Unit 46 Deer Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 1,260 sq mi
Private-land hunts — unlimited licences, no draw
Every deer hunt in Unit 46 is a private-land hunt: unlimited licences with no draw, valid on private land only — deeded private land, with the landowner's written permission. They are not valid on National Forest, BLM or State Trust land.
What hunting Unit 46 is like
Unit 46 covers 1,260 square miles of gentle and rolling country, with mean slope of just 7.1 degrees and three-quarters of the unit classed as gentle terrain. Elevations run from 6,200 feet up to 11,100 feet, with most hunting happening around 7,200 feet, through a mix of conifer and pinyon-juniper, shrub and brush, grass and meadow, and a little riparian cover. It is walkable, open country well suited to glassing, but every deer hunt here is a private-land hunt, so the terrain and cover numbers describe the landscape rather than where a hunter can actually go.
Public land by ownership amounts to only about 0.2 percent of the unit, all of it State Trust land, usable only during a hunter's own hunt (plus a short scouting window before it) and never guaranteed open. Roughly 98 percent of Unit 46 is private, and every deer licence here — whether an unlimited archery, muzzleloader, or any-legal-weapon tag — is valid only on deeded private land with the landowner's written permission. None of these licences can be used on any public land, State Trust included. The Calf Canyon fire of 2022 burned about 17 percent of the unit, mostly on the west side, and the Hermits Peak fire the same year burned about 4 percent of it on the southwest side; both are now two to four years past, old enough that the burned ground can glass well and carry good feed. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading out.
Because every hunt here carries unlimited licences rather than draw bands, there is no random draw to navigate and no points system to worry about — New Mexico does not use points of any kind for deer. Instead, success in Unit 46 comes down to lining up private-land access ahead of time, since the licence itself is sold outside the draw and the ground that matters is almost entirely in private hands.
Deer hunts in Unit 46 (2026–27)
Each row is a private-land hunt, selected by its hunt code. Licences are unlimited and there is no draw, so there are no draw odds to show. They are valid on private land only, with the landowner's written permission.
| Hunt | Dates | Legal deer | Resident | Nonresident, no outfitter | With an outfitter | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery DER-2-506 Private land only: deeded private land with the landowner's written permission. Not valid on any public land, State Trust land included | September 1 – September 24 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Private-land hunt — unlimited licences, no draw | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition | ||
| Muzzleloader DER-3-507 Private land only: deeded private land with the landowner's written permission. Not valid on any public land, State Trust land included | September 27 – October 3 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Private-land hunt — unlimited licences, no draw | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase | ||
| Any legal weapon DER-1-504 Private land only: deeded private land with the landowner's written permission. Not valid on any public land, State Trust land included | October 24 – October 28 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Private-land hunt — unlimited licences, no draw | Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging | ||
| Any legal weapon DER-1-505 Private land only: deeded private land with the landowner's written permission. Not valid on any public land, State Trust land included | October 31 – November 4 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Private-land hunt — unlimited licences, no draw | Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging | ||
"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 season opens with bucks still in the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase, feeding into the morning before bedding down in shade for most of the day. The gentle, rolling terrain and mix of timber and shrub and brush make it practical to glass shady pockets and north-facing slopes at first light, mark where a buck beds, and close the distance in the middle of the day while he is settled. Evening glassing often serves better to simply locate a buck and watch him until dark, then return for him the next morning. This is an unlimited archery licence valid only on deeded private land with written permission, and it covers fork-antlered deer, either mule deer or white-tailed.
Muzzleloader · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · September 27 – October 3
By the muzzleloader season bucks have mostly shed velvet and settled into habits much like archery season, though they tend to bed earlier and stay down later, and by October they grow increasingly nocturnal. Most are still holding near the same ground they used through summer, so the same morning and evening glassing approach — finding a buck, watching where he beds, and still-hunting the crevices and draws where he seems to vanish — continues to pay off across the unit's open, gently sloped country. The licence for this hunt is unlimited and private-land only, with no public or State Trust access, and it covers the same fork-antlered deer, mule deer or white-tailed. Hunters working ground on the unit's west or southwest sides should bear in mind those areas carry the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak burns from 2022, now in the two-to-four-year window when regrowth draws deer in to feed at the margins of standing timber.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · October 24 – October 28
Late October falls in the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase, when deer activity toward rutting ground may be building in places where deer migrate, though not every deer in the unit follows a predictable corridor. The practical approach is to glass the country between summer range and likely rutting ground, watching the open grass and meadow and shrub and brush for movement as bucks begin shifting. This short five-day hunt is an unlimited, any-legal-weapon licence for fork-antlered deer, valid only on private land with the landowner's permission and never on public or State Trust ground.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · October 31 – November 4
Running into early November, this hunt sits in the same Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase, with some deer continuing to work toward rutting ground where migration occurs, though this should not be read as a guarantee every animal is on the move. Glassing the ground between summer haunts and likely rutting areas remains the approach, and a bit of snowfall and colder mornings can push deer to feed a little earlier in the day. Like the other fall hunts, this is an unlimited any-legal-weapon licence for fork-antlered deer, usable only on deeded private land with written permission and not on any public or State Trust land.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 6,200–11,100 ft, typically around 7,200 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 75% gentle · 21% moderate · 4% steep · 0% rugged
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.
Across the unit
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper43%
- Shrub and brush33%
- Grass and meadow18%
- Other cover3%
- Riparian2%
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 46. 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.
- Calf Canyon fire, 2022 — about 135,000 acres in the unit (17%), mostly on its west side.
- Hermits Peak fire, 2022 — about 35,000 acres in the unit (4%), mostly on its southwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
Every hunt in Unit 46 is a private-land hunt, so the public land below is not open to these licences — they are valid on private land only, with the landowner's written permission. The ownership breakdown describes the unit, not where these licences can be used.
- State Trust land<1%
- National Park Service<1%
- Unclassified ownership2%
- Private98%
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 81°F, lows around 50°F
- September — highs around 76°F, lows around 43°F
- October — highs around 66°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.9 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 55°F, lows around 24°F, about 2 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 47°F, lows around 17°F, about 5.1 in of snowfall
Unit 46 deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a deer licence for Unit 46 without going through a draw?
Yes. Every deer hunt listed for Unit 46 is an unlimited licence sold outside the draw, with no quota and no draw bands. These licences are valid only on deeded private land with the landowner's written permission and are never valid on public land, including State Trust land.
Where can a hunter actually use an unlimited Unit 46 deer licence?
An unlimited licence in Unit 46 can only be used on private land with written permission from the landowner. It cannot be used on any public land in the unit, including the small amount of State Trust land, even where that land is leased to a private operator.
Does New Mexico use points for deer hunting in Unit 46?
No. New Mexico has no preference points or bonus points system for deer at all, in Unit 46 or anywhere else in the state. A hunter simply applies for or purchases the licence type available each season without accumulating anything over time.
Do any of the Unit 46 deer seasons fall during the rut?
No. All four fork-antlered deer seasons in Unit 46 fall outside the regional Primary Rut phase. The two late-fall hunts sit in the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase, when activity toward rutting ground may be building in places where deer migrate, but none of the seasons reach the rut itself.
How much of Unit 46 is public land, and does that matter for these hunts?
Only about 0.2 percent of Unit 46 is public land by ownership, all of it State Trust land usable only during a hunter's own hunt and a short scouting window beforehand. It does not matter for these particular hunts, though, since every deer licence in Unit 46 is valid on private land only and cannot be used on State Trust or any other public ground.
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
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 20, 2026.