New Mexico Unit 57: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 57 covers 274,287 acres (429 square miles) of Northeast New Mexico; 15.5% of it is public land, the largest share state trust land (40,282 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 7 elk, 7 deer and 3 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 177 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 57, which count public and private-land hunters, show 78 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 Park ServiceUnit 57Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 274,287 acres (429 square miles) |
| Public land | 15.5% (42,612 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 7 (40 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 7 (125 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 3 (12 draw licenses) |
| Commission land | Bartlett Mesa WMA (2,241 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Folsom, Capulin, Raton and Des Moines |
How much public land is in Unit 57?
15.5% of Unit 57 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 42,612 of 274,287 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 40,282 acres or 14.7% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 57 |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 40,282 | 14.7% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 2,241 | 0.8% |
| BLM | 89 | under 0.1% |
| National Park Service | 7 | 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 57: Bartlett Mesa WMA (2,241 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 57?
17 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 57. 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 57 and 58) | 7 | 40 | Sep 1 to Dec 16 | with other units |
| Deer | 7 | 125 | Sep 1 to Nov 30 | 78 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 3 | 12 | Aug 15 to Sep 28 | 25 (2025-26) |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 67, 91 and 104. 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 57?
Highways through the unit: US 64 (about 38 miles inside it), NM 72 (about 36 miles inside it), US 87 (about 32 miles inside it), US 85 (about 7 miles inside it) and I-25 (about 7 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Folsom and Capulin. Nearby: Raton (on the line) and Des Moines (7 miles).
Which units border Unit 57?
Unit 57 touches 3 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 55A | 1,573 | 13.2% | 25 | 14 | 5 |
| Unit 56 | 1,782 | 21.7% | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Unit 58 | 1,531 | 20.8% | 5 | 7 | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 57?
15.5% of Unit 57, 42,612 of its 274,287 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 (40,282 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 57?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 7 elk, 7 deer and 3 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 57. 17 of them are drawn hunts with 177 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 57?
Folsom and Capulin are inside the unit. Just outside: Raton (on the line) and Des Moines (7 miles).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 57?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Bartlett Mesa (2,241 acres here) in Unit 57. 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 55A Unit 56 Unit 58