Unit 21 elk hunting: 2026 hunts, harvest and draw
AZGFD's 2026 Pronghorn and Elk booklet lists 4 elk hunts open in Unit 21, with 40 permits in all. The largest is hunt 3026, bull elk, November 27 to December 3, with 10 permits. On the 4 hunts held only in Unit 21 in 2025, AZGFD's harvest survey counts 35 hunters and 8 elk taken; AZGFD lists 5 of them as bulls and 3 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.
National forestBLMState trust landAZGFD landTribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 21Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Unit | Unit 21 |
|---|---|
| AZGFD region | Region 6, Mesa |
| Elk hunts, 2026 | 4 (40 permits) |
| Hunt types | general and archery only |
| Earliest season | September 11 to September 24 (hunt 3146) |
| Elk taken on its own hunts, 2025 | 8 by 35 hunters |
| 2025 draw, first-choice applicants | 183 for 50 permits issued |
| Public land open to hunting | 97.1%, mostly national forest |
What elk hunts does Unit 21 have in 2026?
4 hunts: 2 general and 2 archery only. 4 are held only in Unit 21. Permits are AZGFD's numbers for the whole hunt.
| Hunt | Type | Season, 2026 | Legal animal | Permits | Open area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3026 | General | Nov 27 to Dec 3 | Bull elk | 10 | 21 |
| 3057 | General | Oct 16 to Oct 22 | Antlerless elk | 10 | 21 |
| 3146 | Archery only | Sep 11 to Sep 24 | Bull elk | 10 | 21 |
| 3163 | Archery only | Nov 13 to Nov 26 | Bull elk | 10 | 21 |
Source: AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn and Elk Hunt Draw Information, PDF pages 15, 18 and 19. Note numbers refer to AZGFD's printed notes, which set boundaries and restrictions; read them before you apply.
How many elk are harvested in Unit 21?
Year by year, the hunts held only in Unit 21. 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 | 35 | 180 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 23 |
| 2024 | 3 | 31 | 153 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 16 |
| 2023 | 4 | 46 | 199 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 30 |
| 2022 | 4 | 47 | 221 | 26 | 2 | 28 | 60 |
| 2021 | 4 | 40 | 176 | 14 | 2 | 16 | 40 |
Elk per 100 hunters is worked out from AZGFD's own hunter and harvest figures for the same hunts.
Every hunt that included Unit 21, as AZGFD reported it:
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3146 | Archery only | 21 | 8 | 8 | 75 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13% |
| 3163 | Archery only | 21 | 14 | 11 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 3026 | General | 21 | 13 | 9 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 44% |
| 3057 | General | 21 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 43% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Antlerless | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3145 | Archery only | 21 | 9 | 5 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 3027 | General | 21 | 24 | 19 | 75 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 26% |
| 3058 | General | 21 | 10 | 7 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Earlier years: 2023, 2022, 2021
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3159 | Archery only | 21 | 5 | 5 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 80% |
| 3026 | General | 21 | 25 | 21 | 75 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 33% |
| 3057 | General | 21 | 15 | 12 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 25% |
| 3108 | Muzzleloader | 21 | 10 | 8 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3167 | Archery only | 21 | 5 | 5 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20% |
| 3024 | General | 21 | 25 | 23 | 95 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 78% |
| 3054 | General | 21 | 15 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 40% |
| 3120 | Muzzleloader | 21 | 14 | 14 | 70 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 50% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3150 | Archery only | 21 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 100% |
| 3024 | General | 21 | 23 | 19 | 88 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 44% |
| 3054 | General | 21 | 14 | 9 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 20% |
| 3106 | Muzzleloader | 21 | 9 | 9 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 33% |
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 Unit 21: 183 first-choice applications for 50 permits issued. These are 2025 counts, not a forecast.
| Hunt, 2025 | Area | Hunt type | Season | First-choice applicants | Second-choice applicants | Permits issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3026 | 21 | Bull elk | 11/28 to 12/4 | 102 | 89 | 15 |
| 3057 | 21 | Antlerless elk | 10/17 to 10/23 | 25 | 29 | 10 |
| 3146 | 21 | Early Bull elk | 9/12 to 9/25 | 55 | 62 | 10 |
| 3163 | 21 | Bull elk | 11/14 to 11/27 | 1 | 8 | 15 |
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.
How much public land is in Unit 21?
97.1% of Unit 21 is public land open to hunting: 653,284 of 673,141 acres, the largest share national forest (546,461 acres). The Unit 21 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 elk permits does Unit 21 have in 2026?
40 permits across 4 hunts in AZGFD's 2026 booklet. The largest is hunt 3026 (bull elk).
When is elk season in Unit 21 in 2026?
The first elk hunt open here starts September 11 (hunt 3146, archery only) and the last ends December 3. Each hunt's dates are in the table on this page.
How many elk were harvested in Unit 21 in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 8 elk taken by 35 hunters on the 4 hunts held only in Unit 21, against 5 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 21 elk in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 draw report counts 183 first-choice applications for the 4 elk hunts that included Unit 21, and 50 permits issued. AZGFD publishes no forecast for 2026; these are 2025 counts.
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, 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.