New Mexico Deer — GMU 48
New Mexico GMU 48 covers 242,197 acres and lies 23 miles south-east of Angel Fire and 40 miles east of Taos. 31% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (29%) and state land (1%). In 2025, 176 people hunted deer here and took 90 — 51% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 4 tags here for 2 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 48, 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-
DER-1-379 Unit 48 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 3 tags · 20 applicants · Standard15% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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DER-1-379 Unit 48 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 3 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
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25% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 50% as 2nd choice
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20% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-1-379 ↗ Unit 48 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 Rifle | 15% Long shot | 0% | — | 3 / 20 | Standard | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| DER-1-379 ↗ Unit 48 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 3 / 0 | Outfitter | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| DER-1-380 ↗ Unit 48 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 0% Long shot | 5% | — | 3 / 14 | Standard | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-380 ↗ Unit 48 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-2-381 ↗ Unit 48 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 25% Long shot | 0% | — | 3 / 12 | Standard | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-381 ↗ Unit 48 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 50% | — | 4 / 2 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-3-382 ↗ Unit 48 — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — Sept. 27-Oct.3 Muzzleloader | 20% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 5 | Standard | Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2026 |
| DER-3-382 ↗ Unit 48 — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — Sept. 27-Oct.3 Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | — | 3 / 1 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Sep 27 – Oct 3, 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.
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 | 176 | 90 | 51% |
| 2024 | 179 | 90 | 51% |
| 2023 | 172 | 84 | 49% |
| 2022 | 160 | 69 | 43% |
| 2021 | 147 | 62 | 42% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Muzzleloader 18 · 11% · 26 hunters, 69% success
- Rifle 110 · 67% · 215 hunters, 51% success
- Archery 37 · 22% · 97 hunters, 38% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 48: Beginning at the intersection of I-25 and NM 120 at Wagon Mound, then northwest along NM 120 to its intersection with the south boundary of the Maxwell Grant, then east along the south boundary of the Maxwell Grant to its intersection with I-25, then south along I-25 to its intersection with NM 120 at Wagon Mound.
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