New Mexico Unit 27: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 27 covers 662,898 acres (1,036 square miles) of Southwest New Mexico; 67.5% of it is public land, the largest share BLM (250,223 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 11 deer, 5 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid here, with 452 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 27, 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 landMilitary landUnit 27Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 662,898 acres (1,036 square miles) |
| Public land | 67.5% (447,402 acres) |
| Military land | 1,347 acres (0.2%), closed except NMDOW's listed hunts |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 11 (395 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (33 draw licenses) |
| Bighorn Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (24 draw licenses) |
| Commission land | San Simon Cienega WMA (41 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Cotton City, Animas, Rodeo, Lordsburg and Virden |
How much public land is in Unit 27?
67.5% of Unit 27 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 447,402 of 662,898 acres. The largest share is BLM, 250,223 acres or 37.7% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 27 |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 250,223 | 37.7% |
| State trust land | 129,056 | 19.5% |
| National forest | 68,123 | 10.3% |
| Military land | 1,347 | 0.2% |
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 27: San Simon Cienega WMA (41 acres).
Open Gate properties in Unit 27: Weatherby Ranch (dove, quail, sandhill crane, javelina, deer (draw hunters only), cougar, bighorn sheep, furbearer trapping). Source: NMDOW Open Gate table (updated 09-15-2026).
What can you hunt in Unit 27?
17 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 27. 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 | 11 | 395 | Sep 1 to Jan 31 | 64 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn (Units 25, 26 and 27) | 5 | 33 | Aug 15 to Sep 28 | with other units |
| Bighorn Sheep | 1 | 24 | Sep 11 to Jan 3 | with other units |
Hunt codes valid here that are on no species area page: BHS-1-204 (bighorn sheep, Units 13, 17, 19, 20, 26 and 27).
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 61 to 108. Harvest: 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 27?
Highways through the unit: I-10 (about 33 miles inside it), NM 80 (about 32 miles inside it), NM 338 (about 20 miles inside it), NM 9 (about 14 miles inside it) and US 70 (about 12 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Cotton City, Animas, Rodeo and Glen Acres. Nearby: Lordsburg (on the line) and Virden (4 miles).
Which units border Unit 27?
Unit 27 touches 2 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 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 27?
67.5% of Unit 27, 447,402 of its 662,898 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 (250,223 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 27?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 11 deer, 5 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 27. 17 of them are drawn hunts with 452 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 27?
Cotton City, Animas and Rodeo are inside the unit. Just outside: Lordsburg (on the line) and Virden (4 miles).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 27?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows San Simon Cienega (41 acres here) in Unit 27. Open Gate: Weatherby Ranch (dove, quail, sandhill crane, javelina, deer (draw hunters only), cougar, bighorn sheep, furbearer trapping). 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 Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Unit 23 Unit 26