is sold outside the draw to residents and nonresidents alike, but it is valid only on private land with the landowner's written permission. It cannot be used on any public land in the unit, including State Trust land, even where a landowner leases that ground.
How hard is it to draw a deer hunt here, and does it differ by pool?
Odds vary by hunt and by which of the three pools an applicant falls into: resident, nonresident without an outfitter, or applying with a registered outfitter (a pool open to both residents and nonresidents). For example, the September archery hunt runs Fair odds for residents, Long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Good odds for those applying with an outfitter, while the November 7-11 any-weapon hunt is tougher across the board. These are per-application odds in a random draw, never guaranteed.
Can a nonresident hunt deer in Unit 16B?
Yes, a nonresident can apply for any of the draw hunts written for Unit 16, either without an outfitter or through the outfitter pool, and can also obtain a Private-Land Only Deer License for private ground. None of the deer hunts listed for this unit are restricted to residents only.
Does New Mexico use preference points or bonus points for deer draws?
No. New Mexico has no points system of any kind for deer, so an applicant's chances in a given year depend only on the random sequence number assigned to that application, not on any accumulated history.
How much of Unit 16B is public land, and can a hunter rely on State Trust land there?
Public land under National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area ownership covers essentially all of Unit 16B, but ownership alone does not guarantee access since some parcels carry restrictions. Any State Trust land in the unit can only be used during a hunter's own hunt, plus a short scouting window beforehand, so it is not ground a hunter can count on outside those dates.
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.