New Mexico Unit 23: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 23 covers 1,874,142 acres (2,928 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 63.1% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (442,123 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 8 elk, 19 deer, 5 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid here, with 2,612 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 23, which count public and private-land hunters, show 66 elk and 359 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 landMilitary landUnit 23Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,874,142 acres (2,928 square miles) |
| Public land | 63.1% (1,183,461 acres) |
| Military land | 2,080 acres (0.1%), closed except NMDOW's listed hunts |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 8 (430 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 19 (2,125 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (33 draw licenses) |
| Bighorn Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (24 draw licenses) |
| Commission land | Red Rock WMA (2,312 acres), Bill Evans Lake WMA (302 acres) and Iron Bridge Tract WMA (169 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Silver City, Lordsburg, Santa Clara, Hurley, Bayard and Deming |
How much public land is in Unit 23?
63.1% of Unit 23 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 1,183,461 of 1,874,142 acres. The largest share is national forest, 442,123 acres or 23.6% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 23 |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 442,123 | 23.6% |
| State trust land | 409,563 | 21.9% |
| BLM | 329,778 | 17.6% |
| Military land | 2,080 | 0.1% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 1,997 | 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 23: Red Rock WMA (2,312 acres), Bill Evans Lake WMA (302 acres), Iron Bridge Tract WMA (169 acres) and Glenwood-Allred WMA (85 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 23?
33 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 23. 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 | 8 | 430 | Sep 1 to Dec 27 | 66 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 19 | 2,125 | Sep 1 to Jan 31 | 359 (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 60 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 23?
Highways through the unit: US 70 (about 55 miles inside it), US 180 (about 53 miles inside it), NM 90 (about 47 miles inside it), I-10 (about 36 miles inside it) and NM 464 (about 21 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Silver City, Lordsburg, Santa Clara, Virden, Cliff and White Signal. Nearby: Hurley (on the line), Bayard (on the line), Deming (on the line) and Reserve (6 miles).
Which units border Unit 23?
Unit 23 touches 8 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 15 | 1,634 | 77.6% | 10 | 4 | 5 |
| Unit 16A | 644 | 97% | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 21B | 2,550 | 62% | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Unit 22 | 392 | 69.2% | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Unit 24 | 1,512 | 63.1% | 6 | 12 | 6 |
| Unit 25 | 3,181 | 70.6% | 5 | 5 | |
| Unit 26 | 2,304 | 51.5% | 6 | 5 | |
| Unit 27 | 1,036 | 67.5% | 11 | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 23?
63.1% of Unit 23, 1,183,461 of its 1,874,142 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 (442,123 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 23?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 8 elk, 19 deer, 5 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 23. 33 of them are drawn hunts with 2,612 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 23?
Silver City, Lordsburg and Santa Clara are inside the unit. Just outside: Hurley (on the line), Bayard (on the line) and Deming (on the line).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 23?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Red Rock (2,312 acres here), Bill Evans Lake (302 acres here), Iron Bridge Tract (169 acres here) and Glenwood-Allred (85 acres here) in Unit 23. 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 15 Unit 16A Unit 21B Unit 22 Unit 24 Unit 25 Unit 26 Unit 27