Unit 9 Deer Hunting, New Mexico
New Mexico hunting unit · 3,328 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. Some hunts here are for New Mexico residents only; a nonresident is not eligible for them.
What hunting Unit 9 is like
Unit 9 is gentle and rolling country, with about 83% of its ground classed as gentle slope and mean slope of only 5.6 degrees — this is walking and glassing country more than climbing country. Lower and mid elevations run heavy to shrub and brush, with pockets of grass and meadow and a touch of riparian at the lowest ground, while the higher elevations mix in conifer and pinyon-juniper timber along with more shrub and brush and some grass and meadow. A hunter can cover long stretches on foot or glass from a rise and expect to pick deer out of open brush rather than fight dense forest, though the shrub cover alone can hide bedded animals surprisingly well.
Only about 24% of Unit 9 is public land by ownership — a mix of BLM, National Forest, State Trust land, and State Wildlife Management Area ground — and that figure is ownership, not a guarantee of access, since some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land (4% of the unit) can be hunted only during a hunter's own hunt, plus up to seven days of scouting beforehand, entering by public or established roads; some parcels are withdrawn, so checking the State Land Office's access map matters. About 48% of the unit is private land requiring written permission, roughly 26% is tribal land closed to state-licensed hunting, and a small unclassified share rounds out the rest. The Triple Nickel fire burned about 8,100 acres on the unit's west side in 2019; by the seasons described here it is five to eight years out, and that ground has grown back thick with brush and saplings tall enough to hide animals, with more deadfall building each year — hunters working that side should check for current fire closures before heading out.
Deer here are pursued either through the draw hunts below or through a private-land-only deer licence sold outside the draw, valid only on private land with the landowner's written permission and never on any public land, State Trust included. New Mexico has no points system of any kind for deer, so every draw application stands on its own each year, run through a random sequence rather than by first choices going first.
Deer hunts in Unit 9 (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-2-167 Including Water Canyon WMA | September 1 – September 24 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Long odds | — | — | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Muzzleloader DER-3-169 Including Water Canyon WMA: restricted muzzleloader only; Restricted muzzleloader | September 27 – October 3 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Long odds | — | Long odds | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Any legal weapon DER-1-164 Including Water Canyon WMA | November 14 – November 18 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Very long odds | Very long odds | — | Primary Rut |
| Any legal weapon DER-1-165 Marquez/LBar WMAs only | November 14 – November 18 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Very long odds | Residents only | Residents only | Primary Rut |
| Archery DER-2-168 Including Water Canyon WMA | January 1 – January 15, 2027 | Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) | Long odds | — | — | Winter Concentration / Post-Rut Recovery |
"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 this early-September window are hunting bucks in the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase, when habits are still built around a morning feed and a long midday bed in shade. The gentle, open shrub-and-brush country here favors a glassing approach: find a buck early, mark where he beds on a shady or north-facing pocket, and either stalk him at midday or wait him out for an evening look before returning the next morning. A buck that vanishes from view is usually still nearby, tucked into a small crevice or draw rather than gone. This hunt, including Water Canyon WMA, carries long odds for residents in the draw.
Muzzleloader · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · September 27 – October 3
By the restricted-muzzleloader week at the end of September into early October, the country has slid into the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase on top of the tail end of the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase, and bucks are growing harder to catch moving in daylight even though most are still holding near their summer ground. The same glass-and-stalk pattern from September still works where bucks show themselves, but hunters should expect more time watching empty-looking brush and shrub cover waiting for a buck to reveal his bedding area. This hunt, limited to restricted muzzleloaders and including Water Canyon WMA, draws long odds for both residents and those applying with an outfitter.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · November 14 – November 18
The mid-November any-legal-weapon hunt falls squarely in the Primary Rut, when bucks are up and moving with does rather than holding to a solitary daytime pattern. Glassing early and late across the unit's open, gentle terrain is the way to find them, and if snow has accumulated by these dates, fresh tracks are worth following and deer pushed out of higher ground tend to show up on easier, more glassable ground below. The surest plan is finding does, since bucks are most likely traveling with or near them. This any-legal-weapon hunt, including Water Canyon WMA, is a very long odds draw for both residents and nonresidents applying without an outfitter.
Any legal weapon · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · November 14 – November 18
Run on the same November dates and falling in the same Primary Rut phase, this hunt plays out identically in terms of deer behavior — bucks tied to does, movement triggered by any snow that has piled up, and the best looks coming early and late in the day across open ground. The difference here is entirely about where and who: this hunt is confined to the Marquez/LBar WMAs, and the draw is closed to nonresidents, whether or not they apply with an outfitter. Residents face very long odds for this limited-area hunt.
Archery · Fork-antlered deer (mule deer or white-tailed) · January 1 – January 15, 2027
The January archery hunt sits in the Winter Concentration / Post-Rut Recovery phase, after the breeding activity of November has passed. With January averaging around 1.2 inches of snowfall and lows near 18°F, any accumulated snow can be a factor in how deer are distributed across the unit's gentle shrub-and-brush and timbered higher ground. This hunt, including Water Canyon WMA, is a long-odds draw for residents in a fork-antlered deer hunt open to mule deer or white-tailed deer.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,900–11,300 ft, typically around 6,400 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 83% gentle · 13% moderate · 3% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~815 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 brush82%
- Other cover13%
- Grass and meadow4%
- Riparian1%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush92%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper3%
- Grass and meadow3%
- Other cover2%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush60%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper34%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Other cover1%
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 9. 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.
- Triple Nickel fire, 2019 — about 8,100 acres in the unit, mostly on its west side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 24% of Unit 9 is public land by ownership — BLM, National Forest, State Trust land and State Wildlife Management Area. Ownership is not the same as legal access: some parcels are closed or restricted.
- BLM11%
- National Forest9%
- State Trust land4%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- National Park Service<1%
- tribal land26%
- Unclassified ownership2%
- Private48%
Public land includes State Trust land (4% 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.
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.
Tribal land requires the tribe's own permission and licence — a New Mexico deer licence is not valid there.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 86°F, lows around 55°F
- September — highs around 80°F, lows around 48°F
- October — highs around 69°F, lows around 36°F, about 0.7 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 56°F, lows around 25°F, about 0.5 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 46°F, lows around 17°F, about 2.8 in of snowfall
Unit 9 deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a deer licence for Unit 9 without going through the draw?
Yes. New Mexico sells a private-land only deer licence 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 Unit 9, including State Trust land.
How hard is it to draw a deer hunt in Unit 9, and does it differ between resident and nonresident applicants?
The bands vary by hunt: the archery hunts and the restricted muzzleloader hunt carry long odds for residents, while the any-legal-weapon November hunts carry very long odds. Nonresidents applying without an outfitter face very long odds on the general any-legal-weapon hunt and cannot apply at all for the Marquez/LBar WMA hunt, since it is reserved for residents in the draw.
Can a nonresident hunt every deer season listed for Unit 9?
No. Nonresidents can apply for the archery hunts, the restricted muzzleloader hunt, and the general any-legal-weapon November hunt, but the Marquez/LBar WMA-only any-legal-weapon hunt is closed to nonresidents in the draw. A nonresident is simply ineligible for that residents-only hunt.
Does New Mexico use preference points or bonus points for deer hunts in Unit 9?
No. New Mexico has no points system of any kind for deer. Every application is assigned a random sequence number each year and processed in that order, so there is nothing to build or hold toward a future year.
How much of Unit 9 can a hunter count on reaching, and what is the rule for State Trust land?
Only about 24% of the unit is public land by ownership, split among BLM, National Forest, State Trust land, and a State Wildlife Management Area, and that ownership share is not a guarantee of access since some parcels are closed or restricted. State Trust land, which makes up about 4% of the unit, can be used only 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.