New Mexico Unit 16B: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 16B covers 603,341 acres (943 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 99.5% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (599,846 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 5 elk, 7 deer, 5 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid here, with 2,137 draw licenses.
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 forestWildlife Commission landNational Park ServiceUnit 16BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 603,341 acres (943 square miles) |
| Public land | 99.5% (600,594 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (615 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 7 (1,430 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (68 draw licenses) |
| Bighorn Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (24 draw licenses) |
| Elk private-land zone | Primary Management Zone |
| Commission land | Heart Bar WMA (749 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Gila Hot Springs, Lake Roberts Heights, Santa Clara, Bayard and Silver City |
How much public land is in Unit 16B?
99.5% of Unit 16B is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 600,594 of 603,341 acres. The largest share is national forest, 599,846 acres or 99.4% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 16B |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 599,846 | 99.4% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 748 | 0.1% |
| National Park Service | 543 | 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. 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 16B: Heart Bar WMA (749 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 16B?
18 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 16B. 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 (Units 16B and 22) | 5 | 615 | Sep 1 to Oct 28 | with other units |
| 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 |
| Bighorn Sheep | 1 | 24 | Aug 6 to Jan 31 | with other units |
Hunt codes valid here that are on no species area page: BHS-1-201 (bighorn sheep, Units 6A, 6C, 16B, 22, 23, 24, 45, 49, 50, 53, 55A, 55B and 58).
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 58 to 107. Harvest: NMDOW elk harvest reports, NMDOW deer harvest reports, NMDOW pronghorn harvest reports and NMDOW bighorn sheep harvest reports; "with other units" means NMDGF prints this unit's total together with other units.
How do you get to Unit 16B?
Highways through the unit: NM 15 (about 19 miles inside it) and NM 35 (about 10 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Gila Hot Springs and Lake Roberts Heights. Nearby: Santa Clara (14 miles), Bayard (15 miles), Silver City (18 miles) and Hurley (18 miles).
Which units border Unit 16B?
Unit 16B touches 5 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 16A | 644 | 97% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 16C | 479 | 83.3% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 21A | 467 | 97.9% | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Unit 22 | 392 | 69.2% | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Unit 24 | 1,512 | 63.1% | 6 | 12 | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 16B?
99.5% of Unit 16B, 600,594 of its 603,341 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 (599,846 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 16B?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 5 elk, 7 deer, 5 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 16B. 18 of them are drawn hunts with 2,137 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 16B?
Gila Hot Springs and Lake Roberts Heights are inside the unit. Just outside: Santa Clara (14 miles), Bayard (15 miles) and Silver City (18 miles).
Is Unit 16B in New Mexico's elk primary management zone?
Yes. NMDOW's elk management zone map puts Unit 16B 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).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 16B?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Heart Bar (749 acres here) in Unit 16B. 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 Southwest New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Unit 16A Unit 16C Unit 21A Unit 22 Unit 24