DER-2-156: deer hunt in Units 6A and 6C, Sep 1-24
DER-2-156 is a 2026-27 New Mexico draw hunt for a fork-antlered deer with a bow in Units 6A and 6C, September 1 to 24, with 100 licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 56). In the 2026 draw, 694 applicants chose it first and 79 of them drew it (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 100 licenses sold, 95 hunters reporting, a 40% success rate, 37 bucks and 0 does taken.
Data updated October 2026. Hunt: NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 56. Draw: NMDOW's 2026 and 2025 drawing reports. Results: NMDGF harvest reports.
National forestBLMState trust landWildlife Commission landState parkNational Park ServiceMilitary landTribal landOther federal (closed)Units 6A and 6CUnit linesLake or riverHighway
| Species and bag | Deer: Fork-antlered deer (white-tailed or mule deer) |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Bow |
| Dates | September 1 to 24 (2026-27) |
| Units | Unit 6A, Unit 6C |
| Licenses | 100 (drawn) |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 | 694 (79 drew on first choice) |
| Result, 2025-26 | 40% success, 37 bucks, 0 does |
| Public land in the hunt's units | 50.5% |
How many hunters applied for DER-2-156?
694 applicants chose DER-2-156 first in the 2026 draw and 79 drew it on that choice, 11.4% of them. 100 of the 100 licenses were drawn in all. In 2025: 663 first-choice applicants and 81 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 | 629 | 393 | 356 | 68 | 84 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 46 | 25 | 19 | 5 | 6 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 19 | 15 | 14 | 6 | 10 |
| All applicants | 694 | 433 | 389 | 79 | 100 |
| Pool, 2025 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 604 | 437 | 308 | 70 | 84 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 46 | 15 | 18 | 3 | 6 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 13 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| All applicants | 663 | 457 | 333 | 81 | 100 |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report and NMDOW 2025 big game drawing report.
How did hunters do on DER-2-156?
NMDGF's results for DER-2-156, season by season, for every season it reported this code in the same units. The newest success rate is 40% (2025-26), from 95 hunters reporting. Licenses sold went from 100 in 2023-24 to 100 in 2025-26. NMDGF also prints private-land licenses under DER-2-156 (31 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 | 9/1-9/24 | 100 | 95 | 40% | 37 | 0 | 6.2 | 3.4 | 31 (11 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2024-25 | FAD | Sept 1-24 | 102 | 93 | 28% | 23 | 0 | 7.6 | 3.5 | 22 (6 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2023-24 | FAD | Sept 1-24 | 100 | 89 | 26% | 21 | 0 | 7.1 | 3.6 | 31 (7 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-2-156 compare with the other Units 6A and 6C deer hunts?
DER-2-156 is one of 4 deer hunt codes NMDOW lists for Units 6A and 6C in 2026-27. In the 2026 draw it had the 2nd most first-choice applicants of the 4 drawn ones (694). Its 2025-26 success rate, 40%, was the 3rd highest of the 3 codes NMDGF reported there that season. Units 6A and 6C deer hunts has all of them side by side, with the area's harvest by season. The hunt's units are 50.5% public land (820,174 acres).
Questions hunters ask
How many licenses does DER-2-156 have?
NMDOW lists 100 licenses for DER-2-156 in 2026-27 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 56). NMDGF's 2024-25 report shows 102 sold.
What is the success rate for DER-2-156?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives DER-2-156 a 40% success rate, from 95 hunters reporting. Over the 3 seasons NMDGF reported it, the rate ran from 26% to 40%.
How many people applied for DER-2-156 in 2026?
1,516 applicants listed DER-2-156 as a first, second or third choice in the 2026 draw; 694 chose it first and 79 of those drew it, 11.4% of first-choice applicants (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025, 663 chose it first.
Can nonresidents apply for DER-2-156?
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).
New Mexico hunting New Mexico deer Units 6A and 6C deer Unit 6A Unit 6C