Northeast New Mexico: hunting units, public land and hunts
NMDOW's northeast quadrant holds 20 game management units (41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51A, 51B, 52, 53, 54, 55A, 55B, 56, 57, 58 and 59), 15,213,008 acres of which 28.5% is public land, mostly national forest (BLM New Mexico land status map, 2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 264 hunt codes valid in these units, including 6,450 elk and 3,245 deer draw licenses for hunts inside the quadrant.
Data updated October 2026. Quadrants: NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet, page 52. Hunts: the same booklet. Land: BLM New Mexico, 2026-10.
NMDOW's northeast quadrant takes in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Valle Vidal (Unit 55A) and the high plains east of them. Its mountain units carry elk and deer hunts from the Pecos (Unit 45) north to the Colorado line, its plains units most of its pronghorn hunts, and it holds the Colin Neblett, Elliott Barker and Urraca WMAs.
Which units are in Northeast New Mexico?
All 20 units, with public land and the number of 2026-27 hunt codes for each species. The most public land: Unit 52 (92.1%), Unit 51A (86.4%) and Unit 49 (79.9%). The most elk hunt codes: Unit 55A (25), Unit 52 (12) and Unit 51A (11).
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Largest public manager | Tribal land | Elk codes | Deer codes | Pronghorn codes | Other big game codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 41 | 1,835 | 20.5% | State trust land | 8 | 6 | |||
| Unit 42 | 4,294 | 8.9% | State trust land | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| Unit 43 | 1,903 | 26.3% | State trust land | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Unit 45 | 1,525 | 74.3% | National forest | 3.8% | 6 | 6 | 3 | |
| Unit 46 | 1,260 | 0.7% | 4 | 5 | ||||
| Unit 47 | 1,206 | 23.7% | State trust land | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| Unit 48 | 378 | 29.1% | State trust land | 7 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Unit 49 | 425 | 79.9% | National forest | 3.9% | 7 | 3 | 1 | |
| Unit 50 | 923 | 68% | BLM | 0.8% | 6 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| Unit 51A | 796 | 86.4% | National forest | 11 | 2 | |||
| Unit 51B | 197 | 66% | National forest | 11 | 3 | |||
| Unit 52 | 420 | 92.1% | National forest | 12 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Unit 53 | 685 | 47.6% | National forest | 22.1% | 9 | 3 | 1 | |
| Unit 54 | 344 | 10.6% | Wildlife Commission land | 6 | 9 | 5 | ||
| Unit 55A | 1,573 | 13.2% | National forest | 25 | 14 | 5 | 1 | |
| Unit 55B | 375 | 2.1% | National wildlife refuge | 6 | 5 | 1 | ||
| Unit 56 | 1,782 | 21.7% | State trust land | 4 | 6 | 6 | ||
| Unit 57 | 429 | 15.5% | State trust land | 7 | 7 | 3 | ||
| Unit 58 | 1,531 | 20.8% | State trust land | 5 | 7 | 6 | 1 | |
| Unit 59 | 1,889 | 24.6% | State trust land | 3 | 7 | 6 |
Quadrants: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 52 (units the booklet does not list are placed by NMDOW's officer districts). Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information. Land measured by FilledTag from the BLM New Mexico surface management agency map (read 2026-10).
How much public land is in Northeast New Mexico?
| Manager | Acres | Share of the quadrant |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 2,093,749 | 13.8% |
| State trust land | 1,629,070 | 10.7% |
| BLM | 530,534 | 3.5% |
| Tribal land | 149,413 | 1% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 67,923 | 0.4% |
| National wildlife refuge | 15,788 | 0.1% |
| Military land | 13,350 | 0.1% |
| National Park Service | 8,076 | 0.1% |
| State park | 5,494 | under 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 1,772 | under 0.1% |
Commission lands open to hunting here: Colin Neblett WMA (31,937 acres), Elliott Barker WMA (5,442 acres), Urraca WMA (13,303 acres), Charette Lakes WMA (1,997 acres), McAllister Lake WMA (633 acres) and Wagon Mound Lake WMA (718 acres).
Which species pages cover Northeast New Mexico?
Elk: Units 42, 47 and 59, Unit 45, Unit 48, Unit 49, Unit 50, Units 51A and 51B, Unit 52, Unit 53, Unit 55A, Unit 56, Units 57 and 58. Deer: Unit 41, Unit 42, Unit 43, Unit 45, Unit 46, Unit 47, Unit 48, Unit 49, Unit 50, Unit 51A, Unit 51B, Unit 52, Unit 53, Unit 54, Unit 55A, Units 55A and 55B, Unit 56, Unit 57, Unit 58, Unit 59. Pronghorn: Units 8 and 43, Unit 41, Unit 42, Unit 46, Unit 47, Unit 48, Units 50 and 52, Unit 54, Units 55A and 55B, Unit 56, Unit 57, Unit 58, Unit 59. Bighorn Sheep: Unit 45.
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