DER-1-227: deer hunt in Units 21A and 21B, Dec 5-13
DER-1-227 is a 2026-27 New Mexico draw hunt for a fork-antlered white-tailed deer with any legal weapon in Units 21A and 21B, December 5 to 13, with 25 licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 59). In the 2026 draw, 106 applicants chose it first and 15 of them drew it (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 25 licenses sold, 25 hunters reporting, a 47% success rate, 9 bucks and 0 does taken.
Data updated October 2026. Hunt: NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 59. Draw: NMDOW's 2026 and 2025 drawing reports. Results: NMDGF harvest reports.
National forestBLMState trust landBureau of ReclamationState parkTribal landUnits 21A and 21BUnit linesLake or riverHighway
| Species and bag | Deer: Fork-antlered white-tailed deer |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Any legal weapon |
| Dates | December 5 to 13 (2026-27) |
| Units | Unit 21A, Unit 21B |
| Licenses | 25 (drawn) |
| NMDOW fee class | high-demand |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 | 106 (15 drew on first choice) |
| Result, 2025-26 | 47% success, 9 bucks, 0 does |
| Public land in the hunt's units | 67.5% |
How many hunters applied for DER-1-227?
106 applicants chose DER-1-227 first in the 2026 draw and 15 drew it on that choice, 14.2% of them. 25 of the 25 licenses were drawn in all. In 2025: 122 first-choice applicants and 20 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 | 71 | 49 | 97 | 13 | 21 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 17 | 20 | 25 | 0 | 1 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 18 | 17 | 13 | 2 | 3 |
| All applicants | 106 | 86 | 135 | 15 | 25 |
| Pool, 2025 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 65 | 43 | 97 | 16 | 21 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 48 | 21 | 31 | 2 | 2 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 9 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 2 |
| All applicants | 122 | 66 | 144 | 20 | 25 |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report and NMDOW 2025 big game drawing report.
How did hunters do on DER-1-227?
NMDGF's results for DER-1-227, season by season, for every season it reported this code in the same units. The newest success rate is 47% (2025-26), from 25 hunters reporting. Licenses sold went from 25 in 2023-24 to 25 in 2025-26. NMDGF also prints private-land licenses under DER-1-227 (2 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 | FAWTD | 12/6-12/14 | 25 | 25 | 47% | 9 | 0 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 2 (0 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2024-25 | FAWTD | Dec 7-15 | 25 | 24 | 44% | 8 | 0 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 5 (1 buck, 0 does) |
| 2023-24 | FAWTD | Dec 2-10 | 25 | 25 | 40% | 8 | 0 | 4.1 | 3 | 6 (0 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-1-227 compare with the other Units 21A and 21B deer hunts?
DER-1-227 is one of 7 deer hunt codes NMDOW lists for Units 21A and 21B in 2026-27. In the 2026 draw it had the 4th most first-choice applicants of the 7 drawn ones (106). Its 2025-26 success rate, 47%, was the highest of the 7 codes NMDGF reported there that season. Units 21A and 21B deer hunts has all of them side by side, with the area's harvest by season. The hunt's units are 67.5% public land (1,304,033 acres).
Questions hunters ask
How many licenses does DER-1-227 have?
NMDOW lists 25 licenses for DER-1-227 in 2026-27 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 59). NMDGF's 2024-25 report shows 25 sold.
What is the success rate for DER-1-227?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives DER-1-227 a 47% success rate, from 25 hunters reporting. Over the 3 seasons NMDGF reported it, the rate ran from 40% to 47%.
How many people applied for DER-1-227 in 2026?
327 applicants listed DER-1-227 as a first, second or third choice in the 2026 draw; 106 chose it first and 15 of those drew it, 14.2% of first-choice applicants (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025, 122 chose it first.
Can nonresidents apply for DER-1-227?
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).
New Mexico hunting New Mexico deer Units 21A and 21B deer Unit 21A Unit 21B