New Mexico Deer — GMU 8
New Mexico GMU 8 covers 590,059 acres and lies 10 miles north of Edgewood and 21 miles north-west of Moriarty. 19% of it is public land, mostly national forest (10%) and state trust land (5%). A further 10% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2025, 164 people hunted deer here and took 61 — 37% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 6 tags here for 8 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 8, 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-2-162 Unit 8: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Bow - Youth Only — Nov. 21-29 1 tags · 1 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed
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DER-2-162 Unit 8: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Bow - Youth Only — Nov. 21-29 6 tags · 8 applicants · Outfitter63% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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7% Long shot 5% as 2nd choice
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15% Long shot 20% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-2-162 ↗ Unit 8: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Bow - Youth Only — Nov. 21-29 | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 1 / 1 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 21–29, 2026 |
| DER-2-162 ↗ Unit 8: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Bow - Youth Only — Nov. 21-29 | 63% Real chance | 0% | — | 6 / 8 | Outfitter | Nov 21–29, 2026 |
| DER-2-163 ↗ Unit 8 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 | 7% Long shot | 5% | — | 4 / 28 | Standard | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-2-163 ↗ Unit 8 — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 | 15% Long shot | 20% | — | 6 / 20 | Outfitter | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
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
- Tribal 61,500 ac · 10%
- National Forest 61,243 ac · 10%
- State trust land 28,876 ac · 5%
- BLM 21,883 ac · 4%
- Department of Defense 2,787 ac · 0%
- State land 95 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 413,674 ac · 70%
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 | 164 | 61 | 37% |
| 2024 | 168 | 65 | 39% |
| 2023 | 154 | 60 | 39% |
| 2022 | 130 | 54 | 42% |
| 2021 | 123 | 76 | 62% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 21 · 60% · 54 hunters, 39% success
- Muzzleloader 1 · 3% · 1 hunters, 100% success
- Rifle 13 · 37% · 22 hunters, 59% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 8: Beginning at the intersection of I-40 and I-25 at Albuquerque and running northeast along I-25 to its junction with NM 14, then south along NM 14 to Santa Fe County Road 42, then southeast along CR 42 to its junction with NM 41 at Galisteo, then south along NM 41 to its intersection with I-40 at Moriarty, then west along I-40 to its intersection with I-25.
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