New Mexico Unit 10: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 10 covers 1,434,977 acres (2,242 square miles) of Northwest New Mexico; 31.2% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (332,147 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 7 elk, 7 deer and 3 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 1,088 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 10, which count public and private-land hunters, show 231 elk and 125 deer taken.
Data updated October 2026. Hunts: NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information. Harvest: NMDGF reports to 2025-26. Land: BLM New Mexico, 2026-10.
National forestBLMState trust landWildlife Commission landState parkNational Park ServiceMilitary landTribal landUnit 10Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,434,977 acres (2,242 square miles) |
| Public land | 31.2% (447,239 acres) |
| Tribal land | 631,394 acres (44%); a state license does not cover it |
| Military land | 15,252 acres (1.1%), closed except NMDOW's listed hunts |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 7 (610 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 7 (460 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 3 (18 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Gallup, Thoreau, Church Rock, Milan and Grants |
How much public land is in Unit 10?
31.2% of Unit 10 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 447,239 of 1,434,977 acres. The largest share is national forest, 332,147 acres or 23.1% of the unit. 631,394 acres are tribal land, where a state license is not valid.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Tribal land | 631,394 | 44% |
| National forest | 332,147 | 23.1% |
| State trust land | 61,131 | 4.3% |
| BLM | 53,526 | 3.7% |
| Military land | 15,252 | 1.1% |
| State park | 2,106 | 0.1% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 435 | under 0.1% |
| National Park Service | 290 | under 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside NMDOW's unit boundary from the BLM New Mexico surface management agency map (read 2026-10). Land not listed is private or unmapped. Many state trust land sections touch no public road. NMDOW requires a Habitat Stamp on national forest and BLM land (2026-27 booklet, page 14). National Park Service land is not counted as public here: it is closed to hunting.
What can you hunt in Unit 10?
17 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 10. Some cover neighboring units too; each species page lists them all with their recent results.
| Species | Hunt codes | Draw licenses | Season span, 2026-27 | Harvest, newest NMDGF unit total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 7 | 610 | Sep 1 to Dec 9 | 231 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 7 | 460 | Sep 1 to Nov 29 | 125 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn (Units 2A, 2B, 2C, 7, 9 and 10) | 3 | 18 | Aug 15 to Aug 31 | with other units |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 57 to 99. Harvest: NMDOW elk harvest reports, NMDOW deer harvest reports and NMDOW pronghorn harvest reports; "with other units" means NMDGF prints this unit's total together with other units.
How do you get to Unit 10?
Highways through the unit: I-40 (about 152 miles inside it), NM 118 (about 36 miles inside it), NM 264 (about 31 miles inside it), NM 53 (about 25 miles inside it) and NM 602 (about 23 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Gallup, Thoreau, Church Rock, Timberlake, San Rafael and Prewitt. Nearby: Milan (on the line) and Grants (2 miles).
Which units border Unit 10?
Unit 10 touches 6 other units. Their size, public land and 2026-27 hunt codes, for comparison:
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Elk codes | Deer codes | Pronghorn codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | 3,911 | 0% | |||
| Unit 7 | 3,421 | 36% | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Unit 9 | 3,328 | 26.7% | 11 | 6 | 3 |
| Unit 11 | 639 | 0% | |||
| Unit 12 | 2,590 | 38.8% | 10 | 3 | 5 |
| Unit 13 | 4,450 | 41.6% | 10 | 6 | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 10?
31.2% of Unit 10, 447,239 of its 1,434,977 acres, is national forest, BLM, state trust, Commission, refuge or Reclamation land, measured by FilledTag from the BLM's New Mexico land status map. The largest share is national forest (332,147 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 10?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 7 elk, 7 deer and 3 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 10. 16 of them are drawn hunts with 1,088 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 10?
Gallup, Thoreau and Church Rock are inside the unit. Just outside: Milan (on the line) and Grants (2 miles).
New Mexico hunting Northwest New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Unit 7 Unit 9 Unit 12 Unit 13