Unit 18 Deer Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 2,445 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 18 is like
Unit 18 is gentle, rolling country — almost all of it gentle slope by the numbers, with only a sliver of steep or rugged ground — which makes it foot-friendly but also means cover is thin and deer have a lot of open country to watch a hunter cross. Shrub and brush dominate at every elevation band, from the lowest ground up through the higher ground, with grass and meadow mixed in throughout and a bit of riparian cover down low and some conifer and pinyon-juniper woodland up high. Hunting here is mostly a glassing-and-stalking game across open shrub flats and benches rather than a timber hunt.
About sixty percent of the unit is public land by ownership — a mix of BLM, State Trust land, and a wildlife management area — but that ownership figure overstates what a hunter can actually walk onto. State Trust land can only be used during a hunter's own hunt, plus a short scouting window beforehand, and entry has to be by public or established roads; some parcels are withdrawn entirely. The unit also contains a unitized ranch, Carey Well Ranch, where the State Trust and BLM acreage inside it is closed and treated as private even though it still counts toward the public total — the ranch's own private land, by agreement, is what opens to public hunters there. Private land covers about thirty percent of the unit and requires written permission, and a hunter can also apply for a Private-Land-Only deer licence outside the draw, which is valid solely on private ground with permission and never on any public land, State Trust included.
Every hunt listed here runs through the random draw by hunt code, with separate bands for residents, nonresidents without an outfitter, and applicants using a registered outfitter, the last of which is open to both residents and nonresidents. New Mexico has no points system for deer of any kind, so every application each year stands on its own in that random draw.
Deer hunts in Unit 18 (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-2-209 | September 1 – September 24 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Good odds | — | — | Late Fawning / Velvet Shed |
| Muzzleloader DER-3-211 | October 31 – November 4 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Good odds | — | — | Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern |
| Any legal weapon DER-1-207 | November 7 – November 11 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Long odds | Very long odds | Good odds | Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern |
| Any legal weapon DER-1-208 | November 14 – November 18 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Long odds | Very long odds | — | Pre-Rut / Seeking Build-Up |
| Archery DER-2-210 | January 1 – January 15, 2027 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Fair odds | Very 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
Archery hunters in the first half of September are working the tail end of the late fawning and velvet-shed phase, when deer are still settled into their late-summer pattern. The gentle, open shrub-and-brush country here gives little to break up a stalk, so covering ground to find deer using the thin riparian pockets or grass-and-meadow patches at lower elevation is the name of the game. This hunt carries good odds for residents and allows any fork-antlered deer, mule deer or white-tailed, taken with archery tackle.
Muzzleloader · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · October 31 – November 4
By the end of October into early November the unit has settled into the early fall, hard-antler pattern phase, with deer carrying hardened antlers and moving through their fall routine across the open shrub and brush. A muzzleloader hunter here is working mostly flat to gently rolling ground with little steep terrain to climb, which makes it easier to cover country but harder to close distance without cover. Snowfall this time of year averages only a few tenths of an inch with lows near the high twenties, so a hunter should plan around whatever cold has actually settled in rather than expect it. The hunt draws good odds for residents and is open to any legal weapon on any fork-antlered deer.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · November 7 – November 11
This any-legal-weapon hunt in early-to-mid November falls in the same early fall, hard-antler pattern phase as the muzzleloader season, with deer still on their fall pattern across the unit's mostly gentle, shrub-dominated ground. November temperatures average lows near 29°F with light snowfall, so hunters should gauge movement by what snow has actually fallen rather than assume deer have been pushed anywhere. Draw odds are long for residents and very long for nonresidents without an outfitter, but applicants who go in with a registered outfitter see good odds for this hunt. Any fork-antlered deer, mule deer or white-tailed, is legal for any weapon type.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · November 14 – November 18
The mid-November hunt shifts into the pre-rut, seeking build-up phase, meaning buck activity may be building as the rut approaches, though nothing here yet qualifies as full rutting behavior. Hunters face the same open, gently rolling shrub-and-brush terrain as earlier fall hunts, with limited steep ground to use for concealment. Snowfall stays light on average with lows around 29°F, so hunters should read actual accumulated snow rather than count on it to move deer. This any-legal-weapon hunt draws long odds for residents and very long odds for nonresidents without an outfitter, with no outfitter-pool band given.
Archery · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · January 1 – January 15, 2027
The January archery hunt lands squarely in the primary rut and late rut phase for this southwestern desert unit, the one stretch of the season calendar here where rutting activity is in full swing. Open shrub and brush cover across gentle terrain means an archer has to use what grass-and-meadow or woodland pockets exist at higher elevation to get close, since there's little steep ground to break line of sight. January averages light snowfall with lows near 22°F, so cold snaps should be judged by what has actually accumulated rather than assumed. Draw odds run fair for residents, long for those applying with an outfitter, and very long for nonresidents without one, and any fork-antlered deer is legal for archery equipment.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,500–7,500 ft, typically around 5,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 88% gentle · 11% moderate · 1% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~1,477 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 brush86%
- Grass and meadow8%
- Other cover3%
- Riparian3%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush93%
- Grass and meadow7%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush77%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper12%
- Grass and meadow11%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 60% of Unit 18 is public land by ownership — BLM, State Trust land and State Wildlife Management Area. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted. That figure still counts State Trust and BLM land inside the unit's unitized ranch (Carey Well Ranch), which is closed to hunting — so the dependably open share is lower.
- BLM37%
- State Trust land23%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- military land<1%
- Unclassified ownership9%
- Private30%
Public land includes State Trust land (23% 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. Unitized ranch in this unit: Carey Well Ranch. State Trust and BLM land inside them is treated as private and closed to hunting — it is still counted in the huntable figure above — while the ranch's private land in the agreement is open to public hunters. See NMDOW's unitized-ranch maps.
Military land is closed to hunting except where a specific hunt says otherwise.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 89°F, lows around 59°F
- September — highs around 83°F, lows around 52°F
- October — highs around 73°F, lows around 40°F, about 0.2 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 61°F, lows around 29°F, about 0.4 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 51°F, lows around 22°F, about 1.2 in of snowfall
Unit 18 deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a deer licence for Unit 18 without going through the draw?
Yes. New Mexico sells a Private-Land Only Deer License outside the draw to residents and nonresidents alike. That licence is valid only on private land with the landowner's written permission and cannot be used on any public land in the unit, including State Trust land.
How hard is it to draw a deer hunt in Unit 18, and does it differ between pools?
Odds vary a lot by hunt and pool. The September archery and late-October muzzleloader hunts carry good odds for residents, the January archery hunt is fair for residents, and the two November any-legal-weapon hunts run long to very long odds for residents and nonresidents without an outfitter; applicants pairing up with a registered outfitter see notably better odds on some of these hunts.
Can a nonresident hunt deer in Unit 18?
Yes, nonresidents can apply for any of the draw hunts listed for the unit, and they can also obtain a Private-Land Only Deer License outside the draw. Draw odds for nonresidents without an outfitter tend to run long to very long on the more competitive any-legal-weapon hunts, though the outfitter pool is open to both residents and nonresidents.
Does New Mexico use preference points for deer in Unit 18?
No. New Mexico has no points system of any kind for deer, so there is nothing to build or hold from year to year. Every application in the random draw stands on its own regardless of past application history.
How much of Unit 18 is public land a hunter can count on, and what is the State Trust rule?
About sixty percent of the unit is public land by ownership, including BLM, State Trust land, and a wildlife management area, but that figure is not a measure of guaranteed access since some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land can only be used during a hunter's own hunt plus a short scouting window beforehand, entered by public or established roads, and the State Trust and BLM acreage inside the unit's Carey Well Ranch is closed to hunting even though it still counts in that sixty percent.
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.