Arizona Unit 24B: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 24B covers 779 square miles, and 94.3% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly national forest (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 5 deer hunts and 3 bighorn sheep hunts here. On the hunts held only in Unit 24B, AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 246 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 forestBLMState trust landAZGFD landBureau of ReclamationNational park or monument (no hunting)Tribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 24BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 6 (Mesa) |
|---|---|
| Size | 779 square miles (498,351 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 94.3% (470,136 acres) |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 5 hunts, 860 permits |
| Bighorn sheep hunts, 2026 | 3 hunts, 4 permits |
| AZGFD wildlife areas | Roosevelt Lake |
| Towns in and near it | Queen Valley, Top-of-the-World, Roosevelt Estates, Miami, Superior and Apache Junction |
| Highways | AZ 88, AZ 188 and US 60 |
How much public land is in Unit 24B?
94.3% of Unit 24B is public land open to hunting: 470,136 of 498,351 acres. The largest share is national forest, 428,469 acres or 86% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 24B |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 428,469 | 86% |
| State trust land | 37,681 | 7.6% |
| BLM | 3,806 | 0.8% |
| National park or monument (no hunting) | 1,121 | 0.2% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 177 | under 0.1% |
| Tribal land (tribal permit) | 23 | under 0.1% |
| City, county and other | 10 | under 0.1% |
| AZGFD land | 3 | 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. National forest: Tonto National Forest.
What can you hunt in Unit 24B in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 24B, 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 24B | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 5 | 5 | 860 | Oct 23 to Oct 29 (hunt 1092) |
| Bighorn sheep | 3 | 3 | 4 | Dec 1 to Dec 31 (hunt 6017) |
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 6017 (Dec 1 to Dec 31, 2 permits), hunt 6018 (Dec 1 to Dec 31, 1 permit) and hunt 6019 (Dec 1 to Dec 31, 1 permit).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Unit 24B?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 24B | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 2025 | 5 | 819 | 246 | 0 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 24B. Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the deer page.
Bighorn sheep, 2025: hunt 6017 (24B), 2 hunters, 2 rams taken, hunt 6018 (24BN), 1 hunter, 1 ram taken and hunt 6019 (24BS), 1 hunter, 1 ram taken (AZGFD 2025 Bighorn Sheep Harvest Summary).
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 416 archers hunted Unit 24B for 1,965 days and took 27 deer (mule deer bucks 15, whitetail bucks 12) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 24B?
Mule deer: 72 classified in 26 groups, 25 bucks and 16 young per 100 does. White-tailed deer: 93 classified in 47 groups, 10 bucks and 9 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 White-tailed Deer Survey Summary.
Which AZGFD wildlife areas are in Unit 24B?
Roosevelt Lake Wildlife Area (383 acres inside the unit).
How do you get to Unit 24B?
Highways through the unit: AZ 88 (about 36 miles inside it), AZ 188 (about 20 miles inside it) and US 60 (about 7 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Queen Valley, Top-of-the-World, Roosevelt Estates and Roosevelt. Nearby towns: Miami (on the line), Superior (on the line), Apache Junction (4 miles) and Globe (5 miles).
Which units border Unit 24B?
Unit 24B touches 6 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 22 | 1,574 | 95.5% | 13 | 6 | |
| Unit 23 | 1,185 | 98.1% | 10 | 5 | |
| Unit 24A | 812 | 82.7% | 2 | 5 | |
| Unit 25M | 1,285 | 8.4% | |||
| Unit 26M | 2,103 | 17.7% | |||
| Unit 37B | 1,182 | 83.6% | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 24B?
94.3% of Unit 24B is public land open to hunting, 470,136 of its 498,351 acres; the largest share is national forest at 428,469 acres. 23 acres are tribal land, which needs the tribe's own permit.
What can you hunt in Unit 24B in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 5 deer hunts (860 permits) and 3 bighorn sheep hunts (4 permits) that include Unit 24B. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 24B?
Queen Valley, Top-of-the-World and Roosevelt Estates are inside the unit. Just outside: Miami (on the line), Superior (on the line) and Apache Junction (4 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 24B in?
Region 6, run from the Mesa office. It borders Unit 22, Unit 23, Unit 24A, Unit 25M, Unit 26M and Unit 37B.
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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.
Arizona hunting Region 6 Unit 22 Unit 23 Unit 24A Unit 25M Unit 26M Unit 37B