New Mexico Unit 6A: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 6A covers 845,619 acres (1,321 square miles) of Northwest New Mexico; 47.8% of it is public land, the largest share national forest (365,929 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 8 elk, 4 deer and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid here, with 1,027 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 6A, which count public and private-land hunters, show 372 elk 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 landState parkNational Park ServiceTribal landOther federal (closed)Unit 6ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 845,619 acres (1,321 square miles) |
| Public land | 47.8% (404,621 acres) |
| Tribal land | 364,002 acres (43%); a state license does not cover it |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 8 (658 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 4 (345 draw licenses) |
| Bighorn Sheep hunt codes, 2026-27 | 1 (24 draw licenses) |
| Elk private-land zone | Primary Management Zone |
| Commission land | Bluebird Mesa WMA (157 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Jemez Springs, San Ysidro, Zia Pueblo, Cuba, Bernalillo and Rio Rancho |
How much public land is in Unit 6A?
47.8% of Unit 6A is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 404,621 of 845,619 acres. The largest share is national forest, 365,929 acres or 43.3% of the unit. 364,002 acres are tribal land, where a state license is not valid.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 6A |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 365,929 | 43.3% |
| Tribal land | 364,002 | 43% |
| BLM | 36,075 | 4.3% |
| State trust land | 2,134 | 0.3% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 483 | 0.1% |
| State park | 98 | under 0.1% |
| National Park Service | 30 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal (closed) | 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.
State Wildlife Commission land in Unit 6A: Bluebird Mesa WMA (157 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 6A?
13 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 6A. 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 | 8 | 658 | Sep 1 to Dec 30 | 372 (2025-26) |
| Deer (Units 6A and 6C) | 4 | 345 | Sep 1 to Nov 11 | 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 56 to 107. Harvest: NMDOW elk harvest reports, NMDOW deer 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 6A?
Highways through the unit: US 550 (about 39 miles inside it), NM 44 (about 39 miles inside it), NM 126 (about 38 miles inside it), NM 4 (about 36 miles inside it) and NM 96 (about 19 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Jemez Springs, San Ysidro, Zia Pueblo, Cañon, La Jara and San Felipe Pueblo. Nearby: Cuba (on the line), Bernalillo (on the line), Rio Rancho (7 miles) and Corrales (7 miles).
Which units border Unit 6A?
Unit 6A touches 8 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 3 | 1,320 | 0.2% | |||
| Unit 5A | 229 | 16.3% | 10 | 3 | |
| Unit 5B | 414 | 81% | 10 | 4 | |
| Unit 6B | 139 | 99.9% | 15 | ||
| Unit 6C | 1,215 | 53.4% | 9 | 4 | |
| Unit 7 | 3,421 | 36% | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Unit 8 | 922 | 16.1% | 6 | 2 | |
| Unit 9 | 3,328 | 26.7% | 11 | 6 | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 6A?
47.8% of Unit 6A, 404,621 of its 845,619 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 (365,929 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 6A?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 8 elk, 4 deer and 1 bighorn sheep hunt codes valid in Unit 6A. 11 of them are drawn hunts with 1,027 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 6A?
Jemez Springs, San Ysidro and Zia Pueblo are inside the unit. Just outside: Cuba (on the line), Bernalillo (on the line) and Rio Rancho (7 miles).
Is Unit 6A in New Mexico's elk primary management zone?
Yes. NMDOW's elk management zone map puts Unit 6A in the Primary Management Zone, where elk licenses are limited and private-land elk authorizations go to landowners in the Elk Private Lands Use System (EPLUS) (NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, page 71).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 6A?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Bluebird Mesa (157 acres here) in Unit 6A. 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 Northwest New Mexico Elk Deer Bighorn Sheep Unit 5A Unit 5B Unit 6B Unit 6C Unit 7 Unit 8 Unit 9