New Mexico Antelope (Pronghorn) — GMU 18
New Mexico GMU 18 covers 1,564,967 acres and lies 31 miles east of Socorro and 45 miles south-east of Rio Communities. 72% of it is public land, mostly BLM (40%) and state trust land (22%). In 2025, 95 people hunted pronghorn here and took 56 — 59% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 2 tags here for 16 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every pronghorn license type on offer in GMU 18, 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-
<1% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Long shot <1% as 2nd choice
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4% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Long shot 6% as 2nd choice
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0% Long shot 17% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANT-1-132 ↗ Unit 18 — mature bull — Any Legal — Aug. 29-31 Rifle | <1% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 219 | Standard | Aug 29–31, 2026 |
| ANT-1-132 ↗ Unit 18 — mature bull — Any Legal — Aug. 29-31 Rifle | 0% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 97 | Outfitter | Aug 29–31, 2026 |
| ANT-1-133 ↗ Unit 18 — mature bull — Any Legal — Sept. 26-28 Rifle | 0% Long shot | <1% | — | 1 / 72 | Standard | Sep 26–28, 2026 |
| ANT-1-133 ↗ Unit 18 — mature bull — Any Legal — Sept. 26-28 Rifle | 4% Long shot | 0% | — | 1 / 27 | Outfitter | Sep 26–28, 2026 |
| ANT-2-131 ↗ Unit 18 — mature bull — Bow — Aug. 15-23 Archery | 0% Long shot | 6% | — | 2 / 16 | Standard | Aug 15–23, 2026 |
| ANT-2-131 ↗ Unit 18 — mature bull — Bow — Aug. 15-23 Archery | 0% Long shot | 17% | — | 2 / 6 | Outfitter | Aug 15–23, 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 | $517 | $107 | $527 |
| Outfitter license | $517 | $107 | $527 |
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
- BLM 621,749 ac · 40%
- State trust land 343,727 ac · 22%
- National Wildlife Refuge 140,461 ac · 9%
- Department of Defense 11,530 ac · 1%
- State land 5,054 ac · 0%
- National Park Service 594 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 441,849 ac · 28%
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 | 95 | 56 | 59% |
| 2024 | 104 | 57 | 55% |
| 2023 | 80 | 65 | 53% |
| 2022 | 92 | 67 | 53% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 31 · 97% · 44 hunters, 70% success
- Archery 1 · 3% · 1 hunters, 100% success
What the agency says about the area
GMU 18: Beginning at the junction of US 380 and I-25 at San Antonio and running north along I-25 to its junction with US 60 at Bernardo, then east along US 60 to NM 55 at Mountainair, then south and southeast along NM 55 to its junction with US 54, then south along US 54 to its intersection with the Lincoln-Otero county line, then west along the county line to the east boundary of White Sands...
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 Pronghorn Harvest Report
Harvest: 2024-2025 Pronghorn Harvest Report
Harvest: 2023-2024 Pronghorn Harvest Report