New Mexico Deer — GMU 38
New Mexico GMU 38 covers 2,084,552 acres and lies 46 miles south-east of Estancia and 60 miles south-east of Moriarty. 44% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (25%) and BLM (14%). In 2025, 486 people hunted deer here and took 74 — 15% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 13 tags here for 6 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 38, 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-
100% Likely draw 38% as 2nd choice
-
100% No first-choice applicants 33% as 2nd choice
-
100% Likely draw 33% as 2nd choice
-
100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 100% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
-
100% No first-choice applicants 29% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
-
100% Undersubscribed
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— Not open to nonresidents
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-1-338 ↗ Unit 38 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 38% | — | 9 / 5 | Standard | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-338 ↗ Unit 38 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 33% | — | 7 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-339 ↗ Unit 38 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 21-25 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 33% | — | 9 / 9 | Standard | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| DER-1-339 ↗ Unit 38 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 21-25 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | — | 13 / 6 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| DER-2-340 ↗ Unit 38 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 100% No first-choice applicants | 100% | — | 2 / 0 | Standard | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-340 ↗ Unit 38 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-341 ↗ Unit 38 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | 100% No first-choice applicants | 29% | — | 2 / 0 | Standard | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-2-341 ↗ Unit 38 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-3-342 ↗ Unit 38 — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — Oct. 24-28 Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 2 / 2 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| DER-3-342 ↗ Unit 38 — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — 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
- State trust land 529,727 ac · 25%
- BLM 285,954 ac · 14%
- National Forest 94,723 ac · 5%
- State land 1,714 ac · 0%
- National Park Service 19 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 1,172,412 ac · 56%
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 | 486 | 74 | 15% |
| 2024 | 456 | 78 | 17% |
| 2023 | 505 | 86 | 17% |
| 2022 | 563 | 83 | 15% |
| 2021 | 563 | 79 | 14% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 33 · 65% · 104 hunters, 32% success
- Archery 15 · 29% · 46 hunters, 33% success
- Muzzleloader 3 · 6% · 27 hunters, 11% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 38: Beginning at the junction of US 54 and NM 55 and running northwesterly along NM 55 to its junction with US 60 at Mountainair, then east along US 60 to the Guadalupe-De Baca county line, then south along the county line and along the east boundary of Lincoln County to its intersection with Hasparos Canyon, then west up Hasparos Canyon to the Southern Pacifi c Railroad tracks northeast...
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