New Mexico Unit 16A: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 16A covers 412,289 acres (644 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 97% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (396,974 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 9 elk, 7 deer and 5 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 2,248 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 16A, which count public and private-land hunters, show 304 elk 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 forestState trust landUnit 16ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 412,289 acres (644 square miles) |
| Public land | 97% (399,885 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 9 (750 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 7 (1,430 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (68 draw licenses) |
| Elk private-land zone | Primary Management Zone |
| Towns in and near it | Reserve, Alma and Rivers |
How much public land is in Unit 16A?
97% of Unit 16A is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 399,885 of 412,289 acres. The largest share is national forest, 396,974 acres or 96.3% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 16A |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 396,974 | 96.3% |
| State trust land | 2,911 | 0.7% |
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).
Open Gate properties in Unit 16A: Rancho Grande Ponds (fishing). Source: NMDOW Open Gate table (updated 09-15-2026).
What can you hunt in Unit 16A?
21 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 16A. 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 | 9 | 750 | Sep 1 to Dec 30 | 304 (2025-26) |
| Deer (Units 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D and 16E) | 7 | 1,430 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | with other units |
| Pronghorn (Units 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D and 16E) | 5 | 68 | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | with other units |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 58 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 16A?
Highways through the unit: US 180 (about 9 miles inside it) and NM 435 (about 3 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Reserve, Alma, Rivers, Mogollon, Lower Frisco and Rancho Grande.
Which units border Unit 16A?
Unit 16A 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 15 | 1,634 | 77.6% | 10 | 4 | 5 |
| Unit 16B | 943 | 99.5% | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 16C | 479 | 83.3% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 16D | 471 | 88.3% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 16E | 959 | 62.7% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 22 | 392 | 69.2% | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Unit 23 | 2,928 | 63.1% | 8 | 19 | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 16A?
97% of Unit 16A, 399,885 of its 412,289 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 (396,974 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 16A?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 9 elk, 7 deer and 5 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 16A. 19 of them are drawn hunts with 2,248 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 16A?
Reserve, Alma and Rivers are inside the unit.
Is Unit 16A in New Mexico's elk primary management zone?
Yes. NMDOW's elk management zone map puts Unit 16A in the Primary Management Zone, where elk licenses are limited and private-land elk authorizations go to landowners in the Elk Private Lands Use System (EPLUS) (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 71).
New Mexico hunting Southwest New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Unit 15 Unit 16B Unit 16C Unit 16D Unit 16E Unit 22 Unit 23