New Mexico Unit 21B: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 21B covers 1,632,258 acres (2,550 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 62% of it is public land, the largest share BLM (655,145 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 10 elk, 7 deer and 6 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 2,078 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 21B, which count public and private-land hunters, show 150 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 landBureau of ReclamationState parkTribal landUnit 21BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,632,258 acres (2,550 square miles) |
| Public land | 62% (1,011,352 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 10 (180 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 7 (1,825 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (73 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences, Hatch, Williamsburg, Deming and Elephant Butte |
How much public land is in Unit 21B?
62% of Unit 21B is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 1,011,352 of 1,632,258 acres. The largest share is BLM, 655,145 acres or 40.1% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 21B |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 655,145 | 40.1% |
| State trust land | 354,335 | 21.7% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 1,760 | 0.1% |
| State park | 288 | under 0.1% |
| National forest | 112 | under 0.1% |
| Tribal land | 30 | 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 21B?
23 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 21B. 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 | 10 | 180 | Sep 1 to Dec 23 | 150 (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 to 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 21B?
Highways through the unit: NM 52 (about 58 miles inside it), US 70 (about 40 miles inside it), NM 185 (about 36 miles inside it), NM 27 (about 26 miles inside it) and I-10 (about 25 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences, Hatch, Radium Springs, Picacho Hills and San Ysidro. Nearby: Williamsburg (on the line), Deming (on the line), Elephant Butte (2 miles) and Mesilla (3 miles).
Which units border Unit 21B?
Unit 21B touches 9 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 16C | 479 | 83.3% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 16E | 959 | 62.7% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 17 | 1,648 | 73.8% | 11 | 6 | 6 |
| Unit 19 | 4,247 | 6.7% | 4 | 1 | |
| Unit 20 | 2,550 | 62.9% | 5 | 3 | |
| Unit 21A | 467 | 97.9% | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Unit 23 | 2,928 | 63.1% | 8 | 19 | 5 |
| Unit 24 | 1,512 | 63.1% | 6 | 12 | 6 |
| Unit 25 | 3,181 | 70.6% | 5 | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 21B?
62% of Unit 21B, 1,011,352 of its 1,632,258 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 (655,145 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 21B?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 10 elk, 7 deer and 6 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 21B. 23 of them are drawn hunts with 2,078 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 21B?
Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences and Hatch are inside the unit. Just outside: Williamsburg (on the line), Deming (on the line) and Elephant Butte (2 miles).
New Mexico hunting Southwest New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Unit 16C Unit 16E Unit 17 Unit 19 Unit 20 Unit 21A Unit 23 Unit 24 Unit 25