New Mexico Unit 19: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 19 covers 2,718,222 acres (4,247 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 6.7% of it is public land, the largest share BLM (102,184 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 4 deer, 1 pronghorn, 21 oryx and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid here, with 959 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 19, which count public and private-land hunters, show 12 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.
BLMState trust landNational wildlife refugeNational Park ServiceMilitary landUnit 19Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 2,718,222 acres (4,247 square miles) |
| Public land | 6.7% (182,574 acres) |
| Military land | 2,334,638 acres (85.9%), closed except NMDOW's listed hunts |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 4 (30 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (5 draw licenses) |
| Oryx hunt codes, 2026-27 | 21 (900 draw licenses) |
| Bighorn Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (24 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Chaparral, Holloman AFB, White Sands, Anthony, Las Cruces and Mesilla |
Most of Unit 19 is military land: 2,334,638 acres on the BLM's map, White Sands Missile Range among it. NMDOW's oryx draw hunts on the range (Stallion Range and Rhodes Canyon) are held under the Army's rules, and the range charges a $185 access fee per hunter, with a 50% military discount (2026-27 booklet, page 114).
How much public land is in Unit 19?
6.7% of Unit 19 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 182,574 of 2,718,222 acres. The largest share is BLM, 102,184 acres or 3.8% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 19 |
|---|---|---|
| Military land | 2,334,638 | 85.9% |
| National Park Service | 146,318 | 5.4% |
| BLM | 102,184 | 3.8% |
| National wildlife refuge | 57,261 | 2.1% |
| State trust land | 23,129 | 0.9% |
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 19?
27 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 19. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 4 | 30 | Dec 5 to Jan 24 | 12 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 1 | 5 | Oct 2 to Oct 4 | 4 (2025-26) |
| Oryx | 21 | 900 | Sep 4 to Mar 7 | with other units |
| Bighorn Sheep | 1 | 24 | Sep 11 to Jan 3 | with other units |
Hunt codes valid here that are on no species area page: ANT-1-134 (pronghorn, Unit 19), BHS-1-204 (bighorn sheep, Units 13, 17, 19, 20, 26 and 27).
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 59 to 116. Harvest: NMDOW deer harvest reports, NMDOW pronghorn harvest reports, NMDOW oryx 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 19?
Highways through the unit: US 70 (about 88 miles inside it), US 54 (about 32 miles inside it), US 85 (about 16 miles inside it), NM 213 (about 11 miles inside it) and US 380 (about 10 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Chaparral, Holloman AFB, White Sands and Butterfield Park. Nearby: Anthony (on the line), Las Cruces (2 miles), Mesilla (4 miles) and Tularosa (5 miles).
Which units border Unit 19?
Unit 19 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 18 | 2,445 | 65.9% | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Unit 20 | 2,550 | 62.9% | 5 | 3 | |
| Unit 21B | 2,550 | 62% | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Unit 25 | 3,181 | 70.6% | 5 | 5 | |
| Unit 28 | 1,061 | 89.4% | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Unit 34 | 1,696 | 67.5% | 14 | 7 | |
| Unit 36 | 992 | 53.1% | 10 | 7 | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 19?
6.7% of Unit 19, 182,574 of its 2,718,222 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 BLM (102,184 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 19?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 4 deer, 1 pronghorn, 21 oryx and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 19. 27 of them are drawn hunts with 959 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 19?
Chaparral, Holloman AFB and White Sands are inside the unit. Just outside: Anthony (on the line), Las Cruces (2 miles) and Mesilla (4 miles).
New Mexico hunting Southwest New Mexico Deer Pronghorn Oryx Bighorn Sheep Unit 18 Unit 20 Unit 21B Unit 25 Unit 28 Unit 34 Unit 36