DER-3-153: deer hunt in Unit 5B, Sep 27-Oct 3
DER-3-153 is a 2026-27 New Mexico draw hunt for a fork-antlered deer with a muzzleloader in Unit 5B, September 27 to October 3, with 10 licenses (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 56). In the 2026 draw, 121 applicants chose it first and 8 of them drew it (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025-26, NMDGF reports 10 licenses sold, 9 hunters reporting, a 67% success rate, 7 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 landMilitary landTribal landUnit 5BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Species and bag | Deer: Fork-antlered deer (white-tailed or mule deer) |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Muzzleloader |
| Dates | September 27 to October 3 (2026-27) |
| Unit | Unit 5B |
| Licenses | 10 (drawn) |
| NMDOW fee class | quality |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 | 121 (8 drew on first choice) |
| Result, 2025-26 | 67% success, 7 bucks, 0 does |
| Public land in the hunt's units | 81% |
How many hunters applied for DER-3-153?
121 applicants chose DER-3-153 first in the 2026 draw and 8 drew it on that choice, 6.6% of them. 10 of the 10 licenses were drawn in all. In 2025: 113 first-choice applicants and 7 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 | 118 | 93 | 93 | 7 | 9 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 3 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| All applicants | 121 | 99 | 104 | 8 | 10 |
| Pool, 2025 | First choice | Second choice | Third choice | Drawn on first choice | Drawn in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 108 | 108 | 86 | 7 | 9 |
| Nonresidents without an outfitter | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Applicants with an outfitter | 3 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| All applicants | 113 | 119 | 103 | 7 | 10 |
Source: NMDOW 2026 big game drawing report and NMDOW 2025 big game drawing report.
How did hunters do on DER-3-153?
NMDGF's results for DER-3-153, season by season, for every season it reported this code in the same units. The newest success rate is 67% (2025-26), from 9 hunters reporting. Licenses sold went from 10 in 2023-24 to 10 in 2025-26. NMDGF also prints private-land licenses under DER-3-153 (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 | FAD | 9/27-10/3 | 10 | 9 | 67% | 7 | 0 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 2 (0 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2024-25 | FAD | Sept 27-Oct 3 | 10 | 10 | 56% | 5 | 0 | 3.1 | 3 | 2 (2 bucks, 0 does) |
| 2023-24 | FAD | Sept 27-Oct 3 | 10 | 10 | 56% | 5 | 0 | 3.8 | 4 | 3 (0 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-3-153 compare with the other Unit 5B deer hunts?
DER-3-153 is one of 4 deer hunt codes NMDOW lists for Unit 5B in 2026-27. In the 2026 draw it had the 4th most first-choice applicants of the 4 drawn ones (121). Its 2025-26 success rate, 67%, was the 3rd highest of the 4 codes NMDGF reported there that season. Unit 5B deer hunts has all of them side by side, with the area's harvest by season. The hunt's units are 81% public land (214,294 acres).
Questions hunters ask
How many licenses does DER-3-153 have?
NMDOW lists 10 licenses for DER-3-153 in 2026-27 (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 56). NMDGF's 2024-25 report shows 10 sold.
What is the success rate for DER-3-153?
NMDGF's 2025-26 harvest report gives DER-3-153 a 67% success rate, from 9 hunters reporting. Over the 3 seasons NMDGF reported it, the rate ran from 56% to 67%.
How many people applied for DER-3-153 in 2026?
324 applicants listed DER-3-153 as a first, second or third choice in the 2026 draw; 121 chose it first and 8 of those drew it, 6.6% of first-choice applicants (NMDOW 2026 drawing report). In 2025, 113 chose it first.
Can nonresidents apply for DER-3-153?
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.