New Mexico Unit 54: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 54 covers 220,070 acres (344 square miles) of Northeast New Mexico; 10.6% of it is public land, the largest share Wildlife Commission land (23,185 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 6 elk, 9 deer and 5 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 130 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 54, which count public and private-land hunters, show 110 elk and 12 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.
State trust landWildlife Commission landUnit 54Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 220,070 acres (344 square miles) |
| Public land | 10.6% (23,295 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (100 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 9 (30 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 |
| Elk private-land zone | Special Management Zone |
| Commission land | Colin Neblett WMA (19,486 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, Ute Park, Springer, Cimarron and Taos Ski Valley |
How much public land is in Unit 54?
10.6% of Unit 54 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 23,295 of 220,070 acres. The largest share is Wildlife Commission land, 23,185 acres or 10.5% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 54 |
|---|---|---|
| Wildlife Commission land | 23,185 | 10.5% |
| State trust land | 110 | 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.
State Wildlife Commission land in Unit 54: Colin Neblett WMA (19,486 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 54?
20 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 54. 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 | 100 | Sep 1 to Nov 11 | 110 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 9 | 30 | Sep 1 to Nov 29 | 12 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 5 | none drawn | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | 2 (2025-26) |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 54 to 97. 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 54?
Highways through the unit: NM 21 (about 20 miles inside it), US 64 (about 19 miles inside it), US 85 (about 7 miles inside it), I-25 (about 7 miles inside it) and NM 434 (about 5 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Angel Fire, Eagle Nest and Ute Park. Nearby: Springer (on the line), Cimarron (on the line), Taos Ski Valley (9 miles) and Maxwell (13 miles).
Which units border Unit 54?
Unit 54 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 47 | 1,206 | 23.7% | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Unit 48 | 378 | 29.1% | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| Unit 49 | 425 | 79.9% | 7 | 3 | |
| Unit 55A | 1,573 | 13.2% | 25 | 14 | 5 |
| Unit 55B | 375 | 2.1% | 6 | 5 | |
| Unit 56 | 1,782 | 21.7% | 4 | 6 | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 54?
10.6% of Unit 54, 23,295 of its 220,070 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 (23,185 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 54?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 6 elk, 9 deer and 5 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 54. 9 of them are drawn hunts with 130 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 54?
Angel Fire, Eagle Nest and Ute Park are inside the unit. Just outside: Springer (on the line), Cimarron (on the line) and Taos Ski Valley (9 miles).
Is Unit 54 in New Mexico's elk primary management zone?
No. NMDOW's elk management zone map puts Unit 54 in the Special Management Zone, where private-land elk authorizations are issued ranch by ranch through EPLUS (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 72).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 54?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Colin Neblett (19,486 acres here) in Unit 54. 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 47 Unit 48 Unit 49 Unit 55A Unit 55B Unit 56