Units 15A/15B/18A elk hunting: 2026 hunts, harvest and draw
AZGFD's 2026 Pronghorn and Elk booklet lists 4 elk hunts open in Units 15A, 15B and 18A, with 310 permits in all. The largest is hunt 3054, antlerless elk, December 4 to December 10, with 150 permits. On the 4 hunts held only in Units 15A, 15B and 18A in 2025, AZGFD's harvest survey counts 224 hunters and 67 elk taken; AZGFD lists 40 of them as bulls and 28 as cows and calves.
Data updated October 2026. Hunts: AZGFD's 2026 Pronghorn and Elk booklet. Harvest: AZGFD harvest summaries, 2021 to 2025. Draw: AZGFD's 2025 report.
Unit 15A, Unit 15B and Unit 18A shaded; the units around them outlined. Tribal land in tan.
| Units | Unit 15A, Unit 15B, Unit 18A |
|---|---|
| AZGFD region | Region 3, Kingman |
| Elk hunts, 2026 | 4 (310 permits) |
| Hunt types | general and archery only |
| Earliest season | September 11 to September 24 (hunt 3144) |
| Elk taken on their own hunts, 2025 | 67 by 224 hunters |
| 2025 draw, first-choice applicants | 842 for 310 permits issued |
| Public land open to hunting | 61.9%, mostly BLM |
What elk hunts do Units 15A, 15B and 18A have in 2026?
4 hunts: 3 general and 1 archery only. 4 are held only in Units 15A, 15B and 18A. Permits are AZGFD's numbers for the whole hunt.
| Hunt | Type | Season, 2026 | Legal animal | Permits | Open area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3006 | General | Sep 25 to Oct 1 | Bull elk | 35 | 15A, 15B, and 18A |
| 3024 | General | Nov 27 to Dec 3 | Bull elk | 100 | 15A, 15B, and 18A |
| 3054 | General | Dec 4 to Dec 10 | Antlerless elk | 150 | 15A, 15B, and 18A |
| 3144 | Archery only | Sep 11 to Sep 24 | Bull elk | 25 | 15A, 15B, and 18A |
Source: AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn and Elk Hunt Draw Information, PDF pages 15 and 18. Note numbers refer to AZGFD's printed notes, which set boundaries and restrictions; read them before you apply.
How many elk are harvested in Units 15A, 15B and 18A?
Year by year, the hunts held only in Units 15A, 15B and 18A. Hunter and harvest totals are sums of AZGFD's figures for those hunts.
| Year | Hunts | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls and spikes | Cows and calves | Elk taken | Elk per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 224 | 1,394 | 40 | 28 | 67 | 30 |
| 2024 | 4 | 226 | 1,712 | 61 | 28 | 89 | 39 |
| 2023 | 4 | 239 | 1,621 | 45 | 21 | 66 | 28 |
| 2022 | 4 | 280 | 2,056 | 38 | 25 | 63 | 23 |
| 2021 | 4 | 324 | 3,158 | 51 | 32 | 83 | 26 |
Elk per 100 hunters is worked out from AZGFD's own hunter and harvest figures for the same hunts.
Every hunt that included Units 15A, 15B and 18A, as AZGFD reported it:
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3144 | Archery only | 15A, 15B, and 18A | 23 | 23 | 221 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 39% |
| 3007 | General | 15A, 15B, and 18A | 33 | 30 | 85 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 67% |
| 3024 | General | 15A, 15B, and 18A | 98 | 70 | 431 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 16% |
| 3054 | General | 15A, 15B, and 18A | 150 | 101 | 657 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 27 | 27% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Antlerless | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3143 | Archery only | 15A, 15B and 18A | 23 | 20 | 201 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 60% |
| 3007 | General | 15A, 15B and 18A | 35 | 30 | 108 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 73% |
| 3025 | General | 15A, 15B and 18A | 99 | 68 | 372 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 40% |
| 3055 | General | 15A, 15B and 18A | 150 | 108 | 1,031 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 28 | 26% |
Earlier years: 2023, 2022, 2021
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3157 | Archery only | 15A, 15B and 18A | 22 | 19 | 157 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 42% |
| 3007 | General | 15A, 15B and 18A | 34 | 28 | 98 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 79% |
| 3024 | General | 15A, 15B and 18A | 100 | 78 | 455 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 23% |
| 3054 | General | 15A, 15B and 18A | 150 | 114 | 911 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 18% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3071 | Limited opportunity | 15A, 15B and 18A | 35 | 33 | 150 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 64% |
| 3072 | Limited opportunity | 15A, 15B and 18A | 100 | 77 | 627 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13% |
| 3097 | Limited opportunity | 15A, 15B and 18A | 200 | 150 | 1,086 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 17% |
| 3209 | Limited opportunity, archery | 15A, 15B and 18A | 25 | 20 | 193 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 35% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3070 | Limited opportunity | 15A/15B/18A | 34 | 31 | 177 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 55% |
| 3085 | Limited opportunity | 15A/15B/18A | 199 | 165 | 1,825 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 15% |
| 3095 | Limited opportunity | 15A/15B/18A | 143 | 100 | 868 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 24% |
| 3192 | Limited opportunity, archery | 15A/15B/18A | 32 | 28 | 288 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 60% |
Source: AZGFD 2025 Elk Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2024 Elk Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2023 Elk Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2022 Elk Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2021 Elk 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 4 elk hunts that included Units 15A, 15B and 18A: 842 first-choice applications for 310 permits issued. These are 2025 counts, not a forecast.
| Hunt, 2025 | Area | Hunt type | Season | First-choice applicants | Second-choice applicants | Permits issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3007 | 15A/15B/18A | Early Bull elk | 9/26 to 10/2 | 416 | 361 | 35 |
| 3024 | 15A/15B/18A | Bull elk | 11/14 to 12/4 | 217 | 235 | 100 |
| 3054 | 15A/15B/18A | Antlerless elk | 11/14 to 12/4 | 122 | 149 | 150 |
| 3144 | 15A/15B/18A | Early Bull elk | 9/12 to 9/25 | 87 | 96 | 25 |
Source: AZGFD 2025 Elk 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 18A, AZGFD's 2025 elk survey classified 60 animals in 9 groups: 44 bulls and 59 young per 100 cows.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Elk Survey Summary.
How much public land is in Units 15A, 15B and 18A?
61.9% of Units 15A, 15B and 18A is public land open to hunting: 1,433,115 of 2,314,428 acres, the largest share BLM (710,184 acres). Each unit's page has its own land table: Unit 15A, Unit 15B, Unit 18A.
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 elk permits do Units 15A, 15B and 18A have in 2026?
310 permits across 4 hunts in AZGFD's 2026 booklet. The largest is hunt 3054 (antlerless elk).
When is elk season in Units 15A, 15B and 18A in 2026?
The first elk hunt open here starts September 11 (hunt 3144, archery only) and the last ends December 10. Each hunt's dates are in the table on this page.
How many elk were harvested in Units 15A, 15B and 18A in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 67 elk taken by 224 hunters on the 4 hunts held only in Units 15A, 15B and 18A, against 89 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 15A, 15B and 18A elk in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 draw report counts 842 first-choice applications for the 4 elk hunts that included Units 15A, 15B and 18A, and 310 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 Pronghorn and Elk Hunt Draw Information.
- Harvest, hunters and days: AZGFD 2025 Elk Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2024 Elk Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2023 Elk Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2022 Elk Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2021 Elk Harvest Summary.
- Draw applicants and permits: AZGFD 2025 Elk 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.
Arizona hunting Unit 15A Unit 15B Unit 18A Units 15A/15B/15C/15D deer Units 15A/15B pronghorn