New Mexico Unit 20: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 20 covers 1,631,871 acres (2,550 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 62.9% of it is public land, the largest share BLM (741,533 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 5 deer, 3 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid here, with 381 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 20, which count public and private-land hunters, show 81 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 refugeBureau of ReclamationState parkMilitary landOther federal (closed)Unit 20Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,631,871 acres (2,550 square miles) |
| Public land | 62.9% (1,026,204 acres) |
| Military land | 1,454 acres (0.1%), closed except NMDOW's listed hunts |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (335 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 3 (22 draw licenses) |
| Bighorn Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (24 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Elephant Butte, Williamsburg, Oasis, Hatch, Truth or Consequences and Las Cruces |
How much public land is in Unit 20?
62.9% of Unit 20 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 1,026,204 of 1,631,871 acres. The largest share is BLM, 741,533 acres or 45.4% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 20 |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 741,533 | 45.4% |
| State trust land | 152,997 | 9.4% |
| Other federal (closed) | 109,436 | 6.7% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 79,519 | 4.9% |
| National wildlife refuge | 52,155 | 3.2% |
| Military land | 1,454 | 0.1% |
| State park | 851 | 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).
What can you hunt in Unit 20?
9 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 20. 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 | 5 | 335 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 81 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 3 | 22 | Aug 15 to Aug 31 | 10 (2025-26) |
| Bighorn Sheep | 1 | 24 | Sep 11 to Jan 3 | with other units |
Hunt codes valid here that are on no species area page: BHS-1-204 (bighorn sheep, Units 13, 17, 19, 20, 26 and 27).
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 59, 100 and 108. Harvest: 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 20?
Highways through the unit: US 85 (about 236 miles inside it), I-25 (about 236 miles inside it), NM 1 (about 29 miles inside it), US 70 (about 17 miles inside it) and NM 51 (about 16 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Elephant Butte, Williamsburg, Oasis, San Antonito, Las Palomas and Caballo. Nearby: Hatch (on the line), Truth or Consequences (on the line), Las Cruces (2 miles) and Mesilla (6 miles).
Which units border Unit 20?
Unit 20 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 17 | 1,648 | 73.8% | 11 | 6 | 6 |
| Unit 18 | 2,445 | 65.9% | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Unit 19 | 4,247 | 6.7% | 4 | 1 | |
| Unit 21B | 2,550 | 62% | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Unit 25 | 3,181 | 70.6% | 5 | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 20?
62.9% of Unit 20, 1,026,204 of its 1,631,871 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 (741,533 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 20?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 5 deer, 3 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 20. 9 of them are drawn hunts with 381 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 20?
Elephant Butte, Williamsburg and Oasis are inside the unit. Just outside: Hatch (on the line), Truth or Consequences (on the line) and Las Cruces (2 miles).
New Mexico hunting Southwest New Mexico Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Unit 17 Unit 18 Unit 19 Unit 21B Unit 25