New Mexico Unit 24: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 24 covers 967,570 acres (1,512 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 63.1% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (297,471 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 6 elk, 12 deer, 6 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid here, with 1,887 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 24, which count public and private-land hunters, show 42 elk and 500 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 landOther federal (closed)Unit 24Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 967,570 acres (1,512 square miles) |
| Public land | 63.1% (610,510 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (65 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 12 (1,725 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (73 draw licenses) |
| Bighorn Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (24 draw licenses) |
| Commission land | Double E WMA (12,062 acres), Mimbres WMA (10,991 acres) and River Ranch WMA (3,938 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Hurley, Bayard, Old Town, Santa Clara, Silver City and Deming |
How much public land is in Unit 24?
63.1% of Unit 24 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 610,510 of 967,570 acres. The largest share is national forest, 297,471 acres or 30.7% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 24 |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 297,471 | 30.7% |
| State trust land | 169,195 | 17.5% |
| BLM | 136,854 | 14.1% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 6,990 | 0.7% |
| Other federal (closed) | 484 | 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 24: Double E WMA (12,062 acres), Mimbres WMA (10,991 acres), River Ranch WMA (3,938 acres), Bear Canyon Lake WMA (80 acres), Lake Roberts WMA (78 acres) and Mimbres River Tract WMA (23 acres).
Open Gate properties in Unit 24: Royal John Bypass (improved access to federal lands). Source: NMDOW Open Gate table (updated 09-15-2026).
What can you hunt in Unit 24?
25 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 24. 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 | 6 | 65 | Sep 1 to Dec 23 | 42 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 12 | 1,725 | Sep 1 to Jan 31 | 500 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn (Units 21A, 21B and 24) | 6 | 73 | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | 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 24?
Highways through the unit: US 180 (about 56 miles inside it), NM 152 (about 32 miles inside it), NM 61 (about 25 miles inside it), NM 15 (about 25 miles inside it) and NM 26 (about 22 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Hurley, Bayard, Old Town, Keeler Farm, Gila and Little Walnut Village. Nearby: Santa Clara (on the line), Silver City (on the line), Deming (2 miles) and Hatch (18 miles).
Which units border Unit 24?
Unit 24 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 16B | 943 | 99.5% | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Unit 21A | 467 | 97.9% | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Unit 21B | 2,550 | 62% | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Unit 22 | 392 | 69.2% | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Unit 23 | 2,928 | 63.1% | 8 | 19 | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 24?
63.1% of Unit 24, 610,510 of its 967,570 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 (297,471 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 24?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 6 elk, 12 deer, 6 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 24. 25 of them are drawn hunts with 1,887 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 24?
Hurley, Bayard and Old Town are inside the unit. Just outside: Santa Clara (on the line), Silver City (on the line) and Deming (2 miles).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 24?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Double E (12,062 acres here), Mimbres WMA (10,991 acres here), River Ranch (3,938 acres here), Bear Canyon Lake (80 acres here), Lake Roberts (78 acres here) and Mimbres River Tract (23 acres here) in Unit 24. Open Gate: Royal John Bypass (improved access to federal lands). 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 16B Unit 21A Unit 21B Unit 22 Unit 23