Unit 21 pronghorn hunting: 2026 hunts, harvest and draw
AZGFD's 2026 Pronghorn and Elk booklet lists 2 pronghorn hunts open in Unit 21, with 6 permits in all. The largest is hunt 2025, buck pronghorn, September 4 to September 13, with 5 permits. On the 2 hunts held only in Unit 21 in 2025, AZGFD's harvest survey counts 2 hunters and 2 pronghorn taken.
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 |
| Pronghorn hunts, 2026 | 2 (6 permits) |
| Hunt types | general and archery only |
| Earliest season | August 21 to September 3 (hunt 2057) |
| Pronghorn taken on its own hunts, 2025 | 2 by 2 hunters |
| 2025 draw, first-choice applicants | 310 for 3 permits issued |
| Public land open to hunting | 97.1%, mostly national forest |
What pronghorn hunts does Unit 21 have in 2026?
2 hunts: 1 general and 1 archery only. 2 are held only in Unit 21. Permits are AZGFD's numbers for the whole hunt.
| Hunt | Type | Season, 2026 | Legal animal | Permits | Open area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | General | Sep 4 to Sep 13 | Buck pronghorn | 5 | 21 |
| 2057 | Archery only | Aug 21 to Sep 3 | Buck pronghorn | 1 | 21 |
Source: AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn and Elk Hunt Draw Information, PDF page 13. Note numbers refer to AZGFD's printed notes, which set boundaries and restrictions; read them before you apply.
How many pronghorn 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 | Pronghorn taken | Pronghorn per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 100 |
| 2024 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 100 |
Pronghorn 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 | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | General | 21 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 100% |
| 2057 | Archery only | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | General | 21 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| 2055 | Archery only | 21 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 100% |
Source: AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2024 Pronghorn 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 2 pronghorn hunts that included Unit 21: 310 first-choice applications for 3 permits issued. These are 2025 counts, not a forecast.
| Hunt, 2025 | Area | Hunt type | Season | First-choice applicants | Second-choice applicants | Permits issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 21 | Buck pronghorn | 9/5 to 9/14 | 277 | 243 | 2 |
| 2057 | 21 | Buck pronghorn | 8/22 to 9/4 | 33 | 29 | 1 |
Source: AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn 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 21, AZGFD's 2025 pronghorn survey classified 478 animals in 48 groups: 47 bucks and 10 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Survey Summary.
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 pronghorn permits does Unit 21 have in 2026?
6 permits across 2 hunts in AZGFD's 2026 booklet. The largest is hunt 2025 (buck pronghorn).
When is pronghorn season in Unit 21 in 2026?
The first pronghorn hunt open here starts August 21 (hunt 2057, archery only) and the last ends September 13. Each hunt's dates are in the table on this page.
How many pronghorn were harvested in Unit 21 in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 2 pronghorn taken by 2 hunters on the 2 hunts held only in Unit 21, against 3 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 pronghorn in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 draw report counts 310 first-choice applications for the 2 pronghorn hunts that included Unit 21, and 3 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 Pronghorn Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2024 Pronghorn Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2023 Pronghorn Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2022 Pronghorn Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2021 Pronghorn Harvest Summary.
- Draw applicants and permits: AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn 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.