New Mexico Unit 46: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 46 covers 806,259 acres (1,260 square miles) of Northeast New Mexico; 0.7% of it is public land, the largest share national wildlife refuge (4,346 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 4 deer and 5 pronghorn hunt codes valid here. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 46, which count public and private-land hunters, show 651 elk and 207 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 landNational wildlife refugeState parkNational Park ServiceMilitary landUnit 46Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 806,259 acres (1,260 square miles) |
| Public land | 0.7% (5,799 acres) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 4 |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 |
| Towns in and near it | Las Vegas, Mora, Tecolote, Wagon Mound, Angel Fire and Pecos |
How much public land is in Unit 46?
0.7% of Unit 46 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 5,799 of 806,259 acres. The largest share is national wildlife refuge, 4,346 acres or 0.5% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 46 |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuge | 4,346 | 0.5% |
| State trust land | 1,306 | 0.2% |
| Military land | 802 | 0.1% |
| National Park Service | 724 | 0.1% |
| State park | 583 | 0.1% |
| National forest | 130 | under 0.1% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 16 | under 0.1% |
| BLM | 1 | 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.
Open Gate properties in Unit 46: Morphy Lake (fishing). Source: NMDOW Open Gate table (updated 09-15-2026).
What can you hunt in Unit 46?
9 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 46. 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 | 4 | none drawn | Sep 1 to Nov 4 | 207 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 5 | none drawn | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | 39 (2025-26) |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 54 and 96. 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 46?
Highways through the unit: I-25 (about 76 miles inside it), NM 518 (about 39 miles inside it), US 85 (about 33 miles inside it), NM 161 (about 29 miles inside it) and NM 434 (about 28 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Las Vegas, Mora and Tecolote. Nearby: Wagon Mound (on the line), Angel Fire (3 miles), Pecos (11 miles) and Eagle Nest (15 miles).
Which units border Unit 46?
Unit 46 touches 6 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 42 | 4,294 | 8.9% | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Unit 43 | 1,903 | 26.3% | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Unit 45 | 1,525 | 74.3% | 6 | 6 | |
| Unit 47 | 1,206 | 23.7% | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Unit 48 | 378 | 29.1% | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| Unit 49 | 425 | 79.9% | 7 | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 46?
0.7% of Unit 46, 5,799 of its 806,259 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 wildlife refuge (4,346 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 46?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 4 deer and 5 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 46. None of them is a drawn hunt.
What is the closest town to Unit 46?
Las Vegas, Mora and Tecolote are inside the unit. Just outside: Wagon Mound (on the line), Angel Fire (3 miles) and Pecos (11 miles).
New Mexico hunting Northeast New Mexico Deer Pronghorn Unit 42 Unit 43 Unit 45 Unit 47 Unit 48 Unit 49