Unit 3B elk hunting: 2026 hunts, harvest and draw
AZGFD's 2026 Pronghorn and Elk booklet lists 13 elk hunts open in Unit 3B, with 765 permits in all (6 of them shared with other units). The largest is hunt 3109, antlerless elk, December 11 to December 31, with 250 permits. On the 7 hunts held only in Unit 3B in 2025, AZGFD's harvest survey counts 621 hunters and 305 elk taken; AZGFD lists 93 of them as bulls and 210 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 3BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Unit | Unit 3B |
|---|---|
| AZGFD region | Region 1, Pinetop |
| Elk hunts, 2026 | 13 (765 permits) |
| Hunt types | muzzleloader, limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader and archery only |
| Earliest season | July 31 to August 6 (hunt 3119) |
| Elk taken on its own hunts, 2025 | 305 by 621 hunters |
| 2025 draw, first-choice applicants | 2,450 for 765 permits issued |
| Public land open to hunting | 44.5%, mostly national forest |
What elk hunts does Unit 3B have in 2026?
13 hunts: 4 muzzleloader, 7 limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader and 2 archery only. 7 are held only in Unit 3B. Permits are AZGFD's numbers for the whole hunt.
| Hunt | Type | Season, 2026 | Legal animal | Permits | Open area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3101 | Muzzleloader | Sep 25 to Oct 1 | Bull elk | 30 | 3B |
| 3105 | Muzzleloader | Nov 27 to Dec 3 | Bull elk | 200 | 3B |
| 3108 | Muzzleloader | Oct 16 to Oct 22 | Antlerless elk | 100 | 3B |
| 3109 | Muzzleloader | Dec 11 to Dec 31 | Antlerless elk | 250 | 3B |
| 3119 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | Jul 31 to Aug 6 | Antlerless elk | 10 | Show Low Creek Hunt Area (AZGFD note 71) (also 3C) |
| 3120 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | Aug 7 to Aug 13 | Antlerless elk | 10 | Show Low Creek Hunt Area (AZGFD note 71) (also 3C) |
| 3121 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | Aug 14 to Aug 20 | Antlerless elk | 10 | Show Low Creek Hunt Area (AZGFD note 71) (also 3C) |
| 3122 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | Aug 21 to Aug 27 | Antlerless elk | 10 | Show Low Creek Hunt Area (AZGFD note 71) (also 3C) |
| 3123 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | Aug 28 to Sep 3 | Antlerless elk | 10 | Show Low Creek Hunt Area (AZGFD note 71) (also 3C) |
| 3124 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | Oct 2 to Oct 8 | Antlerless elk | 10 | Show Low Creek Hunt Area (AZGFD note 71) (also 3C) |
| 3125 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | Dec 11 to Dec 31 | Antlerless elk | 25 | 3B North |
| 3128 | Archery only | Sep 11 to Sep 24 | Bull elk | 75 | 3B |
| 3172 | Archery only | Sep 11 to Sep 24 | Antlerless elk | 25 | 3B |
Source: AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn and Elk Hunt Draw Information, PDF pages 17, 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 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 | Bulls and spikes | Cows and calves | Elk taken | Elk per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | 621 | 3,341 | 93 | 210 | 305 | 49 |
| 2024 | 7 | 574 | 3,601 | 118 | 190 | 308 | 54 |
| 2023 | 18 | 738 | 4,273 | 110 | 191 | 301 | 41 |
| 2022 | 17 | 681 | 3,561 | 155 | 177 | 329 | 48 |
| 2021 | 15 | 668 | 3,477 | 153 | 174 | 328 | 49 |
Elk 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 | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3128 | Archery only | 3B | 72 | 68 | 654 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 19% |
| 3172 | Archery only | 3B | 24 | 21 | 146 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 3100 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 29 | 25 | 94 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 64% |
| 3104 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 195 | 167 | 712 | 36 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 38% |
| 3108 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 97 | 95 | 293 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 3 | 64 | 67% |
| 3109 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 250 | 231 | 1,367 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 9 | 142 | 61% |
| 3119 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek Hunt Area) | 10 | 10 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 70% |
| 3120 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek Hunt Area) | 11 | 11 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 36% |
| 3121 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek Hunt Area) | 10 | 10 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 3122 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek Hunt Area) | 10 | 8 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 38% |
| 3123 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek Hunt Area) | 10 | 8 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 38% |
| 3124 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek Hunt Area) | 10 | 9 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 89% |
| 3125 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B North | 25 | 14 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 43% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Antlerless | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3127 | Archery only | 3B | 72 | 67 | 596 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 57% |
| 3169 | Archery only | 3B | 25 | 21 | 171 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 38% |
| 3100 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 28 | 23 | 79 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 100% |
| 3104 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 198 | 149 | 743 | 44 | 13 | 0 | 57 | 38% |
| 3107 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 100 | 91 | 364 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 62 | 68% |
| 3108 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 250 | 203 | 1,530 | 0 | 0 | 112 | 112 | 55% |
| 3118 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 9 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 100% |
| 3119 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek) | 9 | 9 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 67% |
| 3120 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 5 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| 3121 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 8 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 3122 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 10 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 40% |
| 3123 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B and 3C (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 10 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 40% |
| 3124 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B North | 25 | 20 | 118 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 40% |
Earlier years: 2023, 2022, 2021
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3141 | Archery only | 3B | 72 | 68 | 648 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 38% |
| 3183 | Archery only | 3B | 24 | 20 | 138 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 15% |
| 3106 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 29 | 26 | 95 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 77% |
| 3110 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 200 | 187 | 923 | 47 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 36% |
| 3115 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 100 | 97 | 369 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 4 | 47 | 48% |
| 3116 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 250 | 233 | 1,552 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 10 | 110 | 47% |
| 3126 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 5 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 3127 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 7 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 71% |
| 3128 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 10 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 40% |
| 3129 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 9 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 3130 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 9 | 9 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 56% |
| 3131 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 10 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 3132 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 18 | 10 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10% |
| 3133 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 10 | 8 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 63% |
| 3135 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 9 | 7 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 29% |
| 3136 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 10 | 9 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11% |
| 3137 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 25 | 15 | 108 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 20% |
| 3138 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 15 | 14 | 57 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 50% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3150 | Archery only | 3B | 75 | 69 | 545 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 52% |
| 3191 | Archery only | 3B | 25 | 22 | 117 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 45% |
| 3118 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 35 | 35 | 133 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 83% |
| 3122 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 200 | 189 | 857 | 74 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 45% |
| 3126 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 50 | 48 | 191 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 3 | 30 | 63% |
| 3127 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 200 | 194 | 1,196 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 8 | 88 | 45% |
| 3137 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 10 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 70% |
| 3138 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 10 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 80% |
| 3139 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 7 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 43% |
| 3140 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 10 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 40% |
| 3141 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 10 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 60% |
| 3142 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 8 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 38% |
| 3143 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 20 | 20 | 76 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 20% |
| 3144 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 10 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 50% |
| 3145 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 10 | 10 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10% |
| 3146 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 25 | 20 | 108 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 35% |
| 3147 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 15 | 13 | 50 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 38% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Bulls | Spikes | Cows | Calves | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3133 | Archery only | 3B | 70 | 66 | 513 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 62% |
| 3174 | Archery only | 3B | 24 | 20 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 55% |
| 3104 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 30 | 30 | 101 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 76% |
| 3109 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 120 | 108 | 507 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 37% |
| 3110 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 123 | 117 | 561 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 30% |
| 3113 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 49 | 45 | 176 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 48% |
| 3114 | Muzzleloader | 3B | 200 | 188 | 1,106 | 0 | 2 | 108 | 5 | 115 | 61% |
| 3123 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 8 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 71% |
| 3124 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 10 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 3125 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 10 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 43% |
| 3126 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 9 | 6 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 75% |
| 3127 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 9 | 8 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17% |
| 3128 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3B (Show Low Creek) | 10 | 8 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 33% |
| 3129 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 24 | 21 | 99 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 21% |
| 3130 | Limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader | 3BN | 25 | 23 | 96 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 75% |
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 13 elk hunts that included Unit 3B: 2,450 first-choice applications for 765 permits issued. These are 2025 counts, not a forecast.
| Hunt, 2025 | Area | Hunt type | Season | First-choice applicants | Second-choice applicants | Permits issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3100 | 03B | Early Bull elk | 9/26 to 10/2 | 929 | 751 | 30 |
| 3104 | 03B | Bull elk | 11/28 to 12/4 | 265 | 462 | 200 |
| 3108 | 03B | Antlerless elk | 10/17 to 10/23 | 256 | 359 | 100 |
| 3109 | 03B | Antlerless elk | 12/12 to 12/31 | 346 | 381 | 250 |
| 3119 | 03B/03C | Antlerless elk | 8/1 to 8/7 | 38 | 17 | 10 |
| 3120 | 03B/03C | Antlerless elk | 8/8 to 8/14 | 3 | 35 | 10 |
| 3121 | 03B/03C | Antlerless elk | 8/15 to 8/21 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| 3122 | 03B/03C | Antlerless elk | 8/22 to 8/28 | 8 | 7 | 10 |
| 3123 | 03B/03C | Antlerless elk | 8/29 to 9/4 | 9 | 15 | 10 |
| 3124 | 03B/03C | Antlerless elk | 10/3 to 10/9 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
| 3125 | 03BN | Antlerless elk | 12/12 to 12/31 | 5 | 12 | 25 |
| 3128 | 03B | Early Bull elk | 9/12 to 9/25 | 537 | 623 | 75 |
| 3172 | 03B | Antlerless elk | 9/12 to 9/25 | 42 | 89 | 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 3B, AZGFD's 2025 elk survey classified 185 animals in 11 groups: 21 bulls and 15 young per 100 cows.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Elk 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 elk permits does Unit 3B have in 2026?
765 permits across 13 hunts in AZGFD's 2026 booklet. The largest is hunt 3109 (antlerless elk). 6 of these hunts also cover Unit 3C.
When is elk season in Unit 3B in 2026?
The first elk hunt open here starts July 31 (hunt 3119, limited opportunity, handgun, archery or muzzleloader) and the last ends December 31. Each hunt's dates are in the table on this page.
How many elk were harvested in Unit 3B in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 305 elk taken by 621 hunters on the 7 hunts held only in Unit 3B, against 308 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 elk in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 draw report counts 2,450 first-choice applications for the 13 elk hunts that included Unit 3B, and 765 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.