GMU 42: public land and hunting map
GMU 42 is one of New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, now New Mexico Department of Wildlife’s 70 Game Management Units in New Mexico. It covers about 4,294 square miles (2,748,425 acres), and roughly 8.9% of it is public land: state land 7.2%, BLM 1.4%, Fish & Wildlife Service under 1%.
- 8.9%public land
- 4,294square miles
- 244,610public acres
- 7neighbouring units
Measured Oct 12, 2026 from agency boundaries and USGS PAD-US 4.1 · sources and method
Who manages the land
- Bureau of Land Management1.4%
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceunder 1%
- State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies)7.2%
Share of the unit’s area. Federal agencies plus state wildlife, trust and natural-resource land, as the WikiHunt map classifies it. The rest is private, tribal, local or other land.
Units next to GMU 42
New Mexico season dates, 2026
Statewide general seasons. Many units have their own dates, quotas or draw-only hunts, so check the unit in the regulations before you go.
| Species | Season | 2026 dates |
|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery Deer | Sep 1 – Sep 24 |
| Deer | Rifle Deer | Oct 25 – Nov 5 |
| Elk | Archery Elk | Sep 1 – Sep 24 |
| Elk | Rifle Elk | Oct 18 – Nov 12 |
| Pronghorn | Rifle Antelope | Aug 10 – Aug 14 |
| Black bear | Bear | Aug 16 – Nov 15 |
Full notes on the New Mexico page · New Mexico regulations.
Questions
How much of GMU 42 is public land?
About 8.9% of GMU 42 (244,610 of 2,748,425 acres) is federal or state public land in USGS PAD-US 4.1, mostly State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies), Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Public land is not always open land: check access and closures before you go.
Who manages the land in GMU 42?
State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies): 7.2%; Bureau of Land Management: 1.4%; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: under 1%. The rest is private, tribal, local government or other land.
Which units border GMU 42?
GMU 39, GMU 40, GMU 41, GMU 43, GMU 46, GMU 47 and GMU 59.
Where are the season dates and rules for GMU 42?
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, now New Mexico Department of Wildlife sets them. Start at the New Mexico hunting regulations. WikiHunt shows the statewide general seasons on the New Mexico page and in the app.
Sources and method
- Boundary: New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, now New Mexico Department of Wildlife (owner keary.howley@dgf.nm.gov_nmdgf), the same layer the WikiHunt map draws.
- Public land: USGS Protected Areas Database (PAD-US) 4.1, Fee Managers layer (public domain).
- Method: the unit and PAD-US polygons are simplified to about 100 m and measured on a grid of about 250 cells across the unit, so overlapping records are counted once. Expect about ±1 percentage point.
- Season dates: WikiHunt’s season table, updated Sep 2, 2026, checked against each state’s published regulations. Dates change; the regulations win.
- Last updated: Oct 12, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.