Unit 8 pronghorn hunting: 2026 hunts, harvest and draw
AZGFD's 2026 Pronghorn and Elk booklet lists 2 pronghorn hunts open in Unit 8, with 7 permits in all. The largest is hunt 2031, buck pronghorn, September 4 to September 13, with 4 permits. On the 2 hunts held only in Unit 8 in 2025, AZGFD's harvest survey counts 8 hunters and 7 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 forestState trust landAZGFD landMilitary (closed or by permit)City, county and otherUnit 8Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Unit | Unit 8 |
|---|---|
| AZGFD region | Region 2, Flagstaff |
| Pronghorn hunts, 2026 | 2 (7 permits) |
| Hunt types | general and muzzleloader |
| Earliest season | September 4 to September 13 (hunt 2031) |
| Pronghorn taken on its own hunts, 2025 | 7 by 8 hunters |
| 2025 draw, first-choice applicants | 357 for 10 permits issued |
| Public land open to hunting | 94.9%, mostly national forest |
What pronghorn hunts does Unit 8 have in 2026?
2 hunts: 1 general and 1 muzzleloader. 2 are held only in Unit 8. Permits are AZGFD's numbers for the whole hunt.
| Hunt | Type | Season, 2026 | Legal animal | Permits | Open area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | General | Oct 2 to Oct 11 | Buck pronghorn | 3 | 8 |
| 2031 | Muzzleloader | Sep 4 to Sep 13 | Buck pronghorn | 4 | 8 |
Source: AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn and Elk Hunt Draw Information, PDF pages 12 and 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 8?
Year by year, the hunts held only in Unit 8. 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 | 8 | 20 | 7 | 88 |
| 2024 | 2 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 100 |
| 2023 | 2 | 20 | 148 | 8 | 40 |
| 2022 | 2 | 18 | 99 | 7 | 39 |
| 2021 | 2 | 20 | 85 | 10 | 50 |
Pronghorn per 100 hunters is worked out from AZGFD's own hunter and harvest figures for the same hunts.
Every hunt that included Unit 8, as AZGFD reported it:
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2030 | Muzzleloader | 8 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 80% |
| 2031 | Muzzleloader | 8 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 100% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2029 | Muzzleloader | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| 2030 | Muzzleloader | 8 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 100% |
Earlier years: 2023, 2022, 2021
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2028 | Muzzleloader | 8 | 10 | 10 | 54 | 8 | 80% |
| 2029 | Muzzleloader | 8 | 10 | 10 | 94 | 0 | 0% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2029 | Muzzleloader | 8 | 10 | 8 | 49 | 4 | 50% |
| 2030 | Muzzleloader | 8 | 10 | 10 | 50 | 3 | 30% |
| Hunt | Type | Area | Permits issued | Hunters | Hunter days | Harvest | Success (AZGFD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2029 | Muzzleloader | 8 | 15 | 13 | 45 | 8 | 63% |
| 2030 | Muzzleloader | 8 | 9 | 7 | 40 | 2 | 25% |
Source: 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. 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 8: 357 first-choice applications for 10 permits issued. These are 2025 counts, not a forecast.
| Hunt, 2025 | Area | Hunt type | Season | First-choice applicants | Second-choice applicants | Permits issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2030 | 8 | Buck pronghorn | 9/5 to 9/14 | 255 | 299 | 5 |
| 2031 | 8 | Buck pronghorn | 10/3 to 10/12 | 102 | 243 | 5 |
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 8, AZGFD's 2025 pronghorn survey classified 77 animals in 8 groups: 32 bucks and 30 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Survey Summary.
How much public land is in Unit 8?
94.9% of Unit 8 is public land open to hunting: 391,336 of 412,419 acres, the largest share national forest (384,776 acres). The Unit 8 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 8 have in 2026?
7 permits across 2 hunts in AZGFD's 2026 booklet. The largest is hunt 2031 (buck pronghorn).
When is pronghorn season in Unit 8 in 2026?
The first pronghorn hunt open here starts September 4 (hunt 2031, muzzleloader) and the last ends October 11. Each hunt's dates are in the table on this page.
How many pronghorn were harvested in Unit 8 in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 7 pronghorn taken by 8 hunters on the 2 hunts held only in Unit 8, against 9 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 8 pronghorn in 2025?
AZGFD's 2025 draw report counts 357 first-choice applications for the 2 pronghorn hunts that included Unit 8, and 10 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 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.