Arizona hunting data: units, hunts and harvest
The Arizona Game and Fish Department runs big game hunting in 6 regions and 76 game management units. Its 2026 booklets list 192 elk hunts (23,719 permits), 209 deer hunts (34,120 permits) and 61 pronghorn hunts (529 permits). On the 2025 draw hunts, AZGFD's harvest surveys count 8,233 elk and 10,623 deer taken.
Data updated October 2026. Hunts: AZGFD's 2026 booklets. Harvest: AZGFD harvest summaries to 2025. Land: USGS PAD-US 4.1. Units: AZGFD.
When are Arizona's 2026 draw deadlines?
Arizona runs two big draws a year. Pronghorn and elk come first, in the winter; deer, bighorn sheep, fall javelina, fall turkey and the rest of the 2026-27 regulations follow in late spring. Applications are online only, and AZGFD charges the permit fee only if you are drawn.
| Draw | Online deadline (11:59 p.m. Arizona time) | AZGFD's next step |
|---|---|---|
| Pronghorn and elk, 2026 hunts | February 3, 2026 | Hunt permit-tags mailed by April 1, 2026. Leftover tags first-come from March 16 by mail and March 23 at AZGFD offices. |
| Deer, bighorn sheep, fall javelina, fall turkey and the other 2026-27 hunts | June 2, 2026 | Results posted to each applicant's AZGFD portal account. |
Source: AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn and Elk Hunt Draw Information, PDF page 4; AZGFD 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations, PDF page 5. AZGFD has not published the 2027 pronghorn and elk dates yet; they come with its next booklet.
How does Arizona's draw work?
AZGFD gives hunt permit-tags by a computerized random draw. You need a hunting license that is valid on the deadline day, and you may send one application per kind of animal each year, with several hunt choices on it.
An applicant who is not drawn gets a bonus point for that species. Each Commission Order also has a bonus-point-only hunt number (3000 for elk, 2000 for pronghorn, 1000 for deer) for hunters who want the point without entering the draw. Tags left after the draw are sold first-come, first-served.
| Hunt permit-tag, 2026 | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|
| Elk | $148 | $665 |
| Deer | $58 | $315 |
| Pronghorn | $103 | $565 |
| Bighorn sheep | $313 | $1,815 |
| Bonus point only | $13 | $15 |
Prices include AZGFD's $13 resident or $15 nonresident application fee. Source: AZGFD 2026 booklets, fee page (PDF page 5).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Arizona?
AZGFD's harvest summaries cover the draw hunts. Its own grand totals for the 2025 hunts:
| Species, 2025 | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Taken | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 23,501 | 19,798 | 100,611 | 8,233 | 42% |
| Deer | 36,455 | 30,134 | 130,512 | 10,623 | 35% |
| Pronghorn | 527 | 487 | 1,735 | 368 | 76% |
Source: AZGFD 2025 Elk Harvest Summary (grand total row), AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary (grand total row), AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Harvest Summary (grand total row).
Arizona's AZGFD regions
| Region | Office and area | Units | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Pinetop: the White Mountains and east-central Arizona | 10 | 57.8% |
| Region 2 | Flagstaff: north-central Arizona, the Kaibab and the Arizona Strip | 13 | 76.7% |
| Region 3 | Kingman: northwest Arizona | 12 | 68% |
| Region 4 | Yuma: southwest Arizona | 16 | 59.6% |
| Region 5 | Tucson: southeast Arizona | 17 | 67.1% |
| Region 6 | Mesa: central Arizona | 8 | 65% |
How much of Arizona's hunting ground is public?
Inside AZGFD's 76 units, 66.1% of the ground is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: BLM 22.9%, national forest 21.1%, state trust land 17.4%, national wildlife refuge 3.2%, national recreation area 1.3%, Bureau of Reclamation 0.2% and AZGFD land 0.1%. Tribal land inside the units is 2.1% and military land 5.1%.
State trust land covers a large share of Arizona's units. The Arizona State Land Department lets a licensed hunter on trust land while hunting in season; camping and other uses need its recreation permit, and many sections touch no public road.
Tribal land inside a unit is not open under an AZGFD tag: each tribe sells its own permits. Military ranges such as the Barry M. Goldwater Range in the southwest need the range's own access permit, and national parks are closed to hunting.
Measured by FilledTag inside AZGFD's unit boundaries from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee managers). The large reservations AZGFD's layer leaves unnumbered are not counted.
Unit pages by species
Elk, deer and pronghorn pages hold every 2026 hunt, each hunt's harvest for up to five years and the 2025 draw counts. Units that share all their hunts share a page.
Elk: 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11M, 15A/15B/18A, 16A, 17A/17B/18B/19B/20A/20C, 19A, 21, 22, 23, 24A, 27, 28/31/32
Deer: 1, 2A/2B/2C, 3A/3C, 3B, 4A/4B, 5A/5B, 6A, 6B, 7/9, 8, 10, 11M, 12A, 12B, 13A, 13B, 15A/15B/15C/15D, 16A, 17A, 17B, 18A, 18B, 19A, 19B, 20A, 20B, 20C, 21, 22, 23, 24A, 24B, 27, 28, 29, 30A, 30B, 31, 32, 33, 34A, 34B, 35A, 35B, 36A, 36B, 36C, 37A, 37B, 39/40A/40B, 41, 42, 43A/43B/44A/44B, 45A/45B/45C, 46A/46B
Pronghorn: 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11M, 12A/12B, 13A, 13B, 15A/15B, 17A, 17B/19B, 18A, 18B, 19A, 21, 30A, 31/32, 34A/34B, 35A/35B
Every unit: 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11M, 12A, 12B, 13A, 13B, 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 16A, 16B, 17A, 17B, 18A, 18B, 19A, 19B, 20A, 20B, 20C, 21, 22, 23, 24A, 24B, 25M, 26M, 27, 28, 29, 30A, 30B, 31, 32, 33, 34A, 34B, 35A, 35B, 36A, 36B, 36C, 37A, 37B, 38M, 39, 40A, 40B, 41, 42, 43A, 43B, 44A, 44B, 45A, 45B, 45C, 46A, 46B
AZGFD wildlife areas open to hunting: Alamo, Allen Severson Memorial, Aravaipa Canyon, Arlington, Base and Meridian, Becker Lake, Bog Hole, Chevelon Canyon Ranch, Chevelon Creek, Cibola Valley Conservation and Wildlife, Cluff Ranch, Fool Hollow Lake, House Rock, Jaques Marsh, Lamar Haines, Lower San Pedro River, Luna Lake, Mittry Lake, Powers Butte (Mumme Farm), Quigley-Achee, Raymond, Robbins Butte, Roosevelt Lake, Santa Rita, Sipe White Mountain, Sunflower Flat, Tucson Mountain, Upper Verde River, Wenima, White Mountain Grasslands, White Water Draw, Willcox Playa
Questions hunters ask
When is Arizona's elk and pronghorn draw deadline?
For the 2026 hunts AZGFD's online deadline was February 3, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Arizona time, with tags mailed by April 1, 2026 (AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn and Elk booklet, page 4). The 2027 dates are not published yet.
When is Arizona's deer draw deadline?
For the 2026-27 hunts in AZGFD's regulations booklet, which include deer, bighorn sheep, fall javelina and fall turkey, the online deadline was June 2, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Arizona time.
Does Arizona use bonus points?
Yes. A valid application that is not drawn earns a bonus point for that species, and each species has a bonus-point-only hunt number for hunters who want a point without entering the draw (AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn and Elk booklet, Draw Information).
How much is a nonresident elk tag in Arizona?
$665 for a 2026 elk hunt permit-tag, including the $15 nonresident application fee, charged only if you are drawn; a resident elk tag is $148. A license valid on the deadline day is needed on top (AZGFD 2026 fee table).
How many game management units does Arizona have?
AZGFD's unit boundary layer has 76 game management units in six regions. Many hunts split a unit into parts, such as 5B North and 5B South or 12A East and 12A West; those parts are inside the 76 units.
Get Arizona updates from FilledTag
Join the Arizona list and FilledTag will email you when it adds more for Arizona hunters.
The free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Arizona included.
Where these numbers come from
- Hunts, seasons, deadlines and fees: AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn and Elk Hunt Draw Information; AZGFD 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations.
- Harvest: AZGFD harvest summaries.
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee managers). Units: AZGFD game management unit boundaries.
FilledTag is not part of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Numbers are copied from AZGFD's published reports or measured from AZGFD and USGS maps; nothing here is estimated by FilledTag. AZGFD's regulations are the final word on every rule.