Arizona Unit 12A: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 12A covers 1,018 square miles, and 99.8% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly national forest (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 8 deer hunts, 2 pronghorn hunts, 1 bighorn sheep hunt and 1 turkey hunt here. On the hunts held only in Unit 12A, AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 358 deer taken.
Data updated October 2026. Hunts: AZGFD's 2026 booklets. Harvest: AZGFD harvest summaries to 2025. Land: USGS PAD-US 4.1. Boundary: AZGFD.
National forestBLMAZGFD landNational park or monument (no hunting)Unit 12ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 2 (Flagstaff) |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,018 square miles (651,307 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 99.8% (650,072 acres) |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 8 hunts, 1,000 permits |
| Pronghorn hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 8 permits |
| Bighorn sheep hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 1 permit |
| Turkey (fall) hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 750 permits |
| AZGFD wildlife areas | House Rock |
| Towns in and near it | Fredonia |
| Highways | AZ 67 and US 89A |
How much public land is in Unit 12A?
99.8% of Unit 12A is public land open to hunting: 650,072 of 651,307 acres. The largest share is national forest, 649,415 acres or 99.7% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 12A |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 649,415 | 99.7% |
| National park or monument (no hunting) | 1,068 | 0.2% |
| BLM | 618 | 0.1% |
| AZGFD land | 39 | under 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside AZGFD's unit boundary 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. National forest: Kaibab National Forest.
What can you hunt in Unit 12A in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 12A, by species. A hunt may cover other units too; the count of hunts held only here is in its own column.
| Species | Hunts | Only in Unit 12A | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 8 | 7 | 1,000 | Aug 21 to Sep 10 (hunt 1204) |
| Pronghorn | 2 | 0 | 8 | Aug 21 to Sep 3 (hunt 2051) |
| Bighorn sheep | 1 | 0 | 1 | Dec 1 to Dec 31 (hunt 6002) |
| Turkey (fall) | 1 | 1 | 750 | Oct 2 to Oct 8 (hunt 4510) |
Source: AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn and Elk Hunt Draw Information (elk and pronghorn) and AZGFD 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations (deer, bighorn sheep, fall javelina and fall turkey).
Bighorn sheep, 2026: hunt 6002 (Dec 1 to Dec 31, 1 permit, with 12B and 13A).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Unit 12A?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 12A | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 2025 | 7 | 470 | 358 | 1 |
| Pronghorn | 2025 | 0 | 2 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 12A. Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the deer page and pronghorn page.
Bighorn sheep, 2025: hunt 6002 (12A/12B/13A), 1 hunter, 1 ram taken (AZGFD 2025 Bighorn Sheep Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 12A?
Mule deer: 195 classified in 30 groups, 42 bucks and 53 young per 100 does. Mule deer (survey area 12AE): 53 classified in 13 groups, 64 bucks and 77 young per 100 does. Mule deer (survey area 12AW): 412 classified in 57 groups, 36 bucks and 70 young per 100 does. Pronghorn (survey area 12A/12B): 105 classified in 23 groups, 56 bucks and 26 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Survey Summary.
Which AZGFD wildlife areas are in Unit 12A?
House Rock Wildlife Area (53,619 acres inside the unit).
How do you get to Unit 12A?
Highways through the unit: AZ 67 (about 31 miles inside it) and US 89A (about 27 miles inside it). Nearby towns: Fredonia (15 miles).
Which units border Unit 12A?
Unit 12A touches 2 other units. Their size, public land and the number of 2026 draw hunts that include each:
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Elk hunts | Deer hunts | Pronghorn hunts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 12B | 1,103 | 95.7% | 6 | 2 | |
| Unit 13A | 1,948 | 71.5% | 2 | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 12A?
99.8% of Unit 12A is public land open to hunting, 650,072 of its 651,307 acres; the largest share is national forest at 649,415 acres.
What can you hunt in Unit 12A in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 8 deer hunts (1,000 permits), 2 pronghorn hunts (8 permits), 1 bighorn sheep hunt (1 permits) and 1 turkey (fall) hunt (750 permits) that include Unit 12A. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 12A?
No town is inside it. The nearest are Fredonia (15 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 12A in?
Region 2, run from the Flagstaff office. It borders Unit 12B and Unit 13A.
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Where these numbers come from
- Hunts and permits: AZGFD's 2026 Pronghorn and Elk booklet and 2026-27 regulations.
- Harvest: AZGFD harvest summaries (AZGFD harvest reporting).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee managers). Unit boundary: AZGFD game management unit boundaries.
- Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
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.