Arizona Unit 28: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 28 covers 2,230 square miles, and 86% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly BLM (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 2 elk hunts, 4 deer hunts, 4 bighorn sheep hunts and 1 javelina hunt here. On the hunts held only in Unit 28, AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 99 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 landTribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 28Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 5 (Tucson) |
|---|---|
| Size | 2,230 square miles (1,427,074 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 86% (1,226,940 acres) |
| Elk hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 15 permits |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 4 hunts, 400 permits |
| Bighorn sheep hunts, 2026 | 4 hunts, 9 permits |
| Javelina (fall) hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 25 permits |
| Towns in and near it | Safford, Duncan, San Jose, Pima, Clifton and Thatcher |
| Highways | US 191, US 70, AZ 75 and AZ 78 |
How much public land is in Unit 28?
86% of Unit 28 is public land open to hunting: 1,226,940 of 1,427,074 acres. The largest share is BLM, 874,248 acres or 61.3% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 28 |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 874,248 | 61.3% |
| State trust land | 336,645 | 23.6% |
| National forest | 15,810 | 1.1% |
| City, county and other | 974 | 0.1% |
| Tribal land (tribal permit) | 769 | 0.1% |
| AZGFD land | 237 | 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: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.
What can you hunt in Unit 28 in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 28, 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 28 | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 2 | 0 | 15 | Sep 11 to Sep 24 (hunt 3192) |
| Deer | 4 | 4 | 400 | Oct 9 to Oct 18 (hunt 1163) |
| Bighorn sheep | 4 | 2 | 9 | Nov 13 to Dec 3 (hunt 6020) |
| Javelina (fall) | 1 | 0 | 25 | Nov 20 to Nov 26 (hunt 5506) |
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 6020 (Nov 13 to Dec 3, 2 permits), hunt 6021 (Dec 4 to Dec 31, 2 permits), hunt 6510 (Nov 13 to Dec 3, 3 permits, with 27) and hunt 6511 (Dec 4 to Dec 31, 2 permits, with 27).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Unit 28?
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 28. Source: AZGFD 2025 Elk Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the elk page and deer page.
Bighorn sheep, 2025: hunt 6020 (28), 2 hunters, 2 rams taken, hunt 6021 (28), 2 hunters, 2 rams taken, hunt 6510 (27S/28N), 3 hunters, 3 rams taken and hunt 6511 (27S/28N), 2 hunters, 2 rams taken (AZGFD 2025 Bighorn Sheep Harvest Summary).
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 241 archers hunted Unit 28 for 1,060 days and took 24 deer (mule deer bucks 24, whitetail bucks 0) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 28?
Mule deer: 41 classified in 4 groups, 33 bucks and 3 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary.
How do you get to Unit 28?
Highways through the unit: US 191 (about 58 miles inside it), US 70 (about 56 miles inside it), AZ 75 (about 19 miles inside it) and AZ 78 (about 9 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Safford, Duncan, San Jose, York, Bowie and Central. Nearby towns: Pima (on the line), Clifton (on the line), Thatcher (3 miles) and Willcox (12 miles).
Which units border Unit 28?
Unit 28 touches 4 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 27 | 1,353 | 94.6% | 10 | 6 | |
| Unit 29 | 1,013 | 66.4% | 7 | ||
| Unit 30A | 1,727 | 45.9% | 7 | 2 | |
| Unit 31 | 1,213 | 85% | 2 | 7 | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 28?
86% of Unit 28 is public land open to hunting, 1,226,940 of its 1,427,074 acres; the largest share is BLM at 874,248 acres. 769 acres are tribal land, which needs the tribe's own permit.
What can you hunt in Unit 28 in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 2 elk hunts (15 permits), 4 deer hunts (400 permits), 4 bighorn sheep hunts (9 permits) and 1 javelina (fall) hunt (25 permits) that include Unit 28. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 28?
Safford, Duncan and San Jose are inside the unit. Just outside: Pima (on the line), Clifton (on the line) and Thatcher (3 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 28 in?
Region 5, run from the Tucson office. It borders Unit 27, Unit 29, Unit 30A and Unit 31.
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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.