New Mexico Unit 9: public land, hunts and harvest
Game Management Unit 9 covers 2,129,764 acres (3,328 square miles) of Northwest New Mexico; 26.7% of it is public land, the largest share BLM (228,310 acres), by the BLM's New Mexico land status map (2026). NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet lists 11 elk, 6 deer and 3 pronghorn hunt codes valid here, with 439 draw licenses. NMDGF's 2025-26 totals for Unit 9, which count public and private-land hunters, show 132 elk and 43 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 landWildlife Commission landNational wildlife refugeState parkNational Park ServiceTribal landUnit 9Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Quadrant | Northwest New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Size | 2,129,764 acres (3,328 square miles) |
| Public land | 26.7% (567,834 acres) |
| Tribal land | 605,247 acres (28.4%); a state license does not cover it |
| Elk hunt codes, 2026-27 | 11 (351 draw licenses) |
| Deer hunt codes, 2026-27 | 6 (70 draw licenses) |
| Pronghorn hunt codes, 2026-27 | 3 (18 draw licenses) |
| Commission land | Marquez/L-Bar WMA (68,259 acres) and Water Canyon WMA (2,844 acres) |
| Towns in and near it | Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Grants, San Ysidro, Los Lunas and Bosque Farms |
How much public land is in Unit 9?
26.7% of Unit 9 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 567,834 of 2,129,764 acres. The largest share is BLM, 228,310 acres or 10.7% of the unit. 605,247 acres are tribal land, where a state license is not valid.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Tribal land | 605,247 | 28.4% |
| BLM | 228,310 | 10.7% |
| National forest | 185,728 | 8.7% |
| State trust land | 81,811 | 3.8% |
| Wildlife Commission land | 71,414 | 3.4% |
| National Park Service | 7,205 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuge | 571 | under 0.1% |
| State park | 39 | 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 9: Marquez/L-Bar WMA (68,259 acres) and Water Canyon WMA (2,844 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 9?
20 hunt codes in NMDOW's 2026-27 booklet are valid in Unit 9. 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 | 11 | 351 | Sep 1 to Nov 4 | 132 (2025-26) |
| Deer | 6 | 70 | Sep 1 to Jan 15 | 43 (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 57 to 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 9?
Highways through the unit: I-40 (about 106 miles inside it), NM 122 (about 38 miles inside it), NM 528 (about 31 miles inside it), NM 6 (about 28 miles inside it) and NM 448 (about 27 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Grants, Corrales, Bernalillo and Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Nearby: San Ysidro (on the line), Los Lunas (on the line), Bosque Farms (2 miles) and Peralta (4 miles).
Which units border Unit 9?
Unit 9 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 6A | 1,321 | 47.8% | 8 | 4 | |
| Unit 7 | 3,421 | 36% | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Unit 8 | 922 | 16.1% | 6 | 2 | |
| Unit 10 | 2,242 | 31.2% | 7 | 7 | 3 |
| Unit 13 | 4,450 | 41.6% | 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Unit 14 | 1,656 | 17% | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Unit 9?
26.7% of Unit 9, 567,834 of its 2,129,764 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 (228,310 acres).
What can you hunt in Unit 9?
NMDOW's 2026-27 Hunting Rules and Information lists 11 elk, 6 deer and 3 pronghorn hunt codes valid in Unit 9. 20 of them are drawn hunts with 439 licenses in all.
What is the closest town to Unit 9?
Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Grants are inside the unit. Just outside: San Ysidro (on the line), Los Lunas (on the line) and Bosque Farms (2 miles).
Is there Commission or Open Gate land in Unit 9?
NMDOW's Commission land map shows Marquez/L-Bar (68,259 acres here) and Water Canyon (2,844 acres here) in Unit 9. 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 Pronghorn Unit 6A Unit 7 Unit 8 Unit 10 Unit 13 Unit 14