New Mexico Unit 4: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 4 covers 443,641 acres (693 square miles) of Northwest New Mexico; 11.7% of it is public land, the largest share Wildlife Commission land (44,311 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 15 elk, 6 deer and 4 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 250 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 4, which count public and private-land hunters, show 1,254 elk and 197 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 landWildlife Commission landState parkTribal landUnit 4Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 443,641 acres (693 square miles) |
| Public land | 11.7% (51,905 acres) |
| Tribal land | 35,924 acres (8.1%); a state license does not cover it |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 15 (175 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (75 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 4 |
| Elk private-land zone | Primary Management Zone |
| Commission land | Edward Sargent WMA (20,057 acres), Rio Chama WMA (13,080 acres) and W.A. Humphries WMA (11,078 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Chama, Tierra Amarilla and Ensenada |
How much public land is in Unit 4?
11.7% of Unit 4 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 51,905 of 443,641 acres. The largest share is Wildlife Commission land, 44,311 acres or 10% of the unit. 35,924 acres are tribal land, where a state license is not valid.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Wildlife Commission land | 44,311 | 10% |
| Tribal land | 35,924 | 8.1% |
| State park | 14,808 | 3.3% |
| BLM | 3,845 | 0.9% |
| State trust land | 3,671 | 0.8% |
| National forest | 78 | 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 4: Edward Sargent WMA (20,057 acres), Rio Chama WMA (13,080 acres) and W.A. Humphries WMA (11,078 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 4?
25 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 4. 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 | 15 | 175 | Sep 1 to Nov 18 | 1,254 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 6 | 75 | Sep 1 to Nov 29 | 197 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 4 | none drawn | Aug 1 to Aug 24 | 7 (2025-26) |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 56 to 96. 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 4?
Highways through the unit: US 64 (about 61 miles inside it), US 84 (about 41 miles inside it), NM 112 (about 16 miles inside it), NM 95 (about 13 miles inside it) and NM 17 (about 10 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Chama, Tierra Amarilla, Ensenada, Los Ojos, Lumberton and Brazos.
Which units border Unit 4?
Unit 4 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 3 | 1,320 | 0.2% | |||
| Unit 5B | 414 | 81% | 10 | 4 | |
| Unit 51A | 796 | 86.4% | 11 | 2 | |
| Unit 51B | 197 | 66% | 11 | 3 | |
| Unit 52 | 420 | 92.1% | 12 | 4 | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 4?
11.7% of Unit 4, 51,905 of its 443,641 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 Wildlife Commission land (44,311 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 4?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 15 elk, 6 deer and 4 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 4. 21 of them are drawn hunts with 250 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 4?
Chama, Tierra Amarilla and Ensenada are inside the unit.
Is Unit 4 in New Mexico's elk primary management zone?
Yes. NMDOW's elk management zone map puts Unit 4 in the Primary Management Zone, where elk licenses are limited and private-land elk authorizations go to landowners in the Elk Private Lands Use System (EPLUS) (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 71).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 4?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Edward Sargent (20,057 acres here), Rio Chama (13,080 acres here) and W.A. Humphries (11,078 acres here) in Unit 4. 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 Northwest New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Unit 5B Unit 51A Unit 51B Unit 52