New Mexico Unit 59: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 59 covers 1,208,923 acres (1,889 square miles) of Northeast New Mexico; 24.6% of it is public land, the largest share state trust land (220,107 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 3 elk, 7 deer and 6 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 349 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 59, which count public and private-land hunters, show 53 elk and 60 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 landUnit 59Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northeast New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,208,923 acres (1,889 square miles) |
| Public land | 24.6% (296,810 acres) |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 3 (39 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 7 (150 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (160 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Clayton, Roy, Mosquero, Grenville and Springer |
How much public land is in Unit 59?
24.6% of Unit 59 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 296,810 of 1,208,923 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 220,107 acres or 18.2% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 59 |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 220,107 | 18.2% |
| National forest | 76,663 | 6.3% |
| BLM | 40 | 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).
What can you hunt in Unit 59?
16 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 59. 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 42, 47 and 59) | 3 | 39 | Sep 1 to Oct 5 | 53 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 7 | 150 | Sep 1 to Dec 16 | 60 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn | 6 | 160 | Aug 15 to Oct 5 | 263 (2025-26) |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 68, 87 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 59?
Highways through the unit: NM 120 (about 44 miles inside it), US 56 (about 44 miles inside it), NM 102 (about 38 miles inside it), NM 39 (about 36 miles inside it) and NM 402 (about 24 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Clayton and Roy. Nearby: Mosquero (on the line), Grenville (18 miles) and Springer (19 miles).
Which units border Unit 59?
Unit 59 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 41 | 1,835 | 20.5% | 8 | 6 | |
| Unit 42 | 4,294 | 8.9% | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Unit 47 | 1,206 | 23.7% | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 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 59?
24.6% of Unit 59, 296,810 of its 1,208,923 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 (220,107 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 59?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 3 elk, 7 deer and 6 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 59. 16 of them are drawn hunts with 349 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 59?
Clayton and Roy are inside the unit. Just outside: Mosquero (on the line), Grenville (18 miles) and Springer (19 miles).
New Mexico hunting Northeast New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Unit 41 Unit 42 Unit 47 Unit 56 Unit 58