DER-1-158: deer hunt in Unit 7, Nov 7-11
DER-1-158 is a 2026-27 New Mexico draw hunt for a fork-antlered deer with any legal weapon in Unit 7, November 7 to 11, with 30 licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 56). In the 2026 draw, 249 applicants chose it first and 12 of them drew it (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 30 licenses sold, 26 hunters reporting, a 56% success rate, 12 bucks and 0 does taken.
Data updated October 2026. Hunt: NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 56. Draw: NMDOW's 2026 and 2025 drawing reports. Results: NMDGF harvest reports.
National forestBLMState trust landBureau of ReclamationNational Park ServiceTribal landUnit 7Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Species and bag | Deer: Fork-antlered deer (white-tailed or mule deer) |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Any legal weapon |
| Dates | November 7 to 11 (2026-27) |
| Unit | Unit 7 |
| Licenses | 30 (drawn) |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 | 249 (12 drew on first choice) |
| Result, 2025-26 | 56% success, 12 bucks, 0 does |
| Public land in the hunt's units | 36% |
How many hunters applied for DER-1-158?
249 applicants chose DER-1-158 first in the 2026 draw and 12 drew it on that choice, 4.8% of them. 30 of the 30 licenses were drawn in all. In 2025: 229 first-choice applicants and 12 drawn on first choice. These are NMDOW's results for those draws, not a forecast.
| Pool, 2026 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 197 | 312 | 322 | 11 | 26 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 45 | 60 | 119 | 1 | 1 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 7 | 51 | 73 | 0 | 3 |
| All applicants | 249 | 423 | 514 | 12 | 30 |
| Pool, 2025 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 171 | 304 | 319 | 12 | 26 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 48 | 229 | 99 | 0 | 1 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 10 | 379 | 105 | 0 | 3 |
| All applicants | 229 | 912 | 523 | 12 | 30 |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report and NMDOW 2025 big game drawing report.
How did hunters do on DER-1-158?
NMDGF's results for DER-1-158, season by season, for every season it reported this code in the same units. The newest success rate is 56% (2025-26), from 26 hunters reporting. Licenses sold went from 30 in 2023-24 to 30 in 2025-26. NMDGF also prints private-land licenses under DER-1-158 (52 in 2025-26); they have their own column and are not counted in the drawn hunt's results.
| Season | Bag | Dates | Licenses sold | Hunters reporting | Success rate | Bucks | Does | Days hunted, average | Hunter satisfaction, 1 to 5 | Private-land licenses, same code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | FAD | 11/1-11/5 | 30 | 26 | 56% | 12 | 0 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 52 (15 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2024-25 | FAD | Nov 2-6 | 31 | 29 | 33% | 9 | 0 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 59 (9 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2023-24 | FAD | Nov 4-8 | 30 | 26 | 42% | 12 | 0 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 65 (12 bucks, 0 does) |
Source: NMDGF 2025-26 deer harvest report, NMDGF 2024-25 deer harvest report and NMDGF 2023-24 deer harvest report and earlier NMDOW deer harvest reports.
How does DER-1-158 compare with the other Unit 7 deer hunts?
DER-1-158 is one of 4 deer hunt codes NMDOW lists for Unit 7 in 2026-27. In the 2026 draw it had the most first-choice applicants of the 4 drawn ones (249). Its 2025-26 success rate, 56%, was the highest of the 4 codes NMDGF reported there that season. Unit 7 deer hunts has all of them side by side, with the area's harvest by season. The hunt's units are 36% public land (789,010 acres).
Questions hunters ask
How many licenses does DER-1-158 have?
NMDOW lists 30 licenses for DER-1-158 in 2026-27 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 56). NMDGF's 2024-25 report shows 31 sold.
What is the success rate for DER-1-158?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives DER-1-158 a 56% success rate, from 26 hunters reporting. Over the 3 seasons NMDGF reported it, the rate ran from 33% to 56%.
How many people applied for DER-1-158 in 2026?
1,186 applicants listed DER-1-158 as a first, second or third choice in the 2026 draw; 249 chose it first and 12 of those drew it, 4.8% of first-choice applicants (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025, 229 chose it first.
Can nonresidents apply for DER-1-158?
Yes. Nonresidents draw from the 6% of licenses set aside for them, or the 10% for applicants with a registered outfitter (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 18).