DER-1-234: deer hunt in Unit 23 (excluding Burro Mountain Area), Nov 7-11
DER-1-234 is a 2026-27 New Mexico draw hunt for a fork-antlered mule deer with any legal weapon in Unit 23, excluding Burro Mountain Area, November 7 to 11, with 450 licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 60). In the 2026 draw, 497 applicants chose it first and 234 of them drew it (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 450 licenses sold, 395 hunters reporting, a 19% success rate, 73 bucks and 0 does taken.
Data updated October 2026. Hunt: NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 60. Draw: NMDOW's 2026 and 2025 drawing reports. Results: NMDGF harvest reports.
National forestBLMState trust landWildlife Commission landMilitary landUnit 23Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Species and bag | Deer: Fork-antlered mule deer |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Any legal weapon |
| Dates | November 7 to 11 (2026-27) |
| Unit | Unit 23 |
| Licenses | 450 (drawn) |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 | 497 (234 drew on first choice) |
| Result, 2025-26 | 19% success, 73 bucks, 0 does |
| Public land in the hunt's units | 63.1% |
How many hunters applied for DER-1-234?
497 applicants chose DER-1-234 first in the 2026 draw and 234 drew it on that choice, 47.1% of them. 450 of the 450 licenses were drawn in all. In 2025: 535 first-choice applicants and 244 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 | 400 | 348 | 429 | 213 | 399 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 96 | 65 | 57 | 20 | 27 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 1 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 24 |
| All applicants | 497 | 431 | 503 | 234 | 450 |
| Pool, 2025 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 418 | 397 | 452 | 217 | 405 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 114 | 79 | 64 | 24 | 27 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 3 | 10 | 20 | 3 | 18 |
| All applicants | 535 | 486 | 536 | 244 | 450 |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report and NMDOW 2025 big game drawing report.
How did hunters do on DER-1-234?
NMDGF's results for DER-1-234, season by season, for every season it reported this code in the same units. The newest success rate is 19% (2025-26), from 395 hunters reporting. Licenses sold went from 454 in 2023-24 to 450 in 2025-26. NMDGF also prints private-land licenses under DER-1-234 (38 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 | FAMD | 11/8-11/12 | 450 | 395 | 19% | 73 | 0 | 3.7 | 3 | 38 (24 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2024-25 | FAMD | Nov 2-6 | 453 | 395 | 25% | 97 | 1 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 44 (19 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2023-24 | FAMD | Nov 4-8 | 454 | 386 | 24% | 92 | 0 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 47 (26 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-1-234 compare with the other Unit 23 deer hunts?
DER-1-234 is one of 19 deer hunt codes NMDOW lists for Unit 23 in 2026-27. In the 2026 draw it had the 2nd most first-choice applicants of the 19 drawn ones (497). Its 2025-26 success rate, 19%, was the 7th highest of the 13 codes NMDGF reported there that season. Unit 23 deer hunts has all of them side by side, with the area's harvest by season. The hunt's units are 63.1% public land (1,183,461 acres).
Questions hunters ask
How many licenses does DER-1-234 have?
NMDOW lists 450 licenses for DER-1-234 in 2026-27 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 60). NMDGF's 2024-25 report shows 453 sold.
What is the success rate for DER-1-234?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives DER-1-234 a 19% success rate, from 395 hunters reporting. Over the 3 seasons NMDGF reported it, the rate ran from 19% to 25%.
How many people applied for DER-1-234 in 2026?
1,431 applicants listed DER-1-234 as a first, second or third choice in the 2026 draw; 497 chose it first and 234 of those drew it, 47.1% of first-choice applicants (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025, 535 chose it first.
Can nonresidents apply for DER-1-234?
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).