New Mexico Deer — GMU 22
New Mexico GMU 22 covers 251,154 acres and lies 37 miles north-west of Silver City. 77% of it is public land, mostly national forest (65%) and state trust land (12%). In 2025, 237 people hunted deer here and took 64 — 27% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 17 tags here for 7 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 22, 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-
25% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
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38% Long shot 19% as 2nd choice
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11% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Likely draw 11% as 2nd choice
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DER-1-230 Unit 22: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 1 tags · 2 applicants · Standard0% Long shot
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DER-1-230 Unit 22: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 2 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter100% No first-choice applicants
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100% Likely draw 33% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
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0% Long shot 10% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 75% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-1-228 ↗ Unit 22 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 25% Long shot | 5% | — | 4 / 12 | Standard | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-228 ↗ Unit 22 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 38% Long shot | 19% | — | 7 / 8 | Outfitter | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-229 ↗ Unit 22 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | 11% Long shot | 0% | — | 4 / 19 | Standard | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| DER-1-229 ↗ Unit 22 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 11% | — | 7 / 2 | Outfitter | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| DER-1-230 ↗ Unit 22: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 Rifle | 0% Long shot | — | — | 1 / 2 | Standard | Nov 21–29, 2026 |
| DER-1-230 ↗ Unit 22: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 2 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 21–29, 2026 |
| DER-2-231 ↗ Unit 22 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 100% Likely draw | 33% | — | 5 / 4 | Standard | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-231 ↗ Unit 22 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-232 ↗ Unit 22 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | 0% Long shot | 10% | — | 2 / 3 | Standard | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-2-232 ↗ Unit 22 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 1 / 0 | Outfitter | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-3-233 ↗ Unit 22 — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — Oct. 31-Nov.4 Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 75% | — | 17 / 7 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| DER-3-233 ↗ Unit 22 — 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
- National Forest 163,792 ac · 65%
- State trust land 28,901 ac · 12%
- BLM 1,083 ac · 0%
- State land 105 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 57,271 ac · 23%
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 | 237 | 64 | 27% |
| 2024 | 1,846 | 545 | 29% |
| 2023 | 1,866 | 507 | 27% |
| 2022 | 270 | 83 | 29% |
| 2021 | 238 | 51 | 22% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Muzzleloader 13 · 5% · 50 hunters, 26% success
- Rifle 209 · 74% · 968 hunters, 22% success
- Archery 61 · 22% · 300 hunters, 20% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 22: Beginning at the intersection of the Gila River and US 180 south of Cliff running north along US 180 to its junction with Bursum Road (NM 159/FR 28), then east along Bursum Road to its junction with FT 182 at Sandy point, then south along FT 182 to its junction with FT 224 at the West Fork Saddle, then south on FT 224 down the west fork of Mogollon Creek to its junction with the main...
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