New Mexico Deer — GMU 9
New Mexico GMU 9 covers 2,129,765 acres and lies 31 miles west of Rio Rancho. 27% of it is public land, mostly BLM (11%) and national forest (9%). A further 29% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2025, 97 people hunted deer here and took 43 — 45% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1 tag here for 5 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 9, 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-1-164 Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 1 tags · 5 applicants · Standard0% Long shot 33% as 2nd choice
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DER-1-164 Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 1 tags · 2 applicants · Outfitter50% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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DER-1-165 Unit 9: Marquez/LBar WMAs only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents
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DER-1-165 Unit 9: Marquez/LBar WMAs only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 1 tags · 1 applicants · Outfitter100% Undersubscribed
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DER-1-166 Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents
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DER-1-166 Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 1 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter100% No first-choice applicants 50% as 2nd choice
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DER-2-167 Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents
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DER-2-167 Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 0 tags · 0 applicants · Outfitter— Not open to nonresidents
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DER-2-168 Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 1 tags · 4 applicants · Standard25% Long shot
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DER-2-168 Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 1 tags · 1 applicants · Outfitter100% Undersubscribed
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DER-3-169 Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA: restricted muzzleloader only — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle - Restricted — Sept. 27-Oct.3 0 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Not open to nonresidents
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DER-3-169 Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA: restricted muzzleloader only — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle - Restricted — Sept. 27-Oct.3 1 tags · 5 applicants · Outfitter20% Long shot
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DER-1-164 ↗ Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | 0% Long shot | 33% | — | 1 / 5 | Standard | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| DER-1-164 ↗ Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | 50% Real chance | 0% | — | 1 / 2 | Outfitter | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| DER-1-165 ↗ Unit 9: Marquez/LBar WMAs only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| DER-1-165 ↗ Unit 9: Marquez/LBar WMAs only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal — Nov. 14-18 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 1 / 1 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Nov 14–18, 2026 |
| DER-1-166 ↗ Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Nov 21–29, 2026 |
| DER-1-166 ↗ Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA: youth only — fork-antlered deer — Any Legal - Youth — Nov. 21-29 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 50% | — | 1 / 0 | Outfitter | Nov 21–29, 2026 |
| DER-2-167 ↗ Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-167 ↗ Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Sept. 1-24 Archery | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Outfitter | Sep 1–24, 2026 |
| DER-2-168 ↗ Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | 25% Long shot | — | — | 1 / 4 | Standard | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-2-168 ↗ Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA — fork-antlered deer — Bow — Jan. 1-15, ‘27 Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 1 / 1 undersubscribed | Outfitter | Jan 1–15, 2027 |
| DER-3-169 ↗ Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA: restricted muzzleloader only — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle - Restricted — Sept. 27-Oct.3 Muzzleloader | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2026 |
| DER-3-169 ↗ Unit 9, including Water Canyon WMA: restricted muzzleloader only — fork-antlered deer — Muzzle - Restricted — Sept. 27-Oct.3 Muzzleloader | 20% Long shot | — | — | 1 / 5 | 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
- Tribal 612,891 ac · 29%
- BLM 233,825 ac · 11%
- National Forest 185,428 ac · 9%
- State trust land 85,523 ac · 4%
- State land 71,577 ac · 3%
- National Park Service 7,100 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 933,419 ac · 44%
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 | 97 | 43 | 45% |
| 2024 | 97 | 25 | 26% |
| 2023 | 92 | 36 | 40% |
| 2022 | 81 | 23 | 30% |
| 2021 | 78 | 25 | 32% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Muzzleloader 27 · 24% · 91 hunters, 30% success
- Rifle 68 · 60% · 279 hunters, 24% success
- Archery 18 · 16% · 98 hunters, 18% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 9: Beginning at Prewitt at the junction of I-40 and CR 19 (the road to Hospah) and running north along the CR 19 to its intersection with Inditos draw, then south and east down Inditos draw to its junction with Voght draw, then east down Voght draw to its junction with arroyo Chico, then east down arroyo Chico to its intersection with the BLM road 1103 (the San Luis road, leading from...
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