Units 3A/3C deer hunting: 2026 hunts, harvest and draw
AZGFD's 2026 regulations list 3 deer hunts open in Units 3A and 3C, with 90 permits in all. The largest is hunt 1003, any antlered deer, October 23 to November 1, with 60 permits. On the 3 hunts held only in Units 3A and 3C in 2025, AZGFD's harvest survey counts 78 hunters and 59 deer taken; AZGFD lists 59 as mule deer and 0 as whitetail.
Data updated October 2026. Hunts: AZGFD's 2026 2026-27 regulations. Harvest: AZGFD harvest summaries, 2021 to 2025. Draw: AZGFD's 2025 report.
Unit 3A and Unit 3C shaded; the units around them outlined. Tribal land in tan.
| Units | Unit 3A, Unit 3C |
|---|---|
| AZGFD region | Region 1, Pinetop |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 3 (90 permits) |
| Hunt types | general and archery only |
| Earliest season | August 21 to September 10 (hunt 1200) |
| Deer taken on their own hunts, 2025 | 59 by 78 hunters |
| 2025 draw, first-choice applicants | 4,055 for 90 permits issued |
| Public land open to hunting | 51.7%, mostly national forest |
What deer hunts do Units 3A and 3C have in 2026?
3 hunts: 2 general and 1 archery only. 3 are held only in Units 3A and 3C. Permits are AZGFD's numbers for the whole hunt.
| Hunt | Type | Season, 2026 | Legal animal | Permits | Open area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1003 | General | Oct 23 to Nov 1 | Any antlered deer | 60 | 3A and 3C |
| 1004 | General | Dec 11 to Dec 31 | Any antlered deer | 10 | 3A and 3C |
| 1200 | Archery only | Aug 21 to Sep 10 | Any antlered deer | 20 | 3A and 3C |
Source: AZGFD 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations, PDF pages 29 and 32. Note numbers refer to AZGFD's printed notes, which set boundaries and restrictions; read them before you apply.
How many deer are harvested in Units 3A and 3C?
Year by year, the hunts held only in Units 3A and 3C. Hunter and harvest totals are sums of AZGFD's figures for those hunts.
| Year | Hunts | Hunters | Hunter days | Mule deer | Whitetail | Deer taken | Deer per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 78 | 357 | 59 | 0 | 59 | 76 |
| 2024 | 3 | 103 | 627 | 71 | 1 | 73 | 71 |
| 2023 | 3 | 155 | 792 | 111 | 2 | 113 | 73 |
| 2022 | 3 | 155 | 971 | 100 | 2 | 104 | 67 |
| 2021 | 3 | 144 | 840 | 108 | 0 | 108 | 75 |
Deer per 100 hunters is worked out from AZGFD's own hunter and harvest figures for the same hunts.
Every hunt that included Units 3A and 3C, as AZGFD reported it:
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Mule deer bucks | Mule deer antlerless | Whitetail bucks | Whitetail antlerless | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1003 | General | 3A and 3C | 57 | 54 | 187 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 83% |
| 1004 | General | 3A and 3C | 10 | 7 | 40 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 100% |
| 1199 | Archery only | 3A and 3C | 19 | 17 | 130 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 41% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Mule deer bucks | Mule deer antlerless | Whitetail bucks | Whitetail antlerless | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1003 | General | 3A & 3C | 74 | 60 | 264 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 82% |
| 1004 | General | 3A & 3C | 10 | 8 | 40 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 100% |
| 1197 | Archery only | 3A & 3C | 39 | 35 | 323 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 46% |
Earlier years: 2023, 2022, 2021
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Mule deer bucks | Mule deer antlerless | Whitetail bucks | Whitetail antlerless | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1003 | General | 3A and 3C | 100 | 92 | 352 | 77 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 79 | 86% |
| 1004 | General | 3A and 3C | 10 | 10 | 68 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 80% |
| 1194 | Archery only | 3A and 3C | 59 | 53 | 372 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 49% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Mule deer bucks | Mule deer antlerless | Whitetail bucks | Whitetail antlerless | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1003 | General | 3A and 3C | 96 | 87 | 416 | 75 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 78 | 90% |
| 1004 | General | 3A and 3C | 10 | 9 | 50 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 100% |
| 1194 | Archery only | 3A and 3C | 64 | 59 | 505 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 29% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Mule deer bucks | Mule deer antlerless | Whitetail bucks | Whitetail antlerless | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1003 | General | 3A/3C | 94 | 83 | 326 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 96% |
| 1004 | General | 3A/3C | 11 | 10 | 108 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 75% |
| 1198 | Archery only | 3A/3C | 60 | 51 | 406 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 42% |
Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2024 Deer Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2023 Deer Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2022 Deer Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2021 Deer Harvest Summary. Success is AZGFD's printed figure, and AZGFD's parts (bulls, cows, species) do not always add up to its harvest total; both are shown as printed. Hunt numbers change from year to year; the area column says where each hunt was. Rows AZGFD printed with a blank middle cell are left out rather than guessed.
How many hunters applied in the 2025 draw?
AZGFD's 2025 draw report lists 3 deer hunts that included Units 3A and 3C: 4,055 first-choice applications for 90 permits issued. These are 2025 counts, not a forecast.
| Hunt, 2025 | Area | Hunt type | Season | First-choice applicants | Second-choice applicants | Permits issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1003 | 03A/03C | Any antlered deer | 10/24 to 11/2 | 2,335 | 1,813 | 60 |
| 1004 | 03A/03C | Any antlered deer | 12/12 to 12/31 | 1,392 | 1,200 | 10 |
| 1199 | 03A/03C | Any antlered deer | 8/22 to 9/11 | 328 | 287 | 20 |
Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer draw report. AZGFD's report also prints a percentage column whose basis it does not state, so it is not copied here.
What did AZGFD's 2025 survey count?
In survey area 3A/3C, AZGFD's 2025 mule deer survey classified 142 animals in 23 groups: 27 bucks and 31 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary.
How much public land is in Units 3A and 3C?
51.7% of Units 3A and 3C is public land open to hunting: 439,023 of 849,919 acres, the largest share national forest (303,433 acres). Each unit's page has its own land table: Unit 3A, Unit 3C.
Measured by FilledTag inside AZGFD's unit boundaries from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee managers). Public land open to hunting here means national forest, BLM, state trust land, AZGFD land, national wildlife refuges, national recreation areas and Bureau of Reclamation land. Tribal land, military land and national parks are counted on their own rows and left out of that figure.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer permits do Units 3A and 3C have in 2026?
90 permits across 3 hunts in AZGFD's 2026 regulations. The largest is hunt 1003 (any antlered deer).
When is deer season in Units 3A and 3C in 2026?
The first deer hunt open here starts August 21 (hunt 1200, archery only) and the last ends December 31. Each hunt's dates are in the table on this page.
How many deer were harvested in Units 3A and 3C in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 59 deer taken by 78 hunters on the 3 hunts held only in Units 3A and 3C, against 73 in 2024. Hunts shared with other units are counted in AZGFD's table for each hunt, not added here.
How many hunters applied for Units 3A and 3C deer in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 draw report counts 4,055 first-choice applications for the 3 deer hunts that included Units 3A and 3C, and 90 permits issued. AZGFD publishes no forecast for 2026; these are 2025 counts.
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Where these numbers come from
- Hunts, seasons, legal animals and permits: AZGFD 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations.
- Harvest, hunters and days: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2024 Deer Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2023 Deer Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2022 Deer Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2021 Deer Harvest Summary.
- Draw applicants and permits: AZGFD 2025 Deer draw report.
- Unit boundaries: AZGFD game management unit boundaries. Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee managers).
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.
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