DER-1-245: deer hunt in Unit 23 (Burro Mountain Area only), Nov 7-15
DER-1-245 is a 2026-27 New Mexico draw hunt for a fork-antlered mule deer with any legal weapon in Unit 23, Burro Mountain Area only, November 7 to 15, with 35 licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 60). In the 2026 draw, 458 applicants chose it first and 32 of them drew it (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 2 licenses sold, 0 hunters reporting.
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 15 (2026-27) |
| Unit | Unit 23 |
| Licenses | 35 (drawn) |
| NMDOW fee class | quality |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 | 458 (32 drew on first choice) |
| Result, 2025-26 | 0 bucks, 0 does |
| Public land in the hunt's units | 63.1% |
How many hunters applied for DER-1-245?
458 applicants chose DER-1-245 first in the 2026 draw and 32 drew it on that choice, 7% of them. 35 of the 35 licenses were drawn in all. In 2025: 452 first-choice applicants and 27 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 | 386 | 186 | 217 | 28 | 30 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 40 | 32 | 43 | 2 | 2 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 32 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 3 |
| All applicants | 458 | 231 | 271 | 32 | 35 |
| Pool, 2025 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 349 | 232 | 235 | 25 | 30 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 45 | 65 | 46 | 1 | 2 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 58 | 28 | 15 | 1 | 3 |
| All applicants | 452 | 325 | 296 | 27 | 35 |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report and NMDOW 2025 big game drawing report.
How did hunters do on DER-1-245?
NMDGF's results for DER-1-245, season by season, for every season it reported this code in the same units. The newest success rate is 45% (2024-25), from 33 hunters reporting. Licenses sold went from 35 in 2023-24 to 2 in 2025-26. NMDGF also prints private-land licenses under DER-1-245 (1 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 | 11/8-11/16 | 2 | 0 | 1 (0 bucks, 0 does) | |||||
| 2024-25 | FAMD | Nov 2-10 | 35 | 33 | 45% | 15 | 0 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 6 (1 buck, 0 does) |
| 2023-24 | FAMD | Nov 4-12 | 35 | 33 | 52% | 17 | 0 | 4 | 3.8 | 3 (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-1-245 compare with the other Unit 23 deer hunts?
DER-1-245 is one of 19 deer hunt codes NMDOW lists for Unit 23 in 2026-27. In the 2026 draw it had the 3rd most first-choice applicants of the 19 drawn ones (458). 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-1-245 have?
NMDOW lists 35 licenses for DER-1-245 in 2026-27 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 60). NMDGF's 2024-25 report shows 35 sold.
What is the success rate for DER-1-245?
NMDGF's 2024-25 harvest report gives DER-1-245 a 45% success rate, from 33 hunters reporting. Over the 2 seasons NMDGF reported it, the rate ran from 45% to 52%.
How many people applied for DER-1-245 in 2026?
960 applicants listed DER-1-245 as a first, second or third choice in the 2026 draw; 458 chose it first and 32 of those drew it, 7% of first-choice applicants (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025, 452 chose it first.
Can nonresidents apply for DER-1-245?
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).