New Mexico Unit 45: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 45 covers 976,072 acres (1,525 square miles) of Northeast New Mexico; 74.3% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (624,291 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 6 elk, 6 deer and 3 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid here, with 1,542 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 45, which count public and private-land hunters, show 188 elk and 431 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 parkNational Park ServiceTribal landUnit 45Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 976,072 acres (1,525 square miles) |
| Public land | 74.3% (725,646 acres) |
| Tribal land | 36,916 acres (3.8%); a state license does not cover it |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (613 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (875 draw licenses) |
| Bighorn Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 3 (54 draw licenses) |
| Elk private-land zone | Primary Management Zone |
| Commission land | Bert Clancy WMA (997 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Pecos, Dixon, Nambe, Española, Santa Fe and Las Vegas |
How much public land is in Unit 45?
74.3% of Unit 45 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 725,646 of 976,072 acres. The largest share is national forest, 624,291 acres or 64% of the unit. 36,916 acres are tribal land, where a state license is not valid.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 45 |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 624,291 | 64% |
| BLM | 86,986 | 8.9% |
| Tribal land | 36,916 | 3.8% |
| State trust land | 12,492 | 1.3% |
| National Park Service | 6,386 | 0.7% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 1,877 | 0.2% |
| State park | 350 | 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.
State Wildlife Commission land in Unit 45: Bert Clancy WMA (997 acres).
Open Gate properties in Unit 45: Monastery Lake (fishing). Source: NMDOW Open Gate table (updated 09-15-2026).
What can you hunt in Unit 45?
15 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 45. 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 | 6 | 613 | Sep 1 to Nov 18 | 188 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 6 | 875 | Sep 1 to Nov 29 | 431 (2025-26) |
| Bighorn Sheep | 3 | 54 | Aug 6 to Jan 31 | with other units |
Hunt codes valid here that are on no species area page: BHS-1-201 (bighorn sheep, Units 6A, 6C, 16B, 22, 23, 24, 45, 49, 50, 53, 55A, 55B and 58).
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 65 to 108. Harvest: NMDOW elk harvest reports, NMDOW deer harvest reports and NMDOW bighorn sheep harvest reports; "with other units" means NMDGF prints this unit's total together with other units.
How do you get to Unit 45?
Highways through the unit: US 84 (about 117 miles inside it), I-25 (about 77 miles inside it), US 285 (about 53 miles inside it), US 85 (about 35 miles inside it) and NM 76 (about 30 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Pecos, Dixon, Nambe, Santa Fe Foothills, Chimayo and La Cueva. Nearby: Española (on the line), Santa Fe (on the line), Las Vegas (11 miles) and Taos (14 miles).
Which units border Unit 45?
Unit 45 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 6C | 1,215 | 53.4% | 9 | 4 | |
| Unit 43 | 1,903 | 26.3% | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Unit 46 | 1,260 | 0.7% | 4 | 5 | |
| Unit 49 | 425 | 79.9% | 7 | 3 | |
| Unit 50 | 923 | 68% | 6 | 3 | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 45?
74.3% of Unit 45, 725,646 of its 976,072 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 national forest (624,291 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 45?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 6 elk, 6 deer and 3 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 45. 15 of them are drawn hunts with 1,542 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 45?
Pecos, Dixon and Nambe are inside the unit. Just outside: Española (on the line), Santa Fe (on the line) and Las Vegas (11 miles).
Is Unit 45 in New Mexico's elk primary management zone?
Yes. NMDOW's elk management zone map puts Unit 45 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 45?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Bert Clancy (997 acres here) in Unit 45. 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 Bighorn Sheep Unit 6C Unit 43 Unit 46 Unit 49 Unit 50