New Mexico Unit 31: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 31 covers 5,342,364 acres (8,347 square miles) of Southeast New Mexico; 48.4% of it is public land, the largest share state trust land (1,344,260 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 5 deer and 12 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 1,490 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 31, which count public and private-land hunters, show 485 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 landNational wildlife refugeBureau of ReclamationState parkMilitary landOther federal (closed)Unit 31Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 5,342,364 acres (8,347 square miles) |
| Public land | 48.4% (2,587,901 acres) |
| Military land | 3,535 acres (0.1%), closed except NMDOW's listed hunts |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (1,325 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 12 (165 draw licenses) |
| Commission land | Prairie Chicken WMA (25,894 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Hobbs, Lovington, Portales, Texico, Elida and Melrose |
How much public land is in Unit 31?
48.4% of Unit 31 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 2,587,901 of 5,342,364 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 1,344,260 acres or 25.2% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 31 |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 1,344,260 | 25.2% |
| BLM | 1,170,765 | 21.9% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 44,471 | 0.8% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 25,173 | 0.5% |
| Other federal (closed) | 10,894 | 0.2% |
| Military land | 3,535 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge | 3,232 | 0.1% |
| State park | 194 | 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).
State Wildlife Commission land in Unit 31: Prairie Chicken WMA (25,894 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 31?
17 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 31. 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 | 1,325 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 485 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 12 | 165 | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | 317 (2025-26) |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 62 and 101. Harvest: 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 31?
Highways through the unit: US 180 (about 197 miles inside it), US 62 (about 197 miles inside it), NM 18 (about 117 miles inside it), US 70 (about 89 miles inside it) and NM 206 (about 87 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Hobbs, Lovington, Portales, Jal, Eunice and Causey. Nearby: Texico (on the line), Elida (on the line), Melrose (on the line) and Carlsbad (on the line).
Which units border Unit 31?
Unit 31 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 30 | 2,943 | 75.4% | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| Unit 32 | 6,075 | 33.4% | 7 | 12 | |
| Unit 33 | 2,272 | 57.9% | 7 | 6 | |
| Unit 40 | 3,776 | 10.4% | 5 | 4 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 31?
48.4% of Unit 31, 2,587,901 of its 5,342,364 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 state trust land (1,344,260 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 31?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 5 deer and 12 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 31. 17 of them are drawn hunts with 1,490 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 31?
Hobbs, Lovington and Portales are inside the unit. Just outside: Texico (on the line), Elida (on the line) and Melrose (on the line).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 31?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Prairie Chicken (25,894 acres here) in Unit 31. 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 Southeast New Mexico Deer Pronghorn Unit 30 Unit 32 Unit 33 Unit 40