New Mexico Unit 7: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 7 covers 2,189,704 acres (3,421 square miles) of Northwest New Mexico; 36% of it is public land, the largest share BLM (655,908 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 5 elk, 4 deer and 3 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 231 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 7, which count public and private-land hunters, show 107 elk and 33 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 landBureau of ReclamationNational Park ServiceTribal landUnit 7Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 2,189,704 acres (3,421 square miles) |
| Public land | 36% (789,010 acres) |
| Tribal land | 1,078,627 acres (49.3%); a state license does not cover it |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 5 (133 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 4 (80 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 3 (18 draw licenses) |
| Towns in and near it | Cuba, Crownpoint, Pueblo Pintado, Farmington, Bloomfield and Kirtland |
How much public land is in Unit 7?
36% of Unit 7 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 789,010 of 2,189,704 acres. The largest share is BLM, 655,908 acres or 30% of the unit. 1,078,627 acres are tribal land, where a state license is not valid.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Tribal land | 1,078,627 | 49.3% |
| BLM | 655,908 | 30% |
| State trust land | 125,275 | 5.7% |
| National Park Service | 33,212 | 1.5% |
| National forest | 7,569 | 0.3% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 258 | 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.
What can you hunt in Unit 7?
12 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 7. 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 | 5 | 133 | Sep 1 to Oct 28 | 107 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 4 | 80 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 33 (2025-26) |
| Pronghorn (Units 2A, 2B, 2C, 7, 9 and 10) | 3 | 18 | Aug 15 to Aug 31 | with other units |
Hunts: NMDOW 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information, pages 56, 78 and 99. 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 7?
Highways through the unit: NM 371 (about 84 miles inside it), US 550 (about 42 miles inside it), NM 44 (about 40 miles inside it), NM 197 (about 31 miles inside it) and NM 57 (about 23 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Cuba, Crownpoint, Pueblo Pintado, Nageezi, Torreon and West Hammond. Nearby: Farmington (3 miles), Bloomfield (3 miles), Kirtland (7 miles) and Aztec (8 miles).
Which units border Unit 7?
Unit 7 touches 7 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 1 | 3,911 | 0% | |||
| Unit 2A | 783 | 65.9% | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| Unit 2C | 807 | 89.8% | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| Unit 3 | 1,320 | 0.2% | |||
| Unit 6A | 1,321 | 47.8% | 8 | 4 | |
| Unit 9 | 3,328 | 26.7% | 11 | 6 | 3 |
| Unit 10 | 2,242 | 31.2% | 7 | 7 | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 7?
36% of Unit 7, 789,010 of its 2,189,704 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 BLM (655,908 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 7?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 5 elk, 4 deer and 3 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 7. 12 of them are drawn hunts with 231 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 7?
Cuba, Crownpoint and Pueblo Pintado are inside the unit. Just outside: Farmington (3 miles), Bloomfield (3 miles) and Kirtland (7 miles).
New Mexico hunting Northwest New Mexico Elk Deer Pronghorn Unit 2A Unit 2C Unit 6A Unit 9 Unit 10