New Mexico Deer — GMU 20
New Mexico GMU 20 covers 1,631,871 acres and lies 15 miles east of Elephant Butte and 33 miles north of Hatch. 74% of it is public land, mostly BLM (51%) and state land (8%). In 2025, 315 people hunted deer here and took 81 — 26% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 9 tags here for 2 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 20, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
24% Long shot 9% as 2nd choice
-
100% Likely draw 40% as 2nd choice
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25% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 63% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants
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— Not open to nonresidents
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12% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 50% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 100% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-1-216 ↗ Unit 20 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 24% Long shot | 9% | — | 5 / 17 | Standard | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-216 ↗ Unit 20 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 40% | — | 9 / 2 | Outfitter | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-217 ↗ Unit 20 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | 25% Long shot | 0% | — | 5 / 12 | Standard | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| DER-1-217 ↗ Unit 20 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 63% | — | 8 / 1 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| DER-2-218 ↗ Unit 20 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 4 / 0 | Standard | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-218 ↗ Unit 20 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-219 ↗ Unit 20 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | 12% Long shot | 0% | — | 2 / 17 | Standard | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-2-219 ↗ Unit 20 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 50% | — | 2 / 1 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-3-220 ↗ Unit 20 — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — Oct. 31-Nov.4 Muzzleloader | 100% No first-choice applicants | 100% | — | 1 / 0 | Standard | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| DER-3-220 ↗ Unit 20 — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — Oct. 31-Nov.4 Muzzleloader | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- As 2nd choice —
- New Mexico lets you name more than one hunt on the application. Miss on your first choice and you go into the pot for whatever tags are left, alongside everyone else's second choices. Points never help a lower choice, so this number is the same whatever you have banked — it is usually worth naming a hunt that goes undersubscribed.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard license | $492 | $107 | $502 |
| Outfitter license | $492 | $107 | $502 |
Application window: closes Mar 18, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- BLM 824,237 ac · 51%
- State land 126,492 ac · 8%
- Other public 109,470 ac · 7%
- State trust land 100,271 ac · 6%
- National Wildlife Refuge 51,717 ac · 3%
- Department of Defense 1,393 ac · 0%
- Bureau of Reclamation 84 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 418,204 ac · 26%
Source: BLM_Surface_Management_2023 (BLM New Mexico State Office Surface Management Agency layer)
How the hunting has gone
What New Mexico Department of Game and Fish publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 315 | 81 | 26% |
| 2024 | 303 | 94 | 31% |
| 2023 | 296 | 81 | 28% |
| 2022 | 300 | 71 | 24% |
| 2021 | 293 | 74 | 25% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Muzzleloader 53 · 18% · 353 hunters, 15% success
- Rifle 196 · 66% · 845 hunters, 23% success
- Archery 48 · 16% · 385 hunters, 12% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 20: Beginning at the junction of US 70 and I-25 at Las Cruces and running north along I-25 to its junction with US 380 at San Antonio, then east along US 380 to a point due north of the northwestern corner of the White Sands Missile Range, then due south to the northwestern corner of the Missile Range, then south along the west boundary of the Missile Range to its intersection with US 70...
Source: NM Game Management Units (NMDGF_Game_Management_Units_I_E__v2_WFL1), layer 0
Boundary: NM Game Management Units (NMDGF_Game_Management_Units_I_E__v2_WFL1), layer 0
Harvest: 2025-2026 Deer Harvest Report
Harvest: 2024-2025 Deer Harvest Report
Harvest: 2023-2024 Deer Harvest Report