New Mexico Unit 38: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 38 covers 2,084,552 acres (3,257 square miles) of Southeast New Mexico; 31.9% of it is public land, the largest share state trust land (291,353 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 2 elk, 5 deer and 6 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 645 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 38, which count public and private-land hunters, show 80 elk and 74 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 landNational Park ServiceUnit 38Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 2,084,552 acres (3,257 square miles) |
| Public land | 31.9% (665,610 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 2 (20 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (520 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (105 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Corona, Willard, Duran, Mountainair, Encino and Vaughn |
How much public land is in Unit 38?
31.9% of Unit 38 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 665,610 of 2,084,552 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 291,353 acres or 14% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 38 |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 291,353 | 14% |
| BLM | 279,528 | 13.4% |
| National forest | 94,729 | 4.5% |
| National Park Service | 18 | 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). National Park Service land is not counted as public here: it is closed to hunting.
What can you hunt in Unit 38?
13 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 38. 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 | Oct 1 to Oct 21 | 80 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 5 | 520 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 74 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 6 | 105 | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | 158 (2025-26) |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 64, 87 and 102. 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 38?
Highways through the unit: US 285 (about 83 miles inside it), US 60 (about 75 miles inside it), US 54 (about 62 miles inside it), NM 247 (about 45 miles inside it) and NM 55 (about 42 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Corona, Willard and Duran. Nearby: Mountainair (on the line), Encino (on the line), Vaughn (on the line) and Estancia (11 miles).
Which units border Unit 38?
Unit 38 touches 5 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 14 | 1,656 | 17% | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Unit 18 | 2,445 | 65.9% | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Unit 32 | 6,075 | 33.4% | 7 | 12 | |
| Unit 37 | 1,647 | 38.8% | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Unit 39 | 2,638 | 18.2% | 1 | 5 | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 38?
31.9% of Unit 38, 665,610 of its 2,084,552 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 (291,353 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 38?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 2 elk, 5 deer and 6 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 38. 13 of them are drawn hunts with 645 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 38?
Corona, Willard and Duran are inside the unit. Just outside: Mountainair (on the line), Encino (on the line) and Vaughn (on the line).
New Mexico hunting Southeast New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Unit 14 Unit 18 Unit 32 Unit 37 Unit 39