New Mexico Deer — GMU 40
New Mexico GMU 40 covers 2,416,580 acres and lies 26 miles south of Tucumcari and 38 miles north-west of Clovis. 14% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (13%). In 2025, 327 people hunted deer here and took 146 — 45% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 3 tags here for 7 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 40, 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-
43% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
-
— Not open to nonresidents
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100% Likely draw 17% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
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— Not open to nonresidents
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— Not open to nonresidents
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25% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
-
100% No first-choice applicants
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— Not open to nonresidents
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— Not open to nonresidents
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-1-348 ↗ Unit 40 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 43% Real chance | 0% | — | 3 / 7 | Standard | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-348 ↗ Unit 40 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-349 ↗ Unit 40 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 21-25 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 17% | — | 3 / 3 | Standard | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| DER-1-349 ↗ Unit 40 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 21-25 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 21–25, 2026 |
| DER-2-350 ↗ Unit 40 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-350 ↗ Unit 40 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-351 ↗ Unit 40 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | 25% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 4 | Standard | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-2-351 ↗ Unit 40 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 1 / 0 | Outfitter | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-3-352 ↗ Unit 40 — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — Oct. 24-28 Muzzleloader | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| DER-3-352 ↗ Unit 40 — 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 319,439 ac · 13%
- BLM 5,446 ac · 0%
- State land 1,419 ac · 0%
- Department of Defense 263 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 2,090,010 ac · 86%
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 | 327 | 146 | 45% |
| 2024 | 334 | 134 | 38% |
| 2023 | 334 | 137 | 41% |
| 2022 | 359 | 139 | 38% |
| 2021 | 359 | 167 | 46% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 147 · 93% · 287 hunters, 51% success
- Archery 11 · 7% · 32 hunters, 34% success
- Muzzleloader 0 · 0% · 1 hunters, 0% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 40: Beginning at the junction of US 84 and I-40 east of Santa Rosa and running east along I-40 to the NM/TX state line, then south along the state line to its intersection with US 84, then west and north along US 84 to its junction with I-40.
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