New Mexico Unit 22: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 22 covers 251,154 acres (392 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 69.2% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (159,607 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 5 elk, 6 deer, 5 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid here, with 952 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 22, which count public and private-land hunters, show 64 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.
National forestBLMState trust landWildlife Commission landUnit 22Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 251,154 acres (392 square miles) |
| Public land | 69.2% (173,811 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (615 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (280 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (33 draw licenses) |
| Bighorn Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (24 draw licenses) |
| Elk private-land zone | Primary Management Zone |
| Commission land | Glenwood-Allred WMA (22 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Buckhorn and Glenwood |
How much public land is in Unit 22?
69.2% of Unit 22 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 173,811 of 251,154 acres. The largest share is national forest, 159,607 acres or 63.5% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 22 |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 159,607 | 63.5% |
| State trust land | 13,097 | 5.2% |
| BLM | 1,086 | 0.4% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 21 | 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).
State Wildlife Commission land in Unit 22: Glenwood-Allred WMA (22 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 22?
17 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 22. 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 (Units 16B and 22) | 5 | 615 | Sep 1 to Oct 28 | with other units |
| Deer | 6 | 280 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 64 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn (Units 22 and 23) | 5 | 33 | Aug 15 to Sep 28 | with other units |
| Bighorn Sheep | 1 | 24 | Aug 6 to Jan 31 | with other units |
Hunt codes valid here that are on no species area page: BHS-1-201 (bighorn sheep, Units 6A, 6C, 16B, 22, 23, 24, 45, 49, 50, 53, 55A, 55B and 58).
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 59 to 107. Harvest: NMDOW elk harvest reports, 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 22?
Highways through the unit: US 180 (about 20 miles inside it), NM 293 (about 5 miles inside it), NM 174 (about 5 miles inside it) and NM 159 (about 4 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Buckhorn and Glenwood.
Which units border Unit 22?
Unit 22 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 16A | 644 | 97% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 16B | 943 | 99.5% | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 23 | 2,928 | 63.1% | 8 | 19 | 5 |
| Unit 24 | 1,512 | 63.1% | 6 | 12 | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 22?
69.2% of Unit 22, 173,811 of its 251,154 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 (159,607 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 22?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 5 elk, 6 deer, 5 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 22. 17 of them are drawn hunts with 952 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 22?
Buckhorn and Glenwood are inside the unit.
Is Unit 22 in New Mexico's elk primary management zone?
Yes. NMDOW's elk management zone map puts Unit 22 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).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 22?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Glenwood-Allred (22 acres here) in Unit 22. Commission lands are closed to hunting unless NMDOW's booklet lists them as open (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 49).
New Mexico hunting Southwest New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Unit 16A Unit 16B Unit 23 Unit 24