New Mexico Unit 55A: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 55A covers 1,006,943 acres (1,573 square miles) of Northeast New Mexico; 13.2% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (101,514 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 25 elk, 14 deer, 5 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid here, with 519 draw licenses.
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 forestWildlife Commission landTribal landUnit 55ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,006,943 acres (1,573 square miles) |
| Public land | 13.2% (132,899 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 25 (435 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 14 (60 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 |
| Bighorn Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (24 draw licenses) |
| Elk private-land zone | Special Management Zone |
| Commission land | Urraca WMA (13,303 acres), Colin Neblett WMA (12,451 acres) and Elliott Barker WMA (5,442 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Raton, Cimarron, Eagle Nest and Red River |
How much public land is in Unit 55A?
13.2% of Unit 55A is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 132,899 of 1,006,943 acres. The largest share is national forest, 101,514 acres or 10.1% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 55A |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 101,514 | 10.1% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 31,385 | 3.1% |
| Tribal land | 233 | 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. NMDOW requires a Habitat Stamp on national forest and BLM land (2026-27 booklet, page 14).
State Wildlife Commission land in Unit 55A: Urraca WMA (13,303 acres), Colin Neblett WMA (12,451 acres) and Elliott Barker WMA (5,442 acres).
Open Gate properties in Unit 55A: Rio Costilla (fishing). Source: NMDOW Open Gate table (updated 09-15-2026).
What can you hunt in Unit 55A?
45 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 55A. 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 | 25 | 435 | Sep 1 to Dec 2 | with other units |
| Deer Deer (Units 55A and 55B) | 14 | 60 | Sep 1 to Nov 29 | with other units |
| Pronghorn (Units 55A and 55B) | 5 | none drawn | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | with other units |
| Bighorn Sheep | 1 | 24 | 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 54 to 107. Harvest: NMDOW elk harvest reports, NMDOW deer harvest reports, NMDOW pronghorn 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 55A?
Highways through the unit: NM 555 (about 33 miles inside it), US 64 (about 29 miles inside it), US 85 (about 16 miles inside it), I-25 (about 16 miles inside it) and NM 204 (about 14 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Raton. Nearby: Cimarron (on the line), Eagle Nest (on the line), Red River (3 miles) and Taos Ski Valley (4 miles).
Which units border Unit 55A?
Unit 55A 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 49 | 425 | 79.9% | 7 | 3 | |
| Unit 53 | 685 | 47.6% | 9 | 3 | |
| Unit 54 | 344 | 10.6% | 6 | 9 | 5 |
| Unit 55B | 375 | 2.1% | 6 | 5 | |
| Unit 56 | 1,782 | 21.7% | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Unit 57 | 429 | 15.5% | 7 | 7 | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 55A?
13.2% of Unit 55A, 132,899 of its 1,006,943 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 (101,514 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 55A?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 25 elk, 14 deer, 5 pronghorn and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 55A. 34 of them are drawn hunts with 519 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 55A?
Raton is inside the unit. Just outside: Cimarron (on the line), Eagle Nest (on the line) and Red River (3 miles).
Is Unit 55A in New Mexico's elk primary management zone?
No. NMDOW's elk management zone map puts Unit 55A 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 55A?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Urraca (13,303 acres here), Colin Neblett (12,451 acres here) and Elliott Barker (5,442 acres here) in Unit 55A. 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 Bighorn Sheep Unit 49 Unit 53 Unit 54 Unit 55B Unit 56 Unit 57