DER-1-412: deer hunt in Unit 56, Dec 5-9
DER-1-412 is a 2026-27 New Mexico draw hunt for a white-tailed deer of either sex with any legal weapon in Unit 56, December 5 to 9, with 10 licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 67). In the 2026 draw, 1 applicant chose it first and 1 drew it (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 10 licenses sold, 10 hunters reporting, a 17% success rate, 0 bucks and 1 doe 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: Either sex white-tailed deer |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Any legal weapon |
| Dates | December 5 to 9 (2026-27) |
| Unit | Unit 56 |
| Licenses | 10 (drawn) |
| Who may apply | youth only |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 | 1 (1 drew on first choice) |
| Result, 2025-26 | 17% success, 0 bucks, 1 doe |
| Public land in the hunt's units | 21.7% |
How many hunters applied for DER-1-412?
1 applicants chose DER-1-412 first in the 2026 draw and 1 drew it on that choice, 100% of them. 10 of the 10 licenses were drawn in all. In 2025: 3 first-choice applicants and 3 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 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All applicants | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Pool, 2025 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 3 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| All applicants | 3 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 10 |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report and NMDOW 2025 big game drawing report.
How did hunters do on DER-1-412?
NMDGF's results for DER-1-412, season by season, for every season it reported this code in the same units. The newest success rate is 17% (2025-26), from 10 hunters reporting. Licenses sold went from 10 in 2023-24 to 10 in 2025-26. NMDGF also prints private-land licenses under DER-1-412 (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 | ESWTD | 12/6-12/10 | 10 | 10 | 17% | 0 | 1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2 (1 buck, 0 does) |
| 2024-25 | ESWTD | Dec 7-11 | 10 | 7 | 20% | 1 | 0 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 1 (0 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2023-24 | ESWTD | Dec 2-6 | 10 | 9 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 2.6 | 1.8 |
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-1-412 compare with the other Unit 56 deer hunts?
DER-1-412 is one of 6 deer hunt codes NMDOW lists for Unit 56 in 2026-27. In the 2026 draw it had the 6th most first-choice applicants of the 6 drawn ones (1). Its 2025-26 success rate, 17%, was the 5th 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-1-412 have?
NMDOW lists 10 licenses for DER-1-412 in 2026-27 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 67). NMDGF's 2024-25 report shows 10 sold.
What is the success rate for DER-1-412?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives DER-1-412 a 17% success rate, from 10 hunters reporting. Over the 3 seasons NMDGF reported it, the rate ran from 0% to 20%.
How many people applied for DER-1-412 in 2026?
6 applicants listed DER-1-412 as a first, second or third choice in the 2026 draw; 1 chose it first and 1 of those drew it, 100% of first-choice applicants (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025, 3 chose it first.
Can nonresidents apply for DER-1-412?
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). NMDOW warns that with 10 licenses a nonresident is extremely unlikely to draw it.