Unit 16E Deer Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · Part of Unit 16 · 959 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 16E is like
Unit 16E is gentle and rolling country, with the vast majority of its ground classed as gentle slope and only a sliver of steep or rugged terrain. Lower elevations run to shrub and brush and grass and meadow in roughly equal measure, mid elevations lean more heavily to shrub and brush with grass and meadow filling in and a small share of conifer and pinyon-juniper, and the higher country mixes shrub and brush, conifer and pinyon-juniper timber, and grass and meadow in closer balance. Because the slopes are mild almost everywhere, this is foot country in the sense that distances rather than elevation gain wear a hunter down, and glassing across open shrub and grass flats is as much a part of the hunt as working timber at the top end.
About 63 percent of Unit 16E is public land under BLM, National Forest, or State Trust ownership, with State Trust land making up 37 percent of the unit; that ground can be used only during a hunter's own hunt, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads, and some parcels are withdrawn from use. Public ownership here is not the same as guaranteed access, and a hunter should check current status before building a plan around it. The remaining 37 percent is private land that requires written permission. Deer hunters also have the option of a private-land-only licence sold outside the draw, valid solely on private ground with landowner permission and never on any public land. The Buck fire burned roughly 58,000 acres, about 9 percent of the unit, in 2025, mostly on the south side; hunters working that ground should check for current fire closures before heading out.
All five deer seasons here are written for the whole of Unit 16 and run through a random draw, with separate bands for residents, nonresidents without an outfitter, and the outfitter pool, which is open to both residents and nonresidents.
Deer hunts in Unit 16E (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 16E 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, with bucks still carrying antler growth they are about to finish. The gentle, rolling ground in Unit 16E lets an archery hunter cover shrub and brush and grass and meadow at the lower and mid elevations on foot without major elevation gain, while the higher band's mix of timber and open ground gives a change of look later in the hunt. This hunt is written for all of Unit 16 and draws Fair odds for residents, Long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Good odds for those applying with a registered outfitter, all for fork-antlered deer taken with archery tackle.
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, carrying hardened antlers and settled into fall patterns. Snowfall is light this time of year, averaging around 0.6 inches with lows near 26°F, so a muzzleloader hunter can expect open ground rather than deep snow, though any accumulation that does fall is worth watching since the terrain's gentle slopes offer little natural concentration to rely on. The hunt is written for all of Unit 16 for fork-antlered deer, with Fair odds for residents and Long odds for nonresidents hunting without an outfitter.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · November 7 – November 11
The first November any-legal-weapon hunt still falls in the Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern phase, so deer are holding fall patterns rather than shifting into rut behavior. Hunters can work the shrub and brush and grass and meadow flats at lower elevations or push into the conifer and pinyon-juniper timber higher up, with the unit's mild average slope keeping most of that ground walkable. Snowfall averages around 0.6 inches in November with lows near 26°F, conditions that call for layering rather than a change in strategy. This hunt is written for all of Unit 16 for fork-antlered deer, running Long odds for residents, Very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Fair odds for those applying through a registered outfitter.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · November 14 – November 18
A week later, the mid-November any-legal-weapon hunt moves into the Pre-Rut / Seeking Build-Up phase, when activity among bucks may be building ahead of the rut proper. The same gentle terrain and cover mix apply, and November's modest average snowfall of about 0.6 inches with lows near 26°F means a hunter should plan around whatever snow has actually fallen rather than assume open ground. This hunt is written for all of Unit 16 for fork-antlered deer, with Long odds for residents, Very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Good odds for those applying with a registered outfitter.
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 one stretch of the year when rut activity is in full swing in this unit. Cold is more of a factor by January, with snowfall averaging about 1.1 inches and lows near 19°F, so a hunter should be ready to adjust where deer are likely holding if snow has built up rather than assume last month's pattern still applies. The rolling shrub, grass, and timber mix across elevations gives an archer room to work still-hunting or glassing tactics across open ground. This hunt is written for all of Unit 16 for fork-antlered deer, with Fair odds for residents, Long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, and Good odds for those applying with a registered outfitter.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 6,800–9,500 ft, typically around 7,200 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 84% gentle · 14% moderate · 2% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~605 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 brush50%
- Grass and meadow47%
- Other cover3%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush60%
- Grass and meadow33%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper6%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush38%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper36%
- Grass and meadow25%
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 16E. 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.
- Buck fire, 2025 — about 58,000 acres in the unit (9%), mostly on its south side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 63% of Unit 16E is public land by ownership — State Trust land, BLM and National Forest. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- State Trust land37%
- BLM25%
- National Forest<1%
- Private37%
Public land includes State Trust land (37% 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 82°F, lows around 54°F
- September — highs around 77°F, lows around 47°F
- October — highs around 68°F, lows around 36°F, about 0.4 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 56°F, lows around 26°F, about 0.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 47°F, lows around 19°F, about 1.7 in of snowfall
Unit 16E deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a deer licence for Unit 16E without going through the draw?
Yes. Besides the draw hunts, Unit 16E has a private-land-only deer licence sold outside the draw to residents and nonresidents alike. 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.
How hard are the Unit 16E deer hunts to draw, and does it differ by pool?
It does differ by pool. Residents generally see Fair-to-Long odds depending on the hunt, nonresidents applying without an outfitter see Long-to-Very-long odds, and applicants paired with a registered outfitter see Fair-to-Good odds; that outfitter pool is open to both residents and nonresidents, not just nonresidents.
Does New Mexico use preference points or bonus points for these deer hunts?
No. New Mexico has no points system of any kind for deer. Every draw hunt is decided by a random sequence number assigned to each application rather than by accumulated points.
Which Unit 16E deer season falls during the rut?
Only the January 1–15 archery hunt falls in the Primary Rut / Late Rut phase. The September archery hunt, the late-October/early-November muzzleloader hunt, and both November any-legal-weapon hunts fall outside that window, in the Late Fawning/Velvet Shed or Early Fall/Hard-Antler Pattern and Pre-Rut phases.
How much of Unit 16E is public land, and what is the rule on State Trust land there?
About 63 percent of the unit is public land under BLM, National Forest, or State Trust ownership, with State Trust land alone making up 37 percent of the unit. State Trust land can be used only during a hunter's own hunt, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads, and some parcels are withdrawn from use.
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.