Arizona Unit 15C: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 15C covers 789 square miles, and 80.7% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly BLM (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 3 deer hunts and 2 bighorn sheep hunts here.
Data updated October 2026. Hunts: AZGFD's 2026 booklets. Harvest: AZGFD harvest summaries to 2025. Land: USGS PAD-US 4.1. Boundary: AZGFD.
BLMState trust landNational wildlife refugeNational recreation areaBureau of ReclamationUnit 15CNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 3 (Kingman) |
|---|---|
| Size | 789 square miles (504,790 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 80.7% (407,440 acres) |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 3 hunts, 275 permits |
| Bighorn sheep hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 2 permits |
| Towns in and near it | Katherine, Bullhead City and Kingman |
How much public land is in Unit 15C?
80.7% of Unit 15C is public land open to hunting: 407,440 of 504,790 acres. The largest share is BLM, 231,251 acres or 45.8% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 15C |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 231,251 | 45.8% |
| National recreation area | 164,746 | 32.6% |
| State trust land | 10,515 | 2.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 879 | 0.2% |
| National wildlife refuge | 49 | 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. Arizona State Land Department rules let a licensed hunter on state trust land while hunting; other uses need its recreation permit.
What can you hunt in Unit 15C in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 15C, 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 15C | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 3 | 0 | 275 | Oct 2 to Oct 11 (hunt 1197) |
| Bighorn sheep | 2 | 2 | 2 | Dec 1 to Dec 31 (hunt 6010) |
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 6010 (Dec 1 to Dec 31, 1 permit) and hunt 6011 (Dec 1 to Dec 31, 1 permit).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Unit 15C?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 15C | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 2025 | 0 | 4 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 15C. Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the deer page.
Bighorn sheep, 2025: hunt 6010 (15CN), 2 hunters, 2 rams taken and hunt 6011 (15CS), 1 hunter, 1 ram taken (AZGFD 2025 Bighorn Sheep Harvest Summary).
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 34 archers hunted Unit 15C for 74 days and took 2 deer (mule deer bucks 2, whitetail bucks 0) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 15C?
Mule deer (survey area 15A/15B/15C): 105 classified in 27 groups, 32 bucks and 31 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary.
How do you get to Unit 15C?
No numbered highway crosses the unit. Towns and places inside: Katherine. Nearby towns: Bullhead City (4 miles) and Kingman (6 miles).
Which units border Unit 15C?
Unit 15C 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 15B | 1,869 | 65.6% | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Unit 15D | 875 | 62.3% | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 15C?
80.7% of Unit 15C is public land open to hunting, 407,440 of its 504,790 acres; the largest share is BLM at 231,251 acres.
What can you hunt in Unit 15C in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 3 deer hunts (275 permits) and 2 bighorn sheep hunts (2 permits) that include Unit 15C. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 15C?
Katherine is inside the unit. Just outside: Bullhead City (4 miles) and Kingman (6 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 15C in?
Region 3, run from the Kingman office. It borders Unit 15B and Unit 15D.
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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.