New Mexico Deer — GMU 55A
New Mexico GMU 55A covers 1,006,928 acres and lies 31 miles west of Raton. 13% of it is public land, mostly national forest (10%) and state land (3%). In 2022, 9 people hunted deer here and took 3 — 33% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1 tag here for 3 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 55A, 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-2-408 Unit 55A: Valle Vidal only — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 0 tags · 2 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents 0% as 2nd choice
-
DER-2-408 Unit 55A: Valle Vidal only — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 1 tags · 3 applicants · Outfitter0% Long shot
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-2-408 ↗ Unit 55A: Valle Vidal only — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 | Not open to nonresidents | 0% | — | 0 / 2 | Standard | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-408 ↗ Unit 55A: Valle Vidal only — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 | 0% Long shot | — | — | 1 / 3 | 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 9 | 3 | 33% |
What people carried (2022 harvest)
- Archery 3 · 100% · 9 hunters, 33% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 55A: That portion of GMU 55 beginning at the junction of NM 58 and US 64 at Cimarron and running west and south along US 64 to the Colfax-Taos county line at Palo Flechado pass; then north along the Colfax county line to the south boundary of the Sangre de Cristo grant; then north and west along the Sangre De Cristo grant’s south boundary to NM 522 then north along NM 522 to the...
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: 2022-2023 Deer Harvest Report
Harvest: 2021-2022 Deer Harvest Report