DER-1-246: deer hunt in Unit 23 (Burro Mountain Area only), Dec 5-13
DER-1-246 is a 2026-27 New Mexico draw hunt for a fork-antlered white-tailed deer with any legal weapon in Unit 23, Burro Mountain Area only, December 5 to 13, with 40 licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 60). In the 2026 draw, 571 applicants chose it first and 30 of them drew it (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 1 license 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 white-tailed deer |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Any legal weapon |
| Dates | December 5 to 13 (2026-27) |
| Unit | Unit 23 |
| Licenses | 40 (drawn) |
| NMDOW fee class | quality, high-demand |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 | 571 (30 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-1-246?
571 applicants chose DER-1-246 first in the 2026 draw and 30 drew it on that choice, 5.3% of them. 40 of the 40 licenses were drawn in all. In 2025: 609 first-choice applicants and 31 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 | 270 | 234 | 152 | 24 | 34 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 180 | 101 | 86 | 2 | 2 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 121 | 76 | 49 | 4 | 4 |
| All applicants | 571 | 411 | 287 | 30 | 40 |
| Pool, 2025 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 278 | 240 | 158 | 28 | 34 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 211 | 106 | 94 | 1 | 2 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 120 | 73 | 61 | 2 | 4 |
| All applicants | 609 | 419 | 313 | 31 | 40 |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report and NMDOW 2025 big game drawing report.
How did hunters do on DER-1-246?
NMDGF's results for DER-1-246, season by season, for every season it reported this code in the same units. The newest success rate is 49% (2024-25), from 39 hunters reporting. Licenses sold went from 40 in 2023-24 to 1 in 2025-26. NMDGF also prints private-land licenses under DER-1-246; 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 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 2024-25 | FAWTD | Dec 7-15 | 40 | 39 | 49% | 17 | 0 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3 (0 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2023-24 | FAWTD | Dec 2-10 | 40 | 38 | 47% | 17 | 0 | 4.5 | 3.1 |
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-1-246 compare with the other Unit 23 deer hunts?
DER-1-246 is one of 19 deer hunt codes NMDOW lists for Unit 23 in 2026-27. In the 2026 draw it had the most first-choice applicants of the 19 drawn ones (571). 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-1-246 have?
NMDOW lists 40 licenses for DER-1-246 in 2026-27 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 60). NMDGF's 2024-25 report shows 40 sold.
What is the success rate for DER-1-246?
NMDGF's 2024-25 harvest report gives DER-1-246 a 49% success rate, from 39 hunters reporting. Over the 2 seasons NMDGF reported it, the rate ran from 47% to 49%.
How many people applied for DER-1-246 in 2026?
1,269 applicants listed DER-1-246 as a first, second or third choice in the 2026 draw; 571 chose it first and 30 of those drew it, 5.3% of first-choice applicants (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025, 609 chose it first.
Can nonresidents apply for DER-1-246?
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).