New Mexico Deer — GMU 5B
New Mexico GMU 5B covers 264,652 acres and lies 45 miles north-west of Española and 64 miles north-west of Santa Fe. 98% of it is public land, mostly national forest (96%) and BLM (2%). In 2025, 465 people hunted deer here and took 172 — 37% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 3 tags here for 60 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 5B, 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-
0% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
-
0% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
-
DER-1-151 Unit 5B: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 0 tags · 3 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents 0% as 2nd choice
-
DER-1-151 Unit 5B: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 1 tags · 37 applicants · Outfitter0% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
-
— Not open to nonresidents 0% as 2nd choice
-
50% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
-
— Not open to nonresidents
-
33% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-1-150 ↗ Unit 5B — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 0% Long shot | <1% | — | 1 / 274 | Standard | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-150 ↗ Unit 5B — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 7-11 Rifle | 0% Long shot | <1% | — | 3 / 60 | Outfitter | Nov 7–11, 2026 |
| DER-1-151 ↗ Unit 5B: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | 0% | — | 0 / 3 | Standard | Nov 21–29, 2026 |
| DER-1-151 ↗ Unit 5B: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 Rifle | 0% Long shot | <1% | — | 1 / 37 | Outfitter | Nov 21–29, 2026 |
| DER-2-152 ↗ Unit 5B — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | Not open to nonresidents | 0% | — | 0 / 4 | Standard | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-152 ↗ Unit 5B — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | 50% Real chance | 0% | — | 1 / 2 | Outfitter | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-3-153 ↗ Unit 5B — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — Sept. 27-Oct.3 Muzzleloader | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2026 |
| DER-3-153 ↗ Unit 5B — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle — Sept. 27-Oct.3 Muzzleloader | 33% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 3 | 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.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest 253,229 ac · 96%
- BLM 6,049 ac · 2%
- State trust land 647 ac · 0%
- Tribal 18 ac · 0%
- State land 1 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 4,706 ac · 2%
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 | 465 | 172 | 37% |
| 2024 | 482 | 149 | 31% |
| 2023 | 96 | 47 | 49% |
| 2022 | 88 | 56 | 64% |
| 2021 | 101 | 72 | 71% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 104 · 50% · 301 hunters, 35% success
- Archery 50 · 24% · 137 hunters, 36% success
- Muzzleloader 53 · 26% · 130 hunters, 41% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 5B: (Boundary change) Beginning at the intersection of the east boundary of the Jicarilla Apache Indian reservation [and], the south boundary of the Tierra Amarilla grant and the Rio Chama, running 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, then south...
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