New Mexico Deer — GMU 36
New Mexico GMU 36 covers 635,192 acres and lies 3 miles north-west of Ruidoso and 13 miles south-west of Capitan. 61% of it is public land, mostly national forest (24%) and state trust land (23%). In 2025, 1,079 people hunted deer here and took 337 — 31% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 30 tags here for 23 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 36, 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-
13% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 9% as 2nd choice
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23% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 17% as 2nd choice
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DER-1-328 Unit 36: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 21-29 2 tags · 12 applicants · Standard0% Long shot 6% as 2nd choice
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DER-1-328 Unit 36: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 21-29 2 tags · 7 applicants · Outfitter14% Long shot 17% as 2nd choice
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23% Long shot 14% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 33% as 2nd choice
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14% Long shot 1% as 2nd choice
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54% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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13% Long shot 16% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 13% as 2nd choice
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DER-3-332 Unit 36: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle - Youth — Oct. 24-28 2 tags · 1 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed
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DER-3-332 Unit 36: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle - Youth — Oct. 24-28 0 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter— Not open to nonresidents
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-1-326 ↗ Unit 36 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 13% Long shot | 5% | — | 18 / 102 | Standard | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-326 ↗ Unit 36 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 9% | — | 30 / 23 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-327 ↗ Unit 36 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | 23% Long shot | 5% | — | 18 / 44 | Standard | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| DER-1-327 ↗ Unit 36 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 17% | — | 15 / 9 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| DER-1-328 ↗ Unit 36: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 21-29 Rifle | 0% Long shot | 6% | — | 2 / 12 | Standard | Nov 21–29, 2026 |
| DER-1-328 ↗ Unit 36: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 21-29 Rifle | 14% Long shot | 17% | — | 2 / 7 | Outfitter | Nov 21–29, 2026 |
| DER-2-329 ↗ Unit 36 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 23% Long shot | 14% | — | 14 / 35 | Standard | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-329 ↗ Unit 36 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 33% | — | 10 / 8 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-330 ↗ Unit 36 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | 14% Long shot | 1% | — | 8 / 44 | Standard | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-2-330 ↗ Unit 36 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | 54% Real chance | 0% | — | 12 / 13 | Outfitter | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-3-331 ↗ Unit 36 — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — Oct. 24-28 Muzzleloader | 13% Long shot | 16% | — | 7 / 8 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| DER-3-331 ↗ Unit 36 — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — Oct. 24-28 Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 13% | — | 5 / 4 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| DER-3-332 ↗ Unit 36: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle - Youth — Oct. 24-28 Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 2 / 1 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| DER-3-332 ↗ Unit 36: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle - Youth — Oct. 24-28 Muzzleloader | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 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 151,902 ac · 24%
- State trust land 145,757 ac · 23%
- BLM 90,380 ac · 14%
- State land 1,327 ac · 0%
- Tribal 63 ac · 0%
- Department of Defense 0 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 245,760 ac · 39%
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 | 1,079 | 337 | 31% |
| 2024 | 1,052 | 329 | 31% |
| 2023 | 1,064 | 363 | 34% |
| 2022 | 1,050 | 340 | 32% |
| 2021 | 1,032 | 309 | 30% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Muzzleloader 21 · 9% · 128 hunters, 16% success
- Rifle 145 · 63% · 716 hunters, 20% success
- Archery 64 · 28% · 189 hunters, 34% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 36: Beginning at the junction of Otero county road B006 and the east boundary of the White Sands missile range at Tularosa gate and running north along the east boundary to its intersection with the Lincoln-Otero county line, then east along the county line to its intersection with US 54, then north along US 54 to its intersection with US 380 at Carrizozo, then east along US 380 to its...
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