New Mexico Unit 28: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 28 covers 678,817 acres (1,061 square miles) of Southeast New Mexico; 89.4% of it is public land, the largest share BLM (607,120 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 2 elk, 2 deer, 2 pronghorn, 4 oryx and 6 Barbary sheep hunt codes valid here, with 354 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 28, which count public and private-land hunters, show 11 elk and 15 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 28Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 678,817 acres (1,061 square miles) |
| Public land | 89.4% (607,187 acres) |
| Military land | 71,209 acres (10.5%), closed except NMDOW's listed hunts |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 2 (20 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 2 (50 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 2 (14 draw licenses) |
| Oryx hunt codes, 2026-27 | 4 (100 draw licenses) |
| Barbary Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (170 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Alamogordo and Anthony |
Unit 28 is the McGregor Range portion of Fort Bliss. NMDOW's oryx, Barbary sheep and other hunts here are on withdrawn BLM land run by the Army, where the Habitat Stamp is not required (2026-27 booklet, page 14) and Fort Bliss charges a $100 access fee for each hunter and guest (page 114).
How much public land is in Unit 28?
89.4% of Unit 28 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 607,187 of 678,817 acres. The largest share is BLM, 607,120 acres or 89.4% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 28 |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 607,120 | 89.4% |
| Military land | 71,209 | 10.5% |
| State trust land | 62 | under 0.1% |
| National forest | 5 | 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 28?
16 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 28. 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 | 2 | 20 | Dec 12 to Dec 16 | 11 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 2 | 50 | Dec 19 to Dec 20 | 15 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 2 | 14 | Sep 5 to Sep 6 | 4 (2025-26) |
| Oryx | 4 | 100 | Dec 19 to Jan 3 | with other units |
| Barbary Sheep | 6 | 170 | Dec 12 to Jan 3 | 50 (2025-26) |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 62 to 117. Harvest: NMDOW elk harvest reports, NMDOW deer harvest reports, NMDOW pronghorn harvest reports, NMDOW oryx harvest reports and NMDOW Barbary sheep harvest reports; "with other units" means NMDGF prints this unit's total together with other units.
How do you get to Unit 28?
Highways through the unit: NM 506 (about 30 miles inside it) and US 54 (about 22 miles inside it). Nearby: Alamogordo (13 miles) and Anthony (16 miles).
Which units border Unit 28?
Unit 28 touches 3 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 29 | 1,182 | 84% | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Unit 34 | 1,696 | 67.5% | 14 | 7 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 28?
89.4% of Unit 28, 607,187 of its 678,817 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 (607,120 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 28?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 2 elk, 2 deer, 2 pronghorn, 4 oryx and 6 Barbary sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 28. 16 of them are drawn hunts with 354 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 28?
No town is inside it. The nearest are Alamogordo (13 miles) and Anthony (16 miles).
New Mexico hunting Southeast New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Oryx Barbary Sheep Unit 19 Unit 29 Unit 34