New Mexico Unit 36: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 36 covers 635,140 acres (992 square miles) of Southeast New Mexico; 53.1% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (150,368 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 10 elk, 7 deer, 6 pronghorn and 8 Barbary sheep hunt codes valid here, with 3,030 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 36, which count public and private-land hunters, show 978 elk and 337 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 landTribal landUnit 36Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 635,140 acres (992 square miles) |
| Public land | 53.1% (337,435 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 10 (1,000 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 7 (1,115 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (65 draw licenses) |
| Barbary Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 8 (850 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs, Capitan, Tularosa, Carrizozo and Alamogordo |
How much public land is in Unit 36?
53.1% of Unit 36 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 337,435 of 635,140 acres. The largest share is national forest, 150,368 acres or 23.7% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 36 |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 150,368 | 23.7% |
| State trust land | 96,964 | 15.3% |
| BLM | 90,103 | 14.2% |
| Tribal land | 19 | under 0.1% |
| Military land | 1 | 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).
Open Gate properties in Unit 36: Bonito Lake (fishing). Source: NMDOW Open Gate table (updated 09-15-2026).
What can you hunt in Unit 36?
31 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 36. 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 | 10 | 1,000 | Sep 1 to Jan 27 | 978 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 7 | 1,115 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 337 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn (Units 36 and 37) | 6 | 65 | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | with other units |
| Barbary Sheep (Units 32, 36 and 37) | 8 | 850 | Oct 10 to Feb 27 | with other units |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 63 to 112. Harvest: NMDOW elk harvest reports, NMDOW deer harvest reports, NMDOW pronghorn 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 36?
Highways through the unit: US 70 (about 47 miles inside it), US 54 (about 30 miles inside it), NM 48 (about 22 miles inside it), US 380 (about 22 miles inside it) and NM 220 (about 16 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs, Capitan and Nogal. Nearby: Tularosa (on the line), Carrizozo (on the line), Alamogordo (14 miles) and Cloudcroft (16 miles).
Which units border Unit 36?
Unit 36 touches 6 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 18 | 2,445 | 65.9% | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Unit 19 | 4,247 | 6.7% | 4 | 1 | |
| Unit 32 | 6,075 | 33.4% | 7 | 12 | |
| Unit 34 | 1,696 | 67.5% | 14 | 7 | |
| Unit 35 | 720 | 0% | |||
| Unit 37 | 1,647 | 38.8% | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 36?
53.1% of Unit 36, 337,435 of its 635,140 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 national forest (150,368 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 36?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 10 elk, 7 deer, 6 pronghorn and 8 Barbary sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 36. 29 of them are drawn hunts with 3,030 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 36?
Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs and Capitan are inside the unit. Just outside: Tularosa (on the line), Carrizozo (on the line) and Alamogordo (14 miles).
New Mexico hunting Southeast New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Barbary Sheep Unit 18 Unit 19 Unit 32 Unit 34 Unit 37