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 — 36% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 14 tags here for 6 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 51A, 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-1-389 Unit 51A — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 9 tags · 50 applicants · Standard8% Long shot 8% as 2nd choice
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DER-1-389 Unit 51A — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 14 tags · 6 applicants · Outfitter100% Undersubscribed 29% as 2nd choice
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15% Long shot 20% as 2nd choice
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45% Real chance 9% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-1-389 ↗ Unit 51A — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 Rifle | 8% Long shot | 8% | — | 9 / 50 | Standard | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| DER-1-389 ↗ Unit 51A — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Oct. 31-Nov.4 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 29% | — | 14 / 6 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2026 |
| DER-2-390 ↗ Unit 51A — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 15% Long shot | 20% | — | 4 / 13 | Standard | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-390 ↗ Unit 51A — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 45% Real chance | 9% | — | 6 / 11 | 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 462,099 ac · 91%
- BLM 5,190 ac · 1%
- State trust land 3,021 ac · 1%
- State land 6 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 38,876 ac · 8%
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 | 283 | 103 | 36% |
| 2024 | 273 | 88 | 32% |
| 2023 | 272 | 98 | 36% |
| 2022 | 261 | 86 | 33% |
| 2021 | 246 | 73 | 30% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 56 · 89% · 126 hunters, 44% success
- Archery 7 · 11% · 22 hunters, 32% success
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...
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