Unit 42
New Mexico Hunting Guide — Pronghorn, Mule Deer, Elk
Unit 42 is a high-tag pronghorn unit in the shortgrass prairie country of east-central New Mexico. Rolling grasslands, scattered windmill tanks, and a mix of state trust land, BLM, and ranch-controlled access define the hunt. With 148 tags drawn across the last three seasons against 360 applicants, this is one of the state's more available speed-goat units.
Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 42
Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready New Mexico Unit 42 guide around your hunt: three ranked spots with morning, afternoon and evening plays, a day-by-day plan, topo maps with every pin numbered, a camp and access plan, the legal and retrieval rules for this unit, shot discipline, a meat-care and pack-out plan, and a pre-trip checklist. Every coordinate sits on land recorded as public.
Free accounts get one report a year with the top spot unlocked. ProHunt Pro includes unlimited reports, all three spots, the full camp plan, and GPX/KML downloads for onX and Google Earth. Prefer to see one first? Open the builder and pick any unit.
Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 42
Unit 42 is a high-tag pronghorn unit in the shortgrass prairie country of east-central New Mexico. Rolling grasslands, scattered windmill tanks, and a mix of state trust land, BLM, and ranch-controlled access define the hunt. With 148 tags drawn across the last three seasons against 360 applicants, this is one of the state's more available speed-goat units.
Where to Find Pronghorn in Unit 42
Unit 42 pronghorn concentrate around reliable water and the best forage patches of the shortgrass prairie.
Windmill Tanks and Stock Ponds
Pronghorn return to the same tanks daily in late summer and early fall. Scout tanks on BLM and state trust sections a week before the opener to locate consistent groups.
Prairie Edges and Two-Tracks
Bucks hold on the grassland-shrub edge where sage and yucca break up the plains. Driving county roads at first light typically turns up multiple herds before the heat pushes them into shade.
Unit 42 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 4,001–6,901 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 4,981 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 4,295.3 sq mi inside the boundary. Big enough that picking one drainage beats driving three.
Who owns the ground
- BLM — 15%
- Private / Other — 85%
Roughly 15% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.
Water on the ground
- 123 tanks
- 164 stream segments
- 21 lakes
Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.
How to Hunt Pronghorn in Unit 42
Pronghorn Success Rates
Pronghorn Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts (n/p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle — Draw either sex (resident) | 19 | 107 | 17.8% | — |
| Rifle — Draw either sex (nonresident) | 10 | 2 | 0.0% | — |
| Rifle — Draw either sex (resident) | 10 | 20 | 50.0% | — |
| Rifle — Draw either sex (nonresident) | 10 | 0 | 0.0% | — |
| Archery — Draw either sex (resident) | 5 | 11 | 45.5% | — |
| Rifle — Draw bull/buck only (resident) | 14 | 100 | 14.0% | — |
| Rifle — Draw bull/buck only (nonresident) | 16 | 0 | 0.0% | — |
| Archery — Draw bull/buck only (resident) | 4 | 6 | 66.7% | — |
| Archery — Draw bull/buck only (nonresident) | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | — |
| Rifle — Draw either sex (resident) | 7 | 20 | 35.0% | — |
| Rifle — Draw either sex (nonresident) | 10 | 0 | 0.0% | — |
Data from 2021 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number. This agency publishes no point thresholds, so the Pts column stays blank and these are pool odds, not what a point total draws.
Open in Draw Odds EngineUnit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I draw a Unit 42 pronghorn tag in New Mexico?
Is Unit 42 pronghorn mostly public land?
How hard is it to draw NM Unit 42 mule deer?
Is Mescalero Apache land part of Unit 42?
What is the best weapon type for Unit 42 elk?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & Verification
Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-18.
- 2026-2027 New Mexico Hunting Rules and Info (RIB) — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: GMU 42 boundaries, Pronghorn season dates and hunt codes, Tag quotas · accessed 2026-04-17
- NMDGF Pronghorn Species Info — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: Statewide pronghorn management, GMU eligibility · accessed 2026-04-17
- NMDGF Applications and Draw Information — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: Pure random draw, 6% nonresident / 10% outfitter-guided caps, Application deadlines · accessed 2026-04-17
- NMDGF Deer Species Info — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: Deer management · accessed 2026-04-17
- New Mexico 2025-26 Big Game Hunting Rules & Info — New Mexico Department of Game and Fish · supports: Unit 42 elk season dates, Tag quotas, Weapon restrictions · accessed 2026-04-18
- Lincoln National Forest — Hunting — USDA Forest Service — Lincoln National Forest · supports: Public land access, Road conditions, Campground information · accessed 2026-04-18