Unit 31, New Mexico

Predominantly flat to gently rolling desert basin terrain ranging from approximately 3,000 to 5,800 feet in elevation. Large expanses of open country with shallow swales and sand dune fields — often described by hunters as walking on a beach. The most pronounced topographic relief occurs at the Loco Hills, Nimenim Ridge, and Mescalero Ridge (locally called The Caprock), the latter extending from the northwest in bordering Unit 33. The Pecos River corridor runs along the southern boundary near Carlsbad. The terrain lacks the forested mountains or high plateaus found in central and northern New Mexico.

Public land constitutes approximately 48–56% of the unit, distributed between BLM surface estate (administered by the Carlsbad Field Office, 520 E. Greene St., Carlsbad, NM, 575-234-5972, and the Roswell Field Office, 2909 W. Second St., Roswell, NM, 575-627-0272, both under the BLM Pecos District) and State Trust land administered by the New Mexico State Land Office. The southern half of the unit contains the bulk of the public land; the northern and eastern portions are predominantly large private ranches. Key highways providing access include US 285 (Carlsbad to Artesia to Roswell corridor along the Pecos River), US 82 (east toward Artesia and Maljamar), US 180 (southwest of Carlsbad toward the Texas state line), NM 249 (Maljamar north), and NM 18 (Hobbs and Lovington corridor). A dense network of oil-field service roads — many paved or improved caliche — provides vehicle access to much of the BLM and State Trust land; four-wheel drive is recommended but not always required. Brantley Lake Wildlife Management Area (also known as Seven Rivers WMA), managed by NMDGF near Carlsbad, is open to public hunting during deer seasons. State Trust land access for hunters with valid New Mexico hunting licenses is permitted when land can be reached via a public road; landlocked State Trust parcels require written permission from controlling landowners. Most BLM surface is open to primitive camping; ATVs are restricted to existing roads. No designated wilderness areas or National Forest land exist within Unit 31. The Pecos River Corridor Recreation Area (BLM, approximately 6,000 acres north of Loving) provides additional public riparian access in the south.

Dominant cover is Chihuahuan desert grassland with intermittent mesquite, greasewood, sand sagebrush, and other desert shrubs. Shinnery oak and sand sagebrush flats characterize the sandy uplands of Lea and Roosevelt counties. Scattered pinyon-juniper woodland appears on the Caprock escarpment in the west and north. Riparian cottonwood-willow bosque runs along the Pecos River near the southern boundary. Center-pivot irrigated crop fields (corn, sorghum, alfalfa) are common near Clovis, Hobbs, and Lovington in the northern half of the unit, providing supplemental forage for deer and pronghorn. No alpine, subalpine, or ponderosa pine habitat is present.

Mule deer are the primary big-game species, distributed across the unit with bucks often found on sand-dune flats and around Caprock drainages; the area between Hobbs and Carlsbad supports huntable populations. Pronghorn populations are documented as increasing in Units 31, 32, and 33 per the NMDGF 2023–2024 Pronghorn Hunting Forecast, and are commonly associated with the grassland flats and brush-grass ecotones, typically concentrated on private land in the northern half. Oryx (gemsbok), free-ranging descendants of the White Sands Missile Range introduction, occur sporadically in the sandy plains and mesquite flats of southern and western portions; Unit 31 has no dedicated oryx draw hunt code. Javelina are present in desert scrub and mesquite thickets, particularly in the southern portions near the Eddy County line. Mountain lion are present throughout the unit following mule deer and pronghorn, managed under Cougar Zone M (GMUs 31, 32, 33, 39, 40). No resident elk population exists; no black bear hunting season is established. Lesser prairie-chicken occur in shinnery oak sandhill habitat in the northeastern reaches near the Roosevelt County line. Mule deer bucks average 130–150 inches Boone and Crockett typical, with occasional bucks reaching 160–170 inches.