New Mexico Deer — GMU 49
New Mexico GMU 49 covers 271,806 acres and lies 9 miles south of Taos and 31 miles south of Questa. 81% of it is public land, mostly national forest (73%) and BLM (8%). In 2025, 376 people hunted deer here and took 166 — 44% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 10 tags here for 9 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 49, 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-
15% Long shot 4% as 2nd choice
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100% Likely draw 50% as 2nd choice
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DER-1-384 Unit 49 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 6 tags · 19 applicants · Standard21% Long shot 2% as 2nd choice
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DER-1-384 Unit 49 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 10 tags · 7 applicants · Outfitter100% Likely draw 22% as 2nd choice
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33% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-1-383 ↗ Unit 49 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 15% Long shot | 4% | — | 6 / 26 | Standard | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| DER-1-383 ↗ Unit 49 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 24-28 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 50% | — | 10 / 9 | Outfitter | Oct 24–28, 2026 |
| DER-1-384 ↗ Unit 49 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 Rifle | 21% Long shot | 2% | — | 6 / 19 | Standard | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| DER-1-384 ↗ Unit 49 — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 22% | — | 10 / 7 | Outfitter | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| DER-2-385 ↗ Unit 49 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 33% Long shot | 0% | — | 6 / 18 | Standard | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-385 ↗ Unit 49 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | — | 5 / 5 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Sep 1–24, 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 197,311 ac · 73%
- BLM 22,216 ac · 8%
- Tribal 11,253 ac · 4%
- State trust land 1,462 ac · 1%
- State land 8 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 39,555 ac · 15%
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 | 376 | 166 | 44% |
| 2024 | 326 | 135 | 42% |
| 2023 | 329 | 150 | 46% |
| 2022 | 288 | 135 | 47% |
| 2021 | 307 | 96 | 31% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 64 · 100% · 168 hunters, 38% success
- Archery 0 · 0% · 15 hunters, 0% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 49: Beginning on the Rio Grande at Embudo Creek and running north along the Rio Grande to its intersection with NM 567 at Taos Junction Bridge, then east on NM 567 to NM 570, then northeast on NM 570 to its junction with NM 68 immediately south of Ranchos de Taos, then north along NM 68 to the south boundary of the Taos Pueblo lands, then east along the pueblo’s south boundary to the Taos...
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