Unit 22 Deer Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 392 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 22 is like
Unit 22 spans a wide elevation range, from roughly 4,500 feet up to nearly 10,900 feet, and the terrain reflects that stretch: a mix of gentle, moderate, and steep ground, with roughly a third of the unit classed as steep or rugged and a mean slope near 18 degrees. Lower elevations run heavy to shrub and brush with some grass and meadow, mid elevations shift toward conifer and pinyon-juniper timber mixed with brush, and the higher country is dominated by that same timber alongside more brush and little open grass. Most of it is foot country, and a hunter who wants to cover ground and glass across drainages and benches should plan to walk.
Public land accounts for about 71% of the unit's 392 square miles, held across National Forest, BLM, and State Trust land, with the remaining 29% in private ownership that requires written permission to access. That public share is ownership, not a guarantee of access — some parcels are closed or otherwise restricted, so it pays to check status before building a plan around a piece of ground. State Trust land makes up 5% 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. Hunters without a public-land tag in hand still have an option: a private-land-only deer licence sold outside the draw, valid solely on private land with landowner permission and never on any public ground, State Trust included.
Five deer hunts run through Unit 22 across archery, muzzleloader, and any-legal-weapon seasons, spread from early September through mid-January. Odds vary by pool and by hunt, and the draw itself works by a randomly assigned sequence number rather than by choice order, so it's worth understanding the process before applying.
Deer hunts in Unit 22 (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-2-231 | September 1 – September 24 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Good odds | — | — | Late Fawning / Velvet Shed |
| Muzzleloader DER-3-233 | October 31 – November 4 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Good odds | Good odds | — | Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern |
| Any legal weapon DER-1-228 | November 7 – November 11 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Fair odds | Long odds | Fair odds | Early Fall / Hard-Antler Pattern |
| Any legal weapon DER-1-229 | November 14 – November 18 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Fair odds | Long odds | — | Pre-Rut / Seeking Build-Up |
| Archery DER-2-232 | January 1 – January 15, 2027 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Fair 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 early September are working the tail end of the late fawning and velvet-shed phase, when bucks are still settling into their fall patterns. The unit's mix of shrub and brush at lower elevations and timber higher up gives plenty of cover to work through on foot, and the steep-to-rugged third of the terrain rewards hunters willing to climb for a vantage. This hunt carries good odds for residents applying for fork-antlered deer, mule deer or white-tailed, under hunt code DER-2-231.
Muzzleloader · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · October 31 – November 4
The muzzleloader hunt at the end of October falls in the early fall, hard-antler pattern phase, with bucks carrying hardened antlers and settled into fall routines. Hunters can expect to move through a blend of pinyon-juniper and conifer timber at middle elevations and brushier draws lower down, with the unit's mixed terrain offering both open glassing country and tighter cover to still-hunt. Both resident and nonresident applicants without an outfitter see good odds for this fork-antlered deer hunt, listed under hunt code DER-3-233.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · November 7 – November 11
The first November any-legal-weapon hunt also falls within the early fall, hard-antler pattern phase, putting hunters after bucks that are still on relatively predictable patterns before the rut building begins. The terrain's steep and rugged sections can hold deer away from easier access points, so covering the timber and brush mix at mid and higher elevations takes some legwork. Draw odds here are fair for residents and for those applying with a registered outfitter, but long for nonresidents applying without one, under hunt code DER-1-228.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · November 14 – November 18
By the second week of November, the pre-rut and seeking build-up phase is underway, meaning buck activity may be building as the season progresses. Hunters working the unit's timbered mid- and higher-elevation country, or the brushier lower ground, are hunting fork-antlered deer under any legal weapon. Odds run fair for residents and long for nonresidents without an outfitter, under hunt code DER-1-229.
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, the only hunt here that falls during that window. January in this unit averages around an inch of snowfall with lows near 24 degrees, and if snow has accumulated by the time of the hunt, deer may be found concentrated at lower elevations where brush and grass cover offers easier movement; in milder conditions they may still be using higher timbered ground. This fork-antlered deer hunt carries fair odds for residents under hunt code DER-2-232.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,500–10,900 ft, typically around 6,200 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 36% gentle · 28% moderate · 33% steep · 3% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~278 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 brush77%
- Grass and meadow14%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper7%
- Other cover2%
Mid elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper50%
- Shrub and brush38%
- Grass and meadow11%
Higher elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper51%
- Shrub and brush46%
- Grass and meadow2%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 71% of Unit 22 is public land by ownership — National Forest, State Trust land and BLM. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- National Forest65%
- State Trust land5%
- BLM<1%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private29%
Public land includes State Trust land (5% 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 83°F, lows around 56°F
- September — highs around 78°F, lows around 50°F
- October — highs around 69°F, lows around 39°F
- November — highs around 59°F, lows around 30°F
- December — highs around 50°F, lows around 24°F, about 1.7 in of snowfall
Unit 22 deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a deer licence for Unit 22 without going through the draw?
Yes. A private-land-only deer licence is sold 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.
How hard is it to draw a deer hunt in Unit 22, and does it differ by pool?
Odds vary by hunt and by pool. Residents see good odds on the September archery and October-November muzzleloader hunts and fair odds on the two November any-legal-weapon hunts and the January archery hunt, while nonresidents applying without an outfitter face long odds on both any-legal-weapon hunts; applying with a registered outfitter brings fair odds on the first November hunt.
Can a nonresident hunt deer in Unit 22?
Yes. Nonresidents can apply for 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 licence outside the draw for hunting private land with permission.
Does New Mexico use preference points or bonus points for deer draws?
No. New Mexico has no points system of any kind for deer. Every application is assigned a random sequence number and the draw works through applications in that order.
Which Unit 22 deer season falls during the rut?
The January 1–15 archery hunt falls within the primary rut and late rut phase. The other four seasons, running from September through mid-November, fall outside that window, with the two November hunts in the early fall/hard-antler and pre-rut phases.
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.