New Mexico Unit 14: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 14 covers 1,060,051 acres (1,656 square miles) of Northwest New Mexico; 17% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (149,606 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 1 elk, 4 deer and 4 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 180 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 14, which count public and private-land hunters, show 20 elk and 186 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 landNational wildlife refugeState parkNational Park ServiceMilitary landTribal landOther federal (closed)Unit 14Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,060,051 acres (1,656 square miles) |
| Public land | 17% (180,546 acres) |
| Tribal land | 123,904 acres (11.7%); a state license does not cover it |
| Military land | 30,757 acres (2.9%), closed except NMDOW's listed hunts |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (10 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 4 (170 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 4 |
| Commission land | Bernardo WMA (1,112 acres), Casa Colorada WMA (443 acres) and Belen WMA (250 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Rio Communities, Peralta, Bosque Farms, Moriarty, Albuquerque and Estancia |
How much public land is in Unit 14?
17% of Unit 14 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 180,546 of 1,060,051 acres. The largest share is national forest, 149,606 acres or 14.1% of the unit. 123,904 acres are tribal land, where a state license is not valid.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 14 |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 149,606 | 14.1% |
| Tribal land | 123,904 | 11.7% |
| Military land | 30,757 | 2.9% |
| State trust land | 26,552 | 2.5% |
| BLM | 2,479 | 0.2% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 1,898 | 0.2% |
| National Park Service | 458 | under 0.1% |
| State park | 216 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal (closed) | 79 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge | 11 | 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.
State Wildlife Commission land in Unit 14: Bernardo WMA (1,112 acres), Casa Colorada WMA (443 acres), Belen WMA (250 acres) and Rio Abajo WMA (93 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 14?
9 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 14. 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 | 1 | 10 | Oct 1 to Oct 5 | 20 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 4 | 170 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 186 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 4 | none drawn | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | 34 (2025-26) |
Hunt codes valid here that are on no species area page: ELK-1-392 (elk, Unit 14).
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 57 to 96. 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 14?
Highways through the unit: I-25 (about 83 miles inside it), I-40 (about 57 miles inside it), NM 47 (about 43 miles inside it), NM 55 (about 35 miles inside it) and NM 314 (about 30 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Rio Communities, Peralta, Bosque Farms, Mountainair, Tijeras and McIntosh. Nearby: Moriarty (on the line), Albuquerque (on the line), Estancia (on the line) and Los Lunas (on the line).
Which units border Unit 14?
Unit 14 touches 7 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 8 | 922 | 16.1% | 6 | 2 | |
| Unit 9 | 3,328 | 26.7% | 11 | 6 | 3 |
| Unit 13 | 4,450 | 41.6% | 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Unit 18 | 2,445 | 65.9% | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Unit 38 | 3,257 | 31.9% | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Unit 39 | 2,638 | 18.2% | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Unit 43 | 1,903 | 26.3% | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 14?
17% of Unit 14, 180,546 of its 1,060,051 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 (149,606 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 14?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 1 elk, 4 deer and 4 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 14. 5 of them are drawn hunts with 180 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 14?
Rio Communities, Peralta and Bosque Farms are inside the unit. Just outside: Moriarty (on the line), Albuquerque (on the line) and Estancia (on the line).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 14?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Bernardo (1,112 acres here), Casa Colorada (443 acres here), Belen (250 acres here) and Rio Abajo (93 acres here) in Unit 14. Commission lands are closed to hunting unless NMDOW's booklet lists them as open (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 49).
New Mexico hunting Northwest New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Unit 8 Unit 9 Unit 13 Unit 18 Unit 38 Unit 39 Unit 43