Unit 28, New Mexico

Elevation ranges from approximately 4,000 feet on the desert plains to about 7,282 feet at Wind Mountain (high point of Otero Mesa) in the Cornudas Mountains. The northern portion contains the southern end of the Sacramento Mountains escarpment, with a steep, rugged western face dropping to the Tularosa Basin. The central portion is dominated by Otero Mesa, a vast grassland plateau on the western side, with a steep, broken western rim. The Cornudas Mountains — a cluster of buttes rising nearly 2,000 feet above the plateau surface — lie within the mesa; Wind Mountain at 7,282 feet is the highest point on Otero Mesa. The rough, broken Hueco Mountains in the southeastern corner extend into Texas. Vast desert plains stretch across the southern portions of the unit.

Unit 28 is entirely within the Fort Bliss Military Reservation (McGregor Range), approximately 608,385 acres of withdrawn BLM public land managed jointly by the U.S. Army and the BLM. Access is strictly regulated: hunters must first draw a New Mexico big-game license through the NMDGF draw, then separately obtain a Fort Bliss Recreational/Hunting Access Permit through the iSportsman system at ftbliss.isportsman.net. Access is authorized from two hours before sunrise to two hours after sunset. Military training operations take priority and can close portions of the range without notice; hunters should confirm access conditions before entering. ATVs/off-road vehicle use for game retrieval is prohibited — all other roads require an Army-issued access permit. A state-certified hunter education course completion card must be carried at all times. Alamogordo (U.S. Highway 54/70) serves as the primary gateway community. Because the unit is BLM land under military withdrawal, New Mexico Habitat Stamps are not required. No wilderness areas or National Forest lands fall within the unit boundary. There are no major private-land barriers inside the unit, but the military installation itself constitutes the access barrier — public entry without proper permits is prohibited. Roughly half the big-game tag allocation for most species is reserved for full-time active-duty military personnel only (veterans and reservists are not eligible for military-only draws).

Vegetation is dominated by Chihuahuan desert scrub and desert grassland. Grasses are the most extensive cover type, ranging from short-cropped in drought years to tall and dense in wet years. Low desert shrubs including creosote, greasewood, mesquite, yucca, and cholla cactus cover the lower elevations and plains. Sparse pinyon pine and juniper appear at higher elevations along the Sacramento Mountain foothills and on portions of Otero Mesa. Riparian vegetation is extremely limited given the arid character of the landscape. Historical overgrazing and fire suppression have shifted portions of the mesa from grassland toward scrubland.

The unit supports a free-ranging oryx (gemsbok) herd, introduced to the Tularosa Basin area, that now occupies the desert grasslands and mesa country of the military reservation — these are the primary draw for hunters. Barbary sheep (aoudad) inhabit the rugged canyon country, rocky escarpments of the Sacramento Mountain foothills, and Otero Mesa rim; limited tag numbers allow rams to reach full maturity, making this a trophy-class opportunity. Elk move onto the McGregor Range primarily in response to winter snowfall pushing them down from the Sacramento Mountains to the north — distribution is highly weather-dependent and few elk may be present in low-snow years. Desert mule deer occupy the desert grassland and scrub throughout the unit and can reach trophy class given low hunting pressure. Pronghorn use the open grasslands of Otero Mesa. Javelina are present in the desert scrub. Cougar are present and fall within Cougar Zone Q (GMUs 28, 29, 30, 34), with an April 1-March 31 season subject to zone harvest limits. CWD has been detected in Unit 28 — it is a designated CWD Control Area; mandatory tissue sampling of harvested deer and elk applies and carcass transport restrictions are in effect.

1. AREA: McGregor Range is approximately 608,385 acres (~950 sq mi) of withdrawn BLM public land per Federal Register and BLM sources — the draft's '1,072 sq mi' figure was unsupported and has been corrected. 2. ELK QUOTAS: Only two elk hunts confirmed in NMAC 19.31.14.15 for Unit 28 (ELK-1-397 public, 10 licenses; ELK-1-396 military-only, 10 licenses); draft claims of 25-license late-December/January hunts were not confirmed and have been removed. 3. HABITAT STAMP: Confirmed exempt on McGregor Range (BLM under military withdrawal). 4. CWD: Unit 28 is a designated CWD Control Area — mandatory tissue sampling and carcass transport restrictions apply to harvested deer and elk. First CWD case in Unit 28 detected during 2007 hunt; prevalence has been documented as higher in GMU 28 than most other NM units. 5. COUGAR: Zone Q confirmed (GMUs 28, 29, 30, 34) via NMAC 19.31.11.12; hound hunting claim removed as not confirmed in regulatory source reviewed. 6. MULE DEER/PRONGHORN/JAVELINA QUOTAS: Specific tag quotas not confirmed from primary regulatory source; seasons from eRegulations secondary source only. 7. MILITARY-ONLY TAGS: Active-duty full-time military only; veterans and reservists not eligible. 8. BLACK BEAR: No confirmed draw hunts or specific bear seasons for Unit 28; excluded from species list. 9. All season dates shift annually — hunters must verify current-year dates with NMDGF before applying.