Unit 33 Unit 33
Big, open BLM antelope ground on the Llano Estacado east of Roswell — one of New Mexico's premier pronghorn units
Southeast plains — Pecos / Caprock pronghorn country · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
2,279
sq mi
Public land
80%
approx.
Elevation
3,400–4,700
feet
Motorized
extensive
access
Overview
GMU 33 sprawls across roughly 2,280 square miles of southeastern New Mexico plains, spanning parts of Chaves, Eddy, Roosevelt, and Lea counties from Artesia and Hagerman east across the Pecos Valley onto the Mescalero Ridge caprock and Llano Estacado toward Caprock and Elida. This is high-desert grassland and shinnery-oak country, and it is fundamentally a pronghorn unit: NMDGF harvest shows antelope running about 77% success — draw a tag and your odds of filling it are excellent. Desert mule deer are the secondary draw at much lower success (about 29%), scattered along the draws, mesa breaks, and brushier bottoms. Unlike the private-ranch elk country of northern New Mexico, GMU 33 holds a lot of accessible BLM ground threaded through the southeast oil patch.
Terrain
Nearly flat to gently rolling short-grass and sand-sage plains of the Pecos Valley and Llano Estacado, broken by the Mescalero Ridge / Caprock escarpment, shallow draws, playa lakes, and scattered sand-dune fields. Wide, open country where glass and mileage matter more than elevation.
Cover: Shinnery (sand shinnery oak), sand sagebrush, mesquite, yucca, and short bunchgrass grassland on the sandy uplands; saltbush and greasewood flats; mesquite and brush thickening along the Pecos River, arroyos, and playa margins that hold the deer.
Landmarks: Pecos River corridor · Mescalero Ridge / Caprock escarpment · Llano Estacado (High Plains) · Hagerman / Artesia farm belt on the west edge · shinnery-oak sand-dune country toward Caprock and Elida
Access
One of the better public-access big-game units in the region: the mix is roughly four-fifths public, dominated by BLM with a large block of NM State Trust land, and only about a fifth private. State Trust land requires a NM State Land Office recreational access permit — carry it. Access is generally via the dense county-road and oilfield lease-road grid, but section-line ownership is a checkerboard, so a land-ownership app (onX / HuntData / State Land Office CarryMap) is essential to stay off private and locked State parcels. Some antelope tags in southeast New Mexico are private-land or ranch-wide (landowner) tags — know which you hold. This is not E-PLUS elk country; the private-access constraint here is scattered ranch and farm ground, not the northern elk-ranch model.
Managers: BLM (Carlsbad / Roswell field offices), NM State Trust (permit required), private ranch and farm, private oil-and-gas surface
Access points: US 82 / US 285 at Artesia (southwest corner) · US 70 corridor between Roswell and the Caprock · US 380 near Caprock (east side) · county and BLM oilfield lease-road grid throughout · NM 2 / NM 249 near Hagerman
Species notes
Pronghorn
abundant qualityThe marquee species and the reason to draw GMU 33. These short-grass and shinnery plains are classic Llano Estacado antelope habitat, and NMDGF harvest shows roughly 77% success — among the better pronghorn odds in the state once you hold a tag. Bucks are honest plains pronghorn; a patient glasser willing to cover country can be selective.
- →Glass from high points, windmills, and county-road pull-offs at first and last light — pronghorn are visible at long range in open country
- →Cover miles by truck between glassing sets; then stalk using the shallow draws, dune folds, and terrain rolls for cover
- →Key on windmills, stock tanks, and playa lakes in dry early-fall weather — antelope water daily
- →Range carefully and practice longer shots; flat open ground makes wind and distance the main challenge
- →Sort ownership before the hunt so a long stalk doesn't cross onto private or locked State Trust ground
Mule Deer
common opportunityDesert mule deer are the secondary opportunity at much lower success (about 29% in NMDGF harvest). They live in the brushier country — mesquite and shinnery thickets, arroyos, Caprock breaks, and the Pecos bottoms — rather than the open antelope flats, and densities are modest across such big terrain.
- →Hunt the brush: mesquite draws, shinnery-oak dune fields, Caprock escarpment breaks, and river-bottom cover
- →Glass edges and openings at dawn and dusk when deer move between bedding brush and feed
- →Focus on water and the thickest cover during warm early seasons
- →Expect to work for a mature buck — this is a spread-out, low-density desert herd
Pro tips
- →This is a draw-and-fill pronghorn unit — roughly 77% success means the hard part is drawing the tag, not finding a buck.
- →In dry early seasons, sit water: windmills, dirt tanks, and playas concentrate antelope daily.
- →Run a land-ownership app — BLM, State Trust, and private are a section-line checkerboard, and a State Trust access permit is required.
- →Cover ground: the best strategy is glass-move-glass across big country, then stalk in with the terrain rolls.
- →Confirm whether your antelope tag is public-draw or a private-land/ranch tag before you plan where to hunt.
Watch out for
- !Checkerboard ownership — BLM/State/private alternate by section; don't cross onto private or unpermitted State Trust ground.
- !NM State Trust land requires a State Land Office recreational access permit.
- !Extreme heat and scarce natural water — carry plenty for yourself and plan for game care in the warmth.
- !Caliche and sand roads turn slick and can strand a truck after thunderstorms.
- !Active oil-and-gas operations, traffic, and locked lease gates crisscross the unit.
Logistics
Roswell is the natural hub for fuel, lodging, and full resupply on the west side, with Artesia covering the southwest corner; the east end toward Caprock and Elida is remote ranch and oilfield country with long drives to services. Cell coverage is decent near the towns and highways and gets patchy on the back plains. Roads are an extensive grid of paved highways, county roads, and oilfield lease roads — mostly two-wheel-drive passable when dry, but caliche and sand turn slick and boggy after rain.
Nearest towns: Roswell, Artesia, Hagerman, Dexter, Caprock, Elida
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official New Mexico sources:
Research sources: NMDGF Game Management Unit 33 boundary description & map · HuntScore — New Mexico Game Management Area 33 · NM State Land Office — Hunting Access Information
FAQ
- How big is Unit 33 in New Mexico?
- Unit 33 (Unit 33) covers about 2,279 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,400 to 4,700 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 33?
- Approximately 80% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM (Carlsbad / Roswell field offices), NM State Trust (permit required), private ranch and farm, private oil-and-gas surface. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 33?
- Pronghorn, Mule Deer. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official New Mexico agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 33 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.