New Mexico Unit 2A: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 2A covers 501,022 acres (783 square miles) of Northwest New Mexico; 65.9% of it is public land, the largest share BLM (284,840 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 6 elk, 6 deer and 3 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 1,038 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 2A, which count public and private-land hunters, show 119 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 landWildlife Commission landBureau of ReclamationNational Park ServiceTribal landUnit 2ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 501,022 acres (783 square miles) |
| Public land | 65.9% (330,212 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (660 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (360 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 3 (18 draw licenses) |
| Commission land | Jackson Lake WMA (1,776 acres), Retherford WMA (48 acres) and Hammond Tract WMA (41 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec |
How much public land is in Unit 2A?
65.9% of Unit 2A is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 330,212 of 501,022 acres. The largest share is BLM, 284,840 acres or 56.9% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 2A |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 284,840 | 56.9% |
| State trust land | 39,600 | 7.9% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 4,822 | 1% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 950 | 0.2% |
| National Park Service | 317 | 0.1% |
| Tribal land | 272 | 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). National Park Service land is not counted as public here: it is closed to hunting.
State Wildlife Commission land in Unit 2A: Jackson Lake WMA (1,776 acres), Retherford WMA (48 acres), Hammond Tract WMA (41 acres) and Pine River WMA (28 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 2A?
15 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 2A. 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 (Units 2A, 2B and 2C) | 6 | 660 | Sep 1 to Dec 16 | with other units |
| Deer | 6 | 360 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 119 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn (Units 2A, 2B, 2C, 7, 9 and 10) | 3 | 18 | Aug 15 to Aug 31 | with other units |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 55, 75 and 99. Harvest: NMDOW elk harvest reports, NMDOW deer harvest reports and NMDOW pronghorn harvest reports; "with other units" means NMDGF prints this unit's total together with other units.
How do you get to Unit 2A?
Highways through the unit: US 64 (about 74 miles inside it), US 550 (about 46 miles inside it), NM 516 (about 26 miles inside it), NM 170 (about 20 miles inside it) and NM 511 (about 18 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Farmington, Bloomfield, Aztec, Kirtland, La Plata and Crouch Mesa.
Which units border Unit 2A?
Unit 2A touches 4 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 1 | 3,911 | 0% | |||
| Unit 2B | 746 | 84.8% | 6 | 11 | 3 |
| Unit 2C | 807 | 89.8% | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| Unit 7 | 3,421 | 36% | 5 | 4 | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 2A?
65.9% of Unit 2A, 330,212 of its 501,022 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 (284,840 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 2A?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 6 elk, 6 deer and 3 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 2A. 15 of them are drawn hunts with 1,038 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 2A?
Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec are inside the unit.
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 2A?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Jackson Lake (1,776 acres here), Retherford (48 acres here), Hammond Tract (41 acres here) and Pine River (28 acres here) in Unit 2A. 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 Northwest New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Unit 2B Unit 2C Unit 7