Deer hunting in New Mexico Unit 24: hunts, draw and harvest
NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 12 deer hunt codes in Unit 24, 12 of them drawn with 1,725 licenses, from September 1 to January 31, 2027 (pages 60 and 61). In the 2026 draw, 1,673 applicants chose one of these hunts first, for 1,725 licenses (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 1,918 licenses sold, 1,714 hunters reporting, a 30% success rate, 471 bucks and 29 does taken on the Unit 24 hunts.
Data updated October 2026. Hunts: NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information. Draw: NMDOW's 2026 drawing report. Harvest: NMDGF reports to 2025-26.
National forestBLMState trust landWildlife Commission landOther federal (closed)Unit 24Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Unit | Unit 24 |
|---|---|
| Hunt codes, 2026-27 | 12 (12 drawn) |
| Draw licenses | 1,725 |
| Season span | September 1 to January 31, 2027 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 1,673 |
| NMDGF harvest, 2025-26 | 500 (471 bucks, 29 does) |
| Success rate, 2025-26 | 30% (NMDGF) |
| Public land | 63.1% (610,510 acres) |
Which deer hunts are in Unit 24 for 2026-27?
Every deer hunt code NMDOW lists for Unit 24, with the code's own 2025-26 result where NMDGF reported one under the same code and units.
| Hunt code | Where | Weapon | Dates, 2026-27 | Bag limit | Licenses | Who may apply | 2025-26 result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-2-259 | excluding Fort Bayard Management Area, including Double E and River Ranch WMAs | bow | Sep 1-24 | Fork-antlered mule deer | 135 | Any applicant | 135 sold, 28% success, 24 bucks, 10 does |
| DER-2-261 | excluding Fort Bayard Management Area, including Double E and River Ranch WMAs | bow | Sep 1-24 | Fork-antlered white-tailed deer | 60 | Any applicant | 60 sold, 26% success, 3 bucks, 7 does |
| DER-1-253 | including Fort Bayard Management Area | any legal weapon | Sep 26-Oct 4 | Fork-antlered deer (white-tailed or mule deer) | 50 | youth only | 50 sold, 67% success, 29 bucks, 0 does |
| DER-3-263 | excluding Fort Bayard Management Area, including Double E and River Ranch WMAs | muzzleloader | Oct 31-Nov 4 | Fork-antlered mule deer | 280 | Any applicant | 288 sold, 23% success, 57 bucks, 0 does |
| DER-3-264 | excluding Fort Bayard Management Area, including Double E and River Ranch WMAs | muzzleloader | Oct 31-Nov 4 | Fork-antlered white-tailed deer | 75 | Any applicant | 74 sold, 16% success, 10 bucks, 0 does |
| DER-1-254 | excluding Fort Bayard Management Area, including Double E and River Ranch WMAs | any legal weapon | Nov 7-11 | Fork-antlered mule deer | 400 | Any applicant | 400 sold, 26% success, 90 bucks, 0 does |
| DER-1-255 | excluding Fort Bayard Management Area, including Double E and River Ranch WMAs | any legal weapon | Nov 14-18 | Fork-antlered mule deer | 400 | Any applicant | 400 sold, 19% success, 67 bucks, 0 does |
| DER-1-256 | excluding Fort Bayard Management Area, including Double E and River Ranch WMAs | any legal weapon | Nov 21-25 | Fork-antlered white-tailed deer | 100 | Any applicant | 100 sold, 33% success, 30 bucks, 0 does |
| DER-1-257 | including Fort Bayard Management Area | any legal weapon | Nov 21-29 | Fork-antlered deer (white-tailed or mule deer) | 50 | youth only | 50 sold, 67% success, 31 bucks, 0 does |
| DER-1-258 | excluding Fort Bayard Management Area, including Double E and River Ranch WMAs | any legal weapon | Dec 5-13 | Fork-antlered white-tailed deer | 50 | Any applicant | 50 sold, 33% success, 13 bucks, 0 does |
| DER-2-260 | excluding Fort Bayard Management Area, including Double E and River Ranch WMAs | bow | Jan 1-15 | Fork-antlered mule deer | 85 | Any applicant | 85 sold, 34% success, 21 bucks, 5 does |
| DER-2-262 | excluding Fort Bayard Management Area, including Double E and River Ranch WMAs | bow | Jan 16-31 | Fork-antlered white-tailed deer | 40 | Any applicant | 40 sold, 31% success, 9 bucks, 0 does |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 60 and 61. Results: NMDGF 2025-26 deer harvest report. Success rate is NMDGF's own figure.
How many hunters applied for Unit 24 deer in 2026?
1,673 applicants put one of these 12 drawn hunts as their first choice in the 2026 draw, for 1,725 licenses; 778 of them drew on that first choice. The share is NMDOW's 2026 result, not a forecast for another year.
| Hunt code | Licenses | First-choice applicants | Drawn on first choice | Share of first-choice applicants who drew |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-2-259 | 135 | 101 | 85 | 84.2% |
| DER-2-261 | 60 | 14 | 14 | 100% |
| DER-1-253 | 50 | 207 | 41 | 19.8% |
| DER-3-263 | 280 | 67 | 67 | 100% |
| DER-3-264 | 75 | 14 | 14 | 100% |
| DER-1-254 | 400 | 553 | 251 | 45.4% |
| DER-1-255 | 400 | 155 | 122 | 78.7% |
| DER-1-256 | 100 | 115 | 43 | 37.4% |
| DER-1-257 | 50 | 84 | 25 | 29.8% |
| DER-1-258 | 50 | 161 | 33 | 20.5% |
| DER-2-260 | 85 | 169 | 59 | 34.9% |
| DER-2-262 | 40 | 33 | 24 | 72.7% |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report. Applicants and licenses drawn on second and third choices are on each hunt code's page.
How many deer are taken in Unit 24?
NMDGF's totals for the Unit 24 deer hunts, season by season. The newest, 2025-26: 1,918 licenses sold, 1,714 hunters reporting, a 30% success rate, 471 bucks and 29 does taken.
| Season | Licenses sold | Hunters reporting | Success rate | Bucks | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,918 | 1,714 | 30% | 471 | 29 |
| 2024-25 | 1,890 | 1,684 | 31% | 487 | 16 |
| 2023-24 | 1,875 | 1,669 | 31% | 458 | 30 |
| 2022-23 | 1,784 | 1,609 | 29% | 423 | 24 |
| 2021-22 | 1,823 | 1,584 | 28% | 405 | 16 |
| 2020-21 | 1,842 | 1,667 | 31% | 473 | 19 |
| 2019-20 | 1,794 | 1,610 | 29% | 441 | 11 |
| 2018-19 | 1,655 | 1,491 | 30% | 423 | 22 |
| 2017-18 | 1,623 | 1,446 | 31% | 430 | 13 |
| 2016-17 | 1,955 | 1,740 | 28% | 440 | 28 |
Source: NMDOW deer harvest reports, the printed area totals (public-land hunt codes and, where NMDGF counts them in the total, private-land licenses).
How much public land is in Unit 24?
63.1% of Unit 24 is public land, 610,510 of 967,570 acres, most of it national forest (297,471 acres), measured from the BLM New Mexico surface management agency map (read 2026-10). The unit page has the map, highways, towns and neighbors: Unit 24.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in Unit 24?
NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 12 deer hunt codes for Unit 24 with 1,725 draw licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 60 and 61).
What is the deer success rate in Unit 24?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives a 30% success rate for the Unit 24 deer hunts as a whole: 1,714 hunters reported and 500 deer were taken. Across the 10 seasons NMDGF reported for this area, the rate ran from 28% to 31%.
When is deer season in Unit 24 in 2026?
The Unit 24 deer hunts run from September 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Bow hunts start Sep 1, Jan 1 and Jan 16, 6 any legal weapon hunts start between Sep 26 and Dec 5 and muzzleloader hunts start Oct 31 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 60 and 61).
Can nonresidents hunt deer in Unit 24?
Yes, for 12 of the drawn codes. Statewide, at least 84% of draw licenses go to residents, 10% to applicants with a registered outfitter and 6% to nonresidents without one, and antlerless elk and WMA-only hunts are for residents (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 18).