New Mexico Unit 40: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 40 covers 2,416,561 acres (3,776 square miles) of Southeast New Mexico; 10.4% of it is public land, the largest share state trust land (245,674 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 5 deer and 4 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 195 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 40, which count public and private-land hunters, show 146 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 landBureau of ReclamationMilitary landUnit 40Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Southeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 2,416,561 acres (3,776 square miles) |
| Public land | 10.4% (251,131 acres) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (165 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 4 (30 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Clovis, Fort Sumner, San Jon, Tucumcari, Santa Rosa and Logan |
How much public land is in Unit 40?
10.4% of Unit 40 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 251,131 of 2,416,561 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 245,674 acres or 10.2% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 40 |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 245,674 | 10.2% |
| BLM | 4,814 | 0.2% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 643 | under 0.1% |
| Military land | 272 | 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 40: Head Ranch (dove, quail, pronghorn). Source: NMDOW Open Gate table (updated 09-15-2026).
What can you hunt in Unit 40?
9 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 40. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 5 | 165 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 146 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 4 | 30 | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | 273 (2025-26) |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 64 and 103. Harvest: 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 40?
Highways through the unit: I-40 (about 165 miles inside it), US 54 (about 101 miles inside it), NM 209 (about 84 miles inside it), US 84 (about 62 miles inside it) and NM 156 (about 60 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Clovis, Fort Sumner, San Jon, Melrose, House and Texico. Nearby: Tucumcari (on the line), Santa Rosa (2 miles), Logan (13 miles) and Floyd (13 miles).
Which units border Unit 40?
Unit 40 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 31 | 8,347 | 48.4% | 5 | 12 | |
| Unit 32 | 6,075 | 33.4% | 7 | 12 | |
| Unit 39 | 2,638 | 18.2% | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Unit 41 | 1,835 | 20.5% | 8 | 6 | |
| Unit 42 | 4,294 | 8.9% | 3 | 5 | 4 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 40?
10.4% of Unit 40, 251,131 of its 2,416,561 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 (245,674 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 40?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 5 deer and 4 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 40. 9 of them are drawn hunts with 195 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 40?
Clovis, Fort Sumner and San Jon are inside the unit. Just outside: Tucumcari (on the line), Santa Rosa (2 miles) and Logan (13 miles).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 40?
Open Gate: Head Ranch (dove, quail, pronghorn). 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 Southeast New Mexico Deer Pronghorn Unit 31 Unit 32 Unit 39 Unit 41 Unit 42