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Unit 4A elk hunting: 2026 hunts, harvest and draw

AZGFD's 2026 Pronghorn and Elk booklet lists 7 elk hunts open in Unit 4A, with 612 permits in all. The largest is hunt 3013, bull elk, November 27 to December 3, with 170 permits. On the 13 hunts held only in Unit 4A in 2025, AZGFD's harvest survey counts 528 hunters and 204 elk taken; AZGFD lists 78 of them as bulls and 124 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.

Map of Arizona Unit 4A for elk hunters: public land by manager, the unit line, neighboring units 4B, 5A, 5B, 7, 22 and 23 and highways

National forestBLMState trust landAZGFD landTribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 4ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway

Unit 4A elk at a glance
UnitUnit 4A
AZGFD regionRegion 1, Pinetop
Elk hunts, 20267 (612 permits)
Hunt typesgeneral, limited opportunity and archery only
Earliest seasonSeptember 11 to September 24 (hunt 3129)
Elk taken on its own hunts, 2025204 by 528 hunters
2025 draw, first-choice applicants3,290 for 654 permits issued
Public land open to hunting62.7%, mostly national forest

What elk hunts does Unit 4A have in 2026?

7 hunts: 3 general, 1 limited opportunity and 3 archery only. 7 are held only in Unit 4A. Permits are AZGFD's numbers for the whole hunt.

HuntTypeSeason, 2026Legal animalPermitsOpen area
3013GeneralNov 27 to Dec 3Bull elk1704A
3037GeneralOct 16 to Oct 22Antlerless elk974A
3065GeneralOct 9 to Oct 15Antlerless elk974A
3080Limited opportunityDec 4 to Dec 13Antlerless elk254A North
3129Archery onlySep 11 to Sep 24Bull elk974A
3152Archery onlyNov 6 to Nov 19Bull elk294A
3173Archery onlySep 11 to Sep 24Antlerless elk974A

Source: AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn and Elk Hunt Draw Information, PDF pages 15, 16, 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 4A?

Year by year, the hunts held only in Unit 4A. Hunter and harvest totals are sums of AZGFD's figures for those hunts.

YearHuntsHuntersHunter daysBulls and spikesCows and calvesElk takenElk per 100 hunters
2025135282,7907812420439
2024126393,4608717326041
2023136703,5479616325939
2022117563,76314317532343
202197464,00211714526736

Elk per 100 hunters is worked out from AZGFD's own hunter and harvest figures for the same hunts.

Every hunt that included Unit 4A, as AZGFD reported it:

2025
HuntTypeAreaPermits issuedHuntersHunter daysBullsSpikesCowsCalvesHarvestSuccess (AZGFD)
3129Archery only4A9490716280003033%
3813Archery only4A (Hopi)300000000%
3152Archery only4A2821166000000%
3173Archery only4A96826740080810%
3819Archery only4A (Hopi)339000000%
3013General4A162124542470004738%
3801General4A (Hopi)5583000360%
3037General4A9381293004304353%
3804General4A (Hopi)3330020267%
3065Youth only4A9685281004604654%
3806Youth only4A (Hopi)30
3080Limited opportunity4A North2413370070754%
3808Limited opportunity4A North (Hopi)252161001801886%
2024
HuntTypeAreaPermits issuedHuntersHunter daysBullsSpikesAntlerlessHarvestSuccess (AZGFD)
3128Archery only4A917967036003646%
3813Archery only4A (Hopi)32162002100%
3151Archery only4A272722200000%
3170Archery only4A918677600222226%
3014General4A17014365643604934%
3802General4A (Hopi)552000000%
3038General4A14313256700444433%
3805General4A (Hopi)441200000%
3066Youth only4A14612240200777763%
3808Youth only4A (Hopi)40
3081Limited opportunity4A North25214800121257%
3810Limited opportunity4A North (Hopi)251871001818100%

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 4A: 3,290 first-choice applications for 654 permits issued. These are 2025 counts, not a forecast.

Hunt, 2025AreaHunt typeSeasonFirst-choice applicantsSecond-choice applicantsPermits issued
301304ABull elk11/28 to 12/4831900170
303704AAntlerless elk10/17 to 10/2373568897
306504AAntlerless elk10/10 to 10/1631032197
308004ANAntlerless elk12/5 to 12/14252725
312904AEarly Bull elk9/12 to 9/251,23795497
315204ABull elk11/7 to 11/20385929
317304AAntlerless elk9/12 to 9/259120797
380104ABull elk11/28 to 12/41575
380404AAntlerless elk10/17 to 10/23193
380604AAntlerless elk10/10 to 10/16153
380804ANAntlerless elk12/5 to 12/141425
381304AEarly Bull elk9/12 to 9/25453
381904AAntlerless elk9/12 to 9/25123

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 4A, AZGFD's 2025 elk survey classified 339 animals in 22 groups: 17 bulls and 7 young per 100 cows.

Source: AZGFD 2025 Elk Survey Summary.

How much public land is in Unit 4A?

62.7% of Unit 4A is public land open to hunting: 302,670 of 482,588 acres, the largest share national forest (205,796 acres). The Unit 4A 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 4A have in 2026?

612 permits across 7 hunts in AZGFD's 2026 booklet. The largest is hunt 3013 (bull elk).

When is elk season in Unit 4A in 2026?

The first elk hunt open here starts September 11 (hunt 3129, archery only) and the last ends December 13. Each hunt's dates are in the table on this page.

How many elk were harvested in Unit 4A in 2025?

AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 204 elk taken by 528 hunters on the 13 hunts held only in Unit 4A, against 260 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 4A elk in 2025?

AZGFD's 2025 draw report counts 3,290 first-choice applications for the 13 elk hunts that included Unit 4A, and 654 permits issued. AZGFD publishes no forecast for 2026; these are 2025 counts.

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Where these numbers come from

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.