Unit 3B deer hunting: 2026 hunts, harvest and draw
AZGFD's 2026 regulations list 2 deer hunts open in Unit 3B, with 110 permits in all. The largest is hunt 1182, any antlered deer, October 23 to November 1, with 100 permits. On the one hunt held only in Unit 3B in 2025, AZGFD's harvest survey counts 104 hunters and 26 deer taken; AZGFD lists 26 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.
National forestBLMState trust landAZGFD landTribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 3BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Unit | Unit 3B |
|---|---|
| AZGFD region | Region 1, Pinetop |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 2 (110 permits) |
| Hunt types | muzzleloader |
| Earliest season | October 23 to November 1 (hunt 1182) |
| Deer taken on its own hunts, 2025 | 26 by 104 hunters |
| 2025 draw, first-choice applicants | 203 for 125 permits issued |
| Public land open to hunting | 44.5%, mostly national forest |
What deer hunts does Unit 3B have in 2026?
2 hunts: 2 muzzleloader. 2 are held only in Unit 3B. Permits are AZGFD's numbers for the whole hunt.
| Hunt | Type | Season, 2026 | Legal animal | Permits | Open area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1182 | Muzzleloader | Oct 23 to Nov 1 | Any antlered deer | 100 | 3B |
| 1183 | Muzzleloader | Dec 11 to Dec 31 | Any antlered deer | 10 | 3B |
Source: AZGFD 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations, PDF page 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 Unit 3B?
Year by year, the hunts held only in Unit 3B. 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 | 1 | 104 | 522 | 26 | 0 | 26 | 25 |
| 2024 | 1 | 105 | 598 | 30 | 1 | 31 | 30 |
| 2023 | 1 | 80 | 349 | 26 | 0 | 26 | 33 |
| 2022 | 1 | 91 | 409 | 41 | 0 | 43 | 47 |
| 2021 | 1 | 92 | 484 | 26 | 0 | 26 | 28 |
Deer per 100 hunters is worked out from AZGFD's own hunter and harvest figures for the same hunts.
Every hunt that included Unit 3B, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1181 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 124 | 104 | 522 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 25% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Mule deer bucks | Mule deer antlerless | Whitetail bucks | Whitetail antlerless | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1181 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 123 | 105 | 598 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 30% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1178 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 100 | 80 | 349 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 33% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Mule deer bucks | Mule deer antlerless | Whitetail bucks | Whitetail antlerless | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1178 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 100 | 91 | 409 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 47% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Mule deer bucks | Mule deer antlerless | Whitetail bucks | Whitetail antlerless | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1179 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 100 | 92 | 484 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 28% |
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 1 deer hunt that included Unit 3B: 203 first-choice applications for 125 permits issued. These are 2025 counts, not a forecast.
| Hunt, 2025 | Area | Hunt type | Season | First-choice applicants | Second-choice applicants | Permits issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1181 | 03B | Any antlered deer | 10/24 to 11/2 | 203 | 166 | 125 |
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 Unit 3B, AZGFD's 2025 mule deer survey classified 62 animals in 19 groups: 60 bucks and 47 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary.
How much public land is in Unit 3B?
44.5% of Unit 3B is public land open to hunting: 164,782 of 370,688 acres, the largest share national forest (102,581 acres). The Unit 3B page has the full land table, towns and roads.
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 does Unit 3B have in 2026?
110 permits across 2 hunts in AZGFD's 2026 regulations. The largest is hunt 1182 (any antlered deer).
When is deer season in Unit 3B in 2026?
The first deer hunt open here starts October 23 (hunt 1182, muzzleloader) and the last ends December 31. Each hunt's dates are in the table on this page.
How many deer were harvested in Unit 3B in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 26 deer taken by 104 hunters on the one hunt held only in Unit 3B, against 31 in 2024. Hunts shared with other units are counted in AZGFD's table for each hunt, not added here.
How many hunters applied for Unit 3B deer in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 draw report counts 203 first-choice applications for the 1 deer hunt that included Unit 3B, and 125 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.