DER-1-409: deer hunt in Unit 56, Oct 24-28
DER-1-409 is a 2026-27 New Mexico draw hunt for a fork-antlered deer with any legal weapon in Unit 56, October 24 to 28, with 15 licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 67). In the 2026 draw, 58 applicants chose it first and 12 of them drew it (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 15 licenses sold, 15 hunters reporting, a 31% success rate, 4 bucks and 0 does taken.
Data updated October 2026. Hunt: NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 67. Draw: NMDOW's 2026 and 2025 drawing reports. Results: NMDGF harvest reports.
BLMState trust landUnit 56Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Species and bag | Deer: Fork-antlered deer (white-tailed or mule deer) |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Any legal weapon |
| Dates | October 24 to 28 (2026-27) |
| Unit | Unit 56 |
| Licenses | 15 (drawn) |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 | 58 (12 drew on first choice) |
| Result, 2025-26 | 31% success, 4 bucks, 0 does |
| Public land in the hunt's units | 21.7% |
How many hunters applied for DER-1-409?
58 applicants chose DER-1-409 first in the 2026 draw and 12 drew it on that choice, 20.7% of them. 15 of the 15 licenses were drawn in all. In 2025: 47 first-choice applicants and 13 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 | 48 | 37 | 31 | 10 | 13 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| All applicants | 58 | 41 | 35 | 12 | 15 |
| Pool, 2025 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 42 | 17 | 32 | 12 | 14 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| All applicants | 47 | 18 | 38 | 13 | 15 |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report and NMDOW 2025 big game drawing report.
How did hunters do on DER-1-409?
NMDGF's results for DER-1-409, season by season, for every season it reported this code in the same units. The newest success rate is 31% (2025-26), from 15 hunters reporting. Licenses sold went from 15 in 2023-24 to 15 in 2025-26. NMDGF also prints private-land licenses under DER-1-409 (17 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 | 10/25-10/29 | 15 | 15 | 31% | 4 | 0 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 17 (7 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2024-25 | FAD | Oct 19-23 | 15 | 14 | 8% | 1 | 0 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 16 (3 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2023-24 | FAD | Oct 21-25 | 15 | 12 | 50% | 5 | 0 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 24 (9 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-1-409 compare with the other Unit 56 deer hunts?
DER-1-409 is one of 6 deer hunt codes NMDOW lists for Unit 56 in 2026-27. In the 2026 draw it had the most first-choice applicants of the 6 drawn ones (58). Its 2025-26 success rate, 31%, was the 4th highest of the 6 codes NMDGF reported there that season. Unit 56 deer hunts has all of them side by side, with the area's harvest by season. The hunt's units are 21.7% public land (247,202 acres).
Questions hunters ask
How many licenses does DER-1-409 have?
NMDOW lists 15 licenses for DER-1-409 in 2026-27 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 67). NMDGF's 2024-25 report shows 15 sold.
What is the success rate for DER-1-409?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives DER-1-409 a 31% success rate, from 15 hunters reporting. Over the 3 seasons NMDGF reported it, the rate ran from 8% to 50%.
How many people applied for DER-1-409 in 2026?
134 applicants listed DER-1-409 as a first, second or third choice in the 2026 draw; 58 chose it first and 12 of those drew it, 20.7% of first-choice applicants (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025, 47 chose it first.
Can nonresidents apply for DER-1-409?
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).