New Mexico Deer · GMU 51A
New Mexico GMU 51A covers 509,194 acres and lies 33 miles north of Española. 92% of it is public land, mostly national forest (91%) and BLM (1%). In 2025, 283 people hunted deer here and took 103, a 36% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, DER-1-389, put up 9 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 50 nonresident first-choice applicants, 4 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
4 licenses · NR capped at 6%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
98% Forest Service
509,194 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Best Bets
Ranked by your odds times how often that license type's hunters filled their tag in 2025. Nonresident, first choice, 2026 draw; licenses with at least 10 tags that anyone can buy.
Every License in GMU 51A
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| DER-1-389 Standard | Unit 51A — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 | 8% | |
| DER-1-389 Outfitter | Unit 51A — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 | 100% | |
| DER-2-390 Standard | Unit 51A — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 | 15% (small sample) | |
| DER-2-390 Outfitter | Unit 51A — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 | 45% |
First-choice nonresident odds, 2026 draw. No points in this draw: every applicant has the same chance.
Draw results: NMDGF 2026 Big Game Drawing Odds Complete Report, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
If you draw (2026 nonresident fees): Standard $502 ($492 to apply) · Outfitter $502 ($492 to apply). Closes Mar 17, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Harvest
| Year | Hunters | Deer | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 283 | 103 | 36% |
| 2024 | 273 | 88 | 32% |
| 2023 | 272 | 98 | 36% |
| 2022 | 261 | 86 | 33% |
| 2021 | 246 | 73 | 30% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Deer | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reg · rifle · 100 licenses | 94 | 46 | 49% |
| Reg · archery · 11 licenses | 11 | 4 | 36% |
| Reg · rifle · 20 licenses | 19 | 7 | 39% |
| Reg · rifle · 15 licenses | 13 | 3 | 27% |
| Reg · archery · 15 licenses | 11 | 3 | 27% |
2025 split: rifle 56 (89%) from 126 hunters, 44%, archery 7 (11%) from 22 hunters, 32%
What New Mexico Department of Game and Fish publishes after each season, for everyone who hunted the area: harvest statistics, not draw odds. Source: NMDGF 2025-2026 Deer Harvest Report; NMDGF 2024-2025 Deer Harvest Report; NMDGF 2023-2024 Deer Harvest Report.
The Ground
| National Forest | 462,099 ac | 91% |
| BLM | 5,190 ac | 1% |
| State trust land | 3,021 ac | <1% |
| State land | 6 ac | <1% |
| Private or other non-public land | 38,876 ac | 8% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023.
What the Agency Says About the Area
GMU 51: Beginning at the intersection of US 64 and the eastern boundary of the Tierra Amarilla grant, running south then west along the Tierra Amarilla grant boundary line to its intersection with the Rio Chama, then south along the Rio Chama to its intersection with the Piedra Lumbre grant boundary line, then northeast along the Piedra Lumbre grant boundary line to its intersection with US 84...
▸ Sources 10
- NMDGF 2026 Big Game Drawing Odds Complete Report draw results, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- NMDGF 2026-2027 Draw Hunt License Fees / Draw… fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- NMDGF 2026-2027 Over-the-Counter License Fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- NMDGF 2025-2026 Deer Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- NMDGF 2024-2025 Deer Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- NMDGF 2023-2024 Deer Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- NMDGF 2022-2023 Deer Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- NMDGF 2021-2022 Deer Harvest Report harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- NMDGF 2026 NM Game Management Units, layer 0 boundary, area description, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office 2023 BLM_Surface_Management_2023 land ownership, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
About These Numbers
Odds are from the 2026 draw, the latest on file, computed from New Mexico Department of Game and Fish's published results. They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward.
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We don't take applications: check New Mexico Department of Game and Fish's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from New Mexico Department of Game and Fish's results, not a forecast · All New Mexico deer hunts