New Mexico Unit 16C: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 16C covers 306,857 acres (479 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 83.3% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (236,369 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 1,965 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 16C, which count public and private-land hunters, show 105 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 forestBLMState trust landUnit 16CNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 306,857 acres (479 square miles) |
| Public land | 83.3% (255,480 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 9 (467 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 |
How much public land is in Unit 16C?
83.3% of Unit 16C is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 255,480 of 306,857 acres. The largest share is national forest, 236,369 acres or 77% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 16C |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 236,369 | 77% |
| State trust land | 17,870 | 5.8% |
| BLM | 1,241 | 0.4% |
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).
What can you hunt in Unit 16C?
21 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 16C. 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 | 467 | Sep 1 to Dec 30 | 105 (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 16C?
Highways through the unit: NM 59 (about 9 miles inside it).
Which units border Unit 16C?
Unit 16C 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 16A | 644 | 97% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 16B | 943 | 99.5% | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 16D | 471 | 88.3% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 16E | 959 | 62.7% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 21A | 467 | 97.9% | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Unit 21B | 2,550 | 62% | 10 | 7 | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 16C?
83.3% of Unit 16C, 255,480 of its 306,857 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 (236,369 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 16C?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 9 elk, 7 deer and 5 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 16C. 19 of them are drawn hunts with 1,965 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 16C?
No incorporated town is inside it or within 20 miles.
Is Unit 16C in New Mexico's elk primary management zone?
Yes. NMDOW's elk management zone map puts Unit 16C 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 16A Unit 16B Unit 16D Unit 16E Unit 21A Unit 21B