Unit 49 Deer Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 425 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 49 is like
Unit 49 is rolling to moderately steep country, running from about 5,800 feet up to nearly 11,900 feet, with a mean slope around 16 degrees. Most of the ground is conifer and pinyon-juniper timber at every elevation band, thickest at mid-elevation where it covers the large majority of the land; shrub and brush shows up more at lower elevations, and small amounts of deciduous forest and grass and meadow appear higher up. It is foot country for the most part — the kind of unit where glassing from a vantage and then working in on foot covers more ground than trying to drive to a buck.
About 83% of the unit is public land under National Forest, BLM and State Trust ownership, though ownership on paper is not the same as guaranteed access — some parcels are closed or restricted, and State Trust land (1% of the unit) can only be used during a hunter's own hunt, plus up to a week of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads. Private land covers about 13% and requires written permission, while roughly 4.1% is tribal land closed to state-licensed hunting. The Luna fire burned about 7,800 acres on the unit's east side in 2020, and by the seasons described here it is five to eight years old — regrowth in that burn is thick with brush and young growth that can hide animals easily, and dead-fallen timber keeps accumulating. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading out.
Deer here are pursued through the draw hunts below, each awarded by random drawing with no points system involved in New Mexico, or through a private-land-only deer licence sold outside the draw that is valid solely on private land with the landowner's written permission and never on any public ground, State Trust included.
Deer hunts in Unit 49 (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-2-385 | September 1 – September 24 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Fair odds | Fair odds | Good odds | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Any legal weapon DER-1-383 | October 24 – October 28 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Long odds | Long odds | Fair odds | Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
| Any legal weapon DER-1-384 | October 31 – November 4 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Long odds | Long odds | Fair odds | 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 hunters in Unit 49 work the tail end of the velvet-shed and early fall transition, when bucks are holding to familiar summer haunts and settling into a predictable daily rhythm. The approach is to glass at first light across the timbered mid and lower elevations and the shrub and brush pockets to find a buck, mark where he beds in shade or on a north-facing slope, then close the distance in the middle of the day while he holds tight. Evenings call for more glassing, often just to pattern him for a return the next morning rather than force a stalk. A buck that seems to vanish is usually still nearby in a small crevice or draw, and this pattern holds through late September in the same country bucks used all summer. The fork-antlered deer bag applies, and the draw shows fair odds for both resident and nonresident applicants without an outfitter, with good odds for those applying through a registered outfitter.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · October 24 – October 28
The late-October any-legal-weapon hunt falls in the early pre-rut and migration corridor staging phase, when deer may be starting to drift from summer range toward wherever they will rut. The best strategy is covering the ground between those two areas — glassing timbered benches and shrub and brush transition zones that connect higher summer country to lower wintering areas. Some light snowfall is typical for October with lows near freezing, and if snow has accumulated on the higher slopes it is worth checking lower, more sheltered ground where deer may have already shifted. This hunt draws long odds for residents and for nonresidents without an outfitter, improving to fair odds for applicants going through a registered outfitter, and it carries the same fork-antlered deer legal animal under any legal weapon.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · October 31 – November 4
Running into early November, this hunt still sits in the early pre-rut and migration corridor staging phase, so the same cross-country movement applies — deer continuing to work from summer range toward rutting areas, and glassing the connecting terrain remains the way to find them. By November, snowfall averages increase and lows drop further, so where real accumulation has built up in the higher timber, concentrating effort on lower, more sheltered pinyon-juniper and brush country can pay off. The hunt still falls short of the rut itself, so expect deer behavior driven more by staging movement than by breeding activity. Draw odds are long for residents and nonresidents without an outfitter, but fair for those applying with a registered outfitter, and the fork-antlered deer bag applies under any legal weapon.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,800–11,900 ft, typically around 8,900 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 28% gentle · 52% moderate · 19% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~353 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-juniper68%
- Shrub and brush24%
- Other cover6%
- Grass and meadow1%
Mid elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper88%
- Shrub and brush4%
- Deciduous forest3%
- Other cover2%
- Grass and meadow2%
Higher elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper79%
- Grass and meadow9%
- Shrub and brush6%
- Deciduous forest5%
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 49. 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.
- Luna fire, 2020 — about 7,800 acres in the unit (3%), mostly on its east side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 83% of Unit 49 is public land by ownership — National Forest, BLM and State Trust land. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- National Forest74%
- BLM8%
- State Trust land<1%
- tribal land4%
- Private13%
Public land includes State Trust land (1% 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.
Tribal land requires the tribe's own permission and licence — a New Mexico deer licence is not valid there.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 73°F, lows around 46°F
- September — highs around 67°F, lows around 40°F
- October — highs around 57°F, lows around 30°F, about 1.7 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 46°F, lows around 21°F, about 5.5 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 38°F, lows around 14°F, about 10 in of snowfall
Unit 49 deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a deer licence for Unit 49 without going through the draw?
Yes. A Private-Land Only Deer License is 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, even if that land is leased by a private landowner.
How hard is it to draw a deer hunt in Unit 49, and does it vary by pool?
Odds vary by hunt and by pool. The archery hunt shows fair odds for residents and for nonresidents applying without an outfitter, and good odds for applicants using a registered outfitter, while both any-legal-weapon hunts in late October and early November show long odds for residents and non-outfitted nonresidents but fair odds for the outfitter pool. These are per-application odds, not a guarantee, and the outfitter pool is open to both residents and nonresidents.
Can a nonresident hunt deer in Unit 49?
Yes, nonresidents can apply for any of the draw hunts listed for the unit, either on their own or through a registered outfitter, and nonresidents can also obtain a Private-Land Only Deer License for hunting private land with permission. 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. Every application is assigned a random sequence number and processed in that order rather than ranked by accumulated points.
How much of Unit 49 is public land, and does State Trust land work like national forest?
About 83% of the unit is public land under National Forest, BLM, and State Trust ownership, though ownership does not guarantee access since some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land makes up about 1% of the unit and can only be used during a hunter's own hunt, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads.
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.