DER-2-359: deer hunt in Unit 41, Jan 1-15
DER-2-359 is a 2026-27 New Mexico draw hunt for a fork-antlered deer with a bow in Unit 41, January 1 to 15, with 10 licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 64). In the 2026 draw, 13 applicants chose it first and 5 of them drew it (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 10 licenses sold, 7 hunters reporting, a 50% success rate, 4 bucks and 0 does taken.
Data updated October 2026. Hunt: NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 64. Draw: NMDOW's 2026 and 2025 drawing reports. Results: NMDGF harvest reports.
State trust landUnit 41Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Species and bag | Deer: Fork-antlered deer (white-tailed or mule deer) |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Bow |
| Dates | January 1 to 15 (2026-27) |
| Unit | Unit 41 |
| Licenses | 10 (drawn) |
| NMDOW fee class | quality |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 | 13 (5 drew on first choice) |
| Result, 2025-26 | 50% success, 4 bucks, 0 does |
| Public land in the hunt's units | 20.5% |
How many hunters applied for DER-2-359?
13 applicants chose DER-2-359 first in the 2026 draw and 5 drew it on that choice, 38.5% of them. 10 of the 10 licenses were drawn in all. In 2025: 29 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 | 13 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 9 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| All applicants | 13 | 21 | 13 | 5 | 10 |
| Pool, 2025 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 28 | 24 | 24 | 3 | 9 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| All applicants | 29 | 24 | 26 | 3 | 10 |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report and NMDOW 2025 big game drawing report.
How did hunters do on DER-2-359?
NMDGF's results for DER-2-359, season by season, for every season it reported this code in the same units. The newest success rate is 50% (2025-26), from 7 hunters reporting. Licenses sold went from 10 in 2023-24 to 10 in 2025-26. NMDGF also prints private-land licenses under DER-2-359 (16 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 | 1/1-1/15, '26 | 10 | 7 | 50% | 4 | 0 | 6.7 | 3.3 | 16 (5 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2024-25 | FAD | Jan 1-15, '25 | 10 | 10 | 13% | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 9 (4 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2023-24 | FAD | Jan 1-15, '24 | 10 | 10 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 5.9 | 4.2 | 12 (4 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-2-359 compare with the other Unit 41 deer hunts?
DER-2-359 is one of 8 deer hunt codes NMDOW lists for Unit 41 in 2026-27. In the 2026 draw it had the 5th most first-choice applicants of the 8 drawn ones (13). Its 2025-26 success rate, 50%, was the 2nd highest of the 8 codes NMDGF reported there that season. Unit 41 deer hunts has all of them side by side, with the area's harvest by season. The hunt's units are 20.5% public land (240,546 acres).
Questions hunters ask
How many licenses does DER-2-359 have?
NMDOW lists 10 licenses for DER-2-359 in 2026-27 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 64). NMDGF's 2024-25 report shows 10 sold.
What is the success rate for DER-2-359?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives DER-2-359 a 50% success rate, from 7 hunters reporting. Over the 3 seasons NMDGF reported it, the rate ran from 0% to 50%.
How many people applied for DER-2-359 in 2026?
47 applicants listed DER-2-359 as a first, second or third choice in the 2026 draw; 13 chose it first and 5 of those drew it, 38.5% of first-choice applicants (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025, 29 chose it first.
Can nonresidents apply for DER-2-359?
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.