New Mexico Unit 42: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 42 covers 2,748,354 acres (4,294 square miles) of Northeast New Mexico; 8.9% of it is public land, the largest share state trust land (197,074 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 3 elk, 5 deer and 4 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 187 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 42, which count public and private-land hunters, show 179 elk and 101 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 landNational wildlife refugeState parkMilitary landUnit 42Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 2,748,354 acres (4,294 square miles) |
| Public land | 8.9% (244,390 acres) |
| Military land | 11,129 acres (0.4%), closed except NMDOW's listed hunts |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 3 (39 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (120 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 4 (28 draw licenses) |
| Commission land | Tucumcari Lake WMA (703 acres) and McAllister Lake WMA (633 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Logan, Tucumcari, Mosquero, San Jon, Las Vegas and Santa Rosa |
How much public land is in Unit 42?
8.9% of Unit 42 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 244,390 of 2,748,354 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 197,074 acres or 7.2% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 42 |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 197,074 | 7.2% |
| BLM | 37,285 | 1.4% |
| Military land | 11,129 | 0.4% |
| National wildlife refuge | 8,695 | 0.3% |
| State park | 2,179 | 0.1% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 1,336 | 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 42: Tucumcari Lake WMA (703 acres) and McAllister Lake WMA (633 acres).
Open Gate properties in Unit 42: Oliver Farms (spring turkey hunting). Source: NMDOW Open Gate table (updated 09-15-2026).
What can you hunt in Unit 42?
12 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 42. 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 (Units 42, 47 and 59) | 3 | 39 | Sep 1 to Oct 5 | 179 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 5 | 120 | Sep 1 to Nov 29 | 101 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 4 | 28 | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | 48 (2025-26) |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 65, 87 and 103. 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 42?
Highways through the unit: NM 104 (about 108 miles inside it), US 54 (about 38 miles inside it), NM 419 (about 35 miles inside it), NM 39 (about 29 miles inside it) and US 84 (about 23 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Logan, Tucumcari, Mosquero, Conchas Dam and Watrous. Nearby: San Jon (on the line), Las Vegas (on the line), Santa Rosa (on the line) and Roy (12 miles).
Which units border Unit 42?
Unit 42 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 39 | 2,638 | 18.2% | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Unit 40 | 3,776 | 10.4% | 5 | 4 | |
| Unit 41 | 1,835 | 20.5% | 8 | 6 | |
| Unit 43 | 1,903 | 26.3% | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Unit 46 | 1,260 | 0.7% | 4 | 5 | |
| Unit 47 | 1,206 | 23.7% | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Unit 59 | 1,889 | 24.6% | 3 | 7 | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 42?
8.9% of Unit 42, 244,390 of its 2,748,354 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 (197,074 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 42?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 3 elk, 5 deer and 4 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 42. 12 of them are drawn hunts with 187 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 42?
Logan, Tucumcari and Mosquero are inside the unit. Just outside: San Jon (on the line), Las Vegas (on the line) and Santa Rosa (on the line).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 42?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Tucumcari Lake (703 acres here) and McAllister Lake (633 acres here) in Unit 42. 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 Northeast New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Unit 39 Unit 40 Unit 41 Unit 43 Unit 46 Unit 47 Unit 59