New Mexico Unit 37: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 37 covers 1,054,257 acres (1,647 square miles) of Southeast New Mexico; 38.8% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (211,013 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 6 elk, 5 deer, 6 pronghorn and 8 Barbary sheep hunt codes valid here, with 2,170 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 37, which count public and private-land hunters, show 273 elk and 217 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 landUnit 37Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,054,257 acres (1,647 square miles) |
| Public land | 38.8% (409,272 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (225 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (1,030 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 | Carrizozo, Capitan, Ruidoso Downs and Ruidoso |
How much public land is in Unit 37?
38.8% of Unit 37 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 409,272 of 1,054,257 acres. The largest share is national forest, 211,013 acres or 20% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 37 |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 211,013 | 20% |
| BLM | 121,127 | 11.5% |
| State trust land | 77,132 | 7.3% |
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 37?
25 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 37. 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 | 6 | 225 | Sep 1 to Dec 9 | 273 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 5 | 1,030 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 217 (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 64 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 37?
Highways through the unit: NM 246 (about 54 miles inside it), US 380 (about 38 miles inside it), NM 368 (about 17 miles inside it), US 70 (about 12 miles inside it) and US 54 (about 12 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Carrizozo. Nearby: Capitan (on the line), Ruidoso Downs (14 miles), Ruidoso (14 miles) and Corona (19 miles).
Which units border Unit 37?
Unit 37 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 18 | 2,445 | 65.9% | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Unit 32 | 6,075 | 33.4% | 7 | 12 | |
| Unit 36 | 992 | 53.1% | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Unit 38 | 3,257 | 31.9% | 2 | 5 | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 37?
38.8% of Unit 37, 409,272 of its 1,054,257 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 (211,013 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 37?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 6 elk, 5 deer, 6 pronghorn and 8 Barbary sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 37. 25 of them are drawn hunts with 2,170 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 37?
Carrizozo is inside the unit. Just outside: Capitan (on the line), Ruidoso Downs (14 miles) and Ruidoso (14 miles).
New Mexico hunting Southeast New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Barbary Sheep Unit 18 Unit 32 Unit 36 Unit 38