New Mexico Unit 25: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 25 covers 2,035,663 acres (3,181 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 70.6% of it is public land, the largest share BLM (1,103,296 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 5 deer, 5 pronghorn and 5 ibex hunt codes valid here, with 399 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 25, which count public and private-land hunters, show 26 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.
BLMState trust landBureau of ReclamationState parkMilitary landUnit 25Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 2,035,663 acres (3,181 square miles) |
| Public land | 70.6% (1,436,464 acres) |
| Military land | 73,991 acres (3.6%), closed except NMDOW's listed hunts |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (320 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (33 draw licenses) |
| Ibex hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (46 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Deming, Sunland Park, Mesilla and Las Cruces |
How much public land is in Unit 25?
70.6% of Unit 25 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 1,436,464 of 2,035,663 acres. The largest share is BLM, 1,103,296 acres or 54.2% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 25 |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 1,103,296 | 54.2% |
| State trust land | 333,070 | 16.4% |
| Military land | 73,991 | 3.6% |
| State park | 972 | under 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 98 | 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 25?
15 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 25. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 5 | 320 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 26 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn (Units 25, 26 and 27) | 5 | 33 | Aug 15 to Sep 28 | with other units |
| Ibex | 5 | 46 | Oct 1 to Jan 29 | 22 (2025-26) |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 61 to 110. Harvest: NMDOW deer harvest reports, NMDOW pronghorn harvest reports and NMDOW ibex harvest reports; "with other units" means NMDGF prints this unit's total together with other units.
How do you get to Unit 25?
Highways through the unit: I-10 (about 180 miles inside it), US 70 (about 132 miles inside it), US 180 (about 93 miles inside it), NM 9 (about 64 miles inside it) and US 85 (about 37 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Deming, Sunland Park, Mesilla, Columbus, Anthony and Sunshine. Nearby: Las Cruces (on the line).
Which units border Unit 25?
Unit 25 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 19 | 4,247 | 6.7% | 4 | 1 | |
| Unit 20 | 2,550 | 62.9% | 5 | 3 | |
| Unit 21B | 2,550 | 62% | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Unit 23 | 2,928 | 63.1% | 8 | 19 | 5 |
| Unit 26 | 2,304 | 51.5% | 6 | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 25?
70.6% of Unit 25, 1,436,464 of its 2,035,663 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 (1,103,296 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 25?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 5 deer, 5 pronghorn and 5 ibex hunt codes valid in Unit 25. 15 of them are drawn hunts with 399 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 25?
Deming, Sunland Park and Mesilla are inside the unit. Just outside: Las Cruces (on the line).
New Mexico hunting Southwest New Mexico Deer Pronghorn Ibex Unit 19 Unit 20 Unit 21B Unit 23 Unit 26