New Mexico Unit 21A: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 21A covers 298,976 acres (467 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 97.9% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (292,669 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 7 elk, 7 deer and 6 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 2,148 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 21A, which count public and private-land hunters, show 48 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 21ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 298,976 acres (467 square miles) |
| Public land | 97.9% (292,681 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 7 (250 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 7 (1,825 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (73 draw licenses) |
| Elk private-land zone | Primary Management Zone |
| Towns in and near it | Kingston |
How much public land is in Unit 21A?
97.9% of Unit 21A is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 292,681 of 298,976 acres. The largest share is national forest, 292,669 acres or 97.9% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 21A |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 292,669 | 97.9% |
| State trust land | 9 | under 0.1% |
| BLM | 3 | under 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 21A?
20 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 21A. 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 | 7 | 250 | Sep 1 to Dec 23 | 48 (2025-26) |
| Deer (Units 21A and 21B) | 7 | 1,825 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | with other units |
| Pronghorn (Units 21A, 21B and 24) | 6 | 73 | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | with other units |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 59, 84 and 100. 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 21A?
Highways through the unit: NM 59 (about 11 miles inside it) and NM 152 (about 9 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Kingston.
Which units border Unit 21A?
Unit 21A touches 4 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 16B | 943 | 99.5% | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 16C | 479 | 83.3% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 21B | 2,550 | 62% | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Unit 24 | 1,512 | 63.1% | 6 | 12 | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 21A?
97.9% of Unit 21A, 292,681 of its 298,976 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 (292,669 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 21A?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 7 elk, 7 deer and 6 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 21A. 20 of them are drawn hunts with 2,148 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 21A?
Kingston is inside the unit.
Is Unit 21A in New Mexico's elk primary management zone?
Yes. NMDOW's elk management zone map puts Unit 21A 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 16B Unit 16C Unit 21B Unit 24