New Mexico Unit 39: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 39 covers 1,688,070 acres (2,638 square miles) of Southeast New Mexico; 18.2% of it is public land, the largest share state trust land (262,947 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 1 elk, 5 deer and 6 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 225 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 39, which count public and private-land hunters, show 67 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 ReclamationUnit 39Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,688,070 acres (2,638 square miles) |
| Public land | 18.2% (306,991 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (30 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (150 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (45 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Moriarty, Estancia, Vaughn, Willard, Fort Sumner and Mountainair |
How much public land is in Unit 39?
18.2% of Unit 39 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 306,991 of 1,688,070 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 262,947 acres or 15.6% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 39 |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 262,947 | 15.6% |
| BLM | 32,545 | 1.9% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 11,429 | 0.7% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 70 | 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).
What can you hunt in Unit 39?
12 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 39. 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 | 1 | 30 | Oct 1 to Oct 5 | with other units |
| Deer | 5 | 150 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 67 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 6 | 45 | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | 210 (2025-26) |
Hunt codes valid here that are on no species area page: ELK-1-410 (elk, Units 39 and 43).
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 39?
Highways through the unit: I-40 (about 131 miles inside it), US 285 (about 66 miles inside it), US 60 (about 47 miles inside it), US 84 (about 44 miles inside it) and US 54 (about 40 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Moriarty, Estancia, Vaughn, Santa Rosa, Encino and Lake Sumner. Nearby: Willard (on the line), Fort Sumner (2 miles), Mountainair (11 miles) and Edgewood (13 miles).
Which units border Unit 39?
Unit 39 touches 7 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 8 | 922 | 16.1% | 6 | 2 | |
| Unit 14 | 1,656 | 17% | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Unit 32 | 6,075 | 33.4% | 7 | 12 | |
| Unit 38 | 3,257 | 31.9% | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Unit 40 | 3,776 | 10.4% | 5 | 4 | |
| Unit 42 | 4,294 | 8.9% | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Unit 43 | 1,903 | 26.3% | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 39?
18.2% of Unit 39, 306,991 of its 1,688,070 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 (262,947 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 39?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 1 elk, 5 deer and 6 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 39. 12 of them are drawn hunts with 225 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 39?
Moriarty, Estancia and Vaughn are inside the unit. Just outside: Willard (on the line), Fort Sumner (2 miles) and Mountainair (11 miles).
New Mexico hunting Southeast New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Unit 8 Unit 14 Unit 32 Unit 38 Unit 40 Unit 42 Unit 43