Unit 9 Unit 9
A big elk unit built around one mountain — the public hunting is concentrated on the Cibola National Forest high country of Mount Taylor, ringed by pueblo, Navajo, and private ground that is off-limits or E-PLUS only
West-central New Mexico — Mount Taylor (Cibola NF island in a sea of tribal and private land) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
3,337
sq mi
Public land
25%
approx.
Elevation
6,400–11,301
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 9 is the Mount Taylor unit, a sprawling west-central New Mexico area northeast of Grants that is dominated by tribal and private land — roughly three-quarters of the unit — with the accessible public hunting concentrated on the forested slopes and mesas of Mount Taylor itself. The 11,301-ft dormant volcano and its surrounding Cibola National Forest (Mount Taylor Ranger District) form the core, laced with Forest Service and old mining roads that let a hunter get high into elk country. It is an elk unit first: the herd is healthy and harvest is elk-dominated, though it is managed as a fill-a-tag opportunity area rather than a giant-bull destination. Mule deer numbers are low with few tags. The unit also holds the Water Canyon and Marquez Wildlife Management Areas — the latter is resident-only with its own draw.
Terrain
A single dominant volcanic massif — Mount Taylor at 11,301 ft — rising steeply from surrounding high desert flats and volcanic mesas near 6,400 ft. Timbered upper slopes and ridges give way to pinyon-juniper mesas, sandstone breaks, and open grassland-sage basins on the northwest and northeast fringes.
Cover: Mixed conifer and aspen with pockets of spruce-fir near the Mount Taylor summit; ponderosa pine on the mid-slopes and benches; extensive pinyon-juniper woodland across the mesas and lower country; sage, grassland parks, and oak brush in the openings, with volcanic and sandstone badlands on the margins.
Landmarks: Mount Taylor (11,301 ft) · Cibola National Forest — Mount Taylor Ranger District · Water Canyon WMA · Marquez WMA (resident-only draw) · La Mosca Peak / lookout · Volcanic mesas northwest of the peak · Arroyo Chico / Rio Puerco breaks
Access
About three-quarters of GMU 9 is tribal reservation and private ranch land, which is either closed to general NMDGF hunters (tribal) or hunted only through the landowner E-PLUS system (private). The realistic public hunt is on the Cibola National Forest high country of Mount Taylor, plus scattered BLM and state trust ground — a public 'island' surrounded by land you cannot walk onto. Mount Taylor is well covered by Forest Service and old mining roads, so a hunter with a high-clearance or off-road vehicle can get up into elk country. Numerous pueblo and Navajo reservations (Laguna, Acoma, Cañoncito/To'hajiilee Navajo, Jemez, Zia) fall inside or on the unit's boundaries and are tribal land — do not treat them as open public. Carry a GPS/onX-type land-ownership layer; boundaries here are a patchwork and getting on the wrong side is easy.
Managers: USFS Cibola NF (Mount Taylor RD), tribal (Laguna, Acoma, Navajo, Jemez, Zia pueblos/reservations — closed), private ranch (E-PLUS), BLM, NM State Trust (permit)
Access points: I-40 at Grants (south approach up NM-547) · NM-547 (Lobo Canyon Rd) from Grants onto Mount Taylor · Cibola NF / Mount Taylor Forest Service and mining road network · Water Canyon WMA access · San Mateo village side (north of the peak) · I-40 / Prewitt (west boundary at CR 19)
Species notes
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityThe marquee species and the reason to draw GMU 9. Mount Taylor holds a healthy resident elk herd and the unit's harvest is elk-dominated. It is a good unit to fill an elk tag rather than a trophy giant-bull area, but mature bulls come off the Forest Service ground every year, and the surrounding private ranches produce well through E-PLUS. The accessible elk hunting is concentrated on the public high country of the mountain itself.
- →Get high on Mount Taylor — hunt the timbered ridges, aspen pockets, and grassy parks of the Cibola NF
- →Bugle-locate bulls in the September rut around meadow edges and dark north-slope timber
- →Use the Forest Service and old mining road grid to reach country, then still-hunt away from roads
- →Key on stock tanks, springs, and reliable water in dry falls — it concentrates elk
- →Glass the mesa openings and canyon heads at first and last light; back into timber midday
Mule Deer
limited opportunityMule deer densities are low in GMU 9 and tags are minimal — a secondary, patience-driven opportunity rather than a primary draw. The better deer country is the rougher pinyon-juniper mesas and sandstone breaks off the main mountain, and the occasional good buck comes out of the less-pressured terrain.
- →Glass the pinyon-juniper benches, oak pockets, and mesa rims morning and evening
- →Hunt the transition between open sage/grassland and the timbered slopes
- →Work the rough, roadless canyon breaks that hold older bucks
- →Be patient and cover ground — density is low and tags are few
Black Bear
limited opportunityBlack bear inhabit the forested slopes and canyon country of Mount Taylor, along with mountain lion. An incidental-to-opportunity hunt in the mixed conifer, aspen, and oak brush rather than a primary reason to draw the unit.
- →Focus on oak-brush and aspen/berry pockets when mast and berries are producing
- →Glass canyon bottoms and forest openings at first and last light
- →Check drainages and water sources during dry stretches
Pro tips
- →This is a one-mountain hunt — build the whole plan around the public Cibola NF high country of Mount Taylor
- →It is an elk unit; time archery/muzzleloader hunts to the September rut and bugle the timber edges
- →Run a land-ownership mapping layer — pueblo/Navajo tribal land and E-PLUS private ranches make up ~75% of the unit and are easy to stray onto
- →Water is the key in dry falls — glass tanks and springs and hunt the country that still holds water
- →Deer tags are few and densities low; if you draw one, hunt the rough mesa breaks for a mature buck
Watch out for
- !Roughly three-quarters of GMU 9 is tribal and private — the tribal reservations (Laguna, Acoma, To'hajiilee Navajo, Jemez, Zia) are closed to general NMDGF hunting and are not public land
- !Private ranches are hunted through the landowner E-PLUS system, not public draw — confirm you are on National Forest or other open ground
- !Marquez WMA is resident-only with its own unit-specific draw
- !Water is limited on the mesas away from Mount Taylor in dry years
- !Forest and mining roads get slick after rain/snow; watch for late-summer fire restrictions and closures
Logistics
Grants, right off I-40, is the hub — fuel, lodging, groceries, and the main road (NM-547 / Lobo Canyon Rd) up onto Mount Taylor and into the Cibola National Forest. Albuquerque is roughly 80 miles east for a larger resupply or airport. The Forest Service and mining roads on the mountain are generally passable to high-clearance vehicles, but a 4WD helps on the primitive spurs and after weather. Because so much of the unit is tribal and private, plan your hunt around the public Mount Taylor core and confirm land status before you step off a road. Pack water — reliable sources are limited on the mesas away from the peak.
Nearest towns: Grants, Milan, San Mateo, Prewitt, Laguna, Albuquerque
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 9 boundary map · GOHUNT — New Mexico Unit 9 (Mount Taylor, ~75% tribal/private, public on Mount Taylor high country, healthy elk, low deer) · Hunters Domain — New Mexico Unit 9 hunting info (Mount Taylor, Water Canyon & Marquez WMAs, elk-focused) · Cibola National Forest — Mount Taylor Ranger District (USFS)
FAQ
- How big is Unit 9 in New Mexico?
- Unit 9 (Unit 9) covers about 3,337 square miles, ranging from roughly 6,400 to 11,301 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 9?
- Approximately 25% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Cibola NF (Mount Taylor RD), tribal (Laguna, Acoma, Navajo, Jemez, Zia pueblos/reservations — closed), private ranch (E-PLUS), BLM, NM State Trust (permit). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 9?
- Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, Black Bear. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official New Mexico agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 9 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.