Arizona Unit 2B: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 2B covers 824 square miles, and 56.7% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly state trust land (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 13 elk hunts, 1 deer hunt, 1 pronghorn hunt and 2 bighorn sheep hunts here. On the hunts held only in Unit 2B, AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 6 pronghorn taken.
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 landAZGFD landTribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 2BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 1 (Pinetop) |
|---|---|
| Size | 824 square miles (527,314 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 56.7% (299,226 acres) |
| Elk hunts, 2026 | 13 hunts, 1,650 permits |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 40 permits |
| Pronghorn hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 5 permits |
| Bighorn sheep hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 2 permits |
| AZGFD wildlife areas | Wenima, Springerville Marsh |
| Towns in and near it | Springerville, St. Johns and Eagar |
| Highways | US 191, AZ 61 and US 180 |
How much public land is in Unit 2B?
56.7% of Unit 2B is public land open to hunting: 299,226 of 527,314 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 272,141 acres or 51.6% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 2B |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 272,141 | 51.6% |
| BLM | 26,550 | 5% |
| City, county and other | 745 | 0.1% |
| AZGFD land | 535 | 0.1% |
| Tribal land (tribal permit) | 47 | 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 2B in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 2B, 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 2B | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 13 | 0 | 1,650 | Sep 11 to Sep 20 (hunt 3077) |
| Deer | 1 | 0 | 40 | Oct 23 to Nov 1 (hunt 1002) |
| Pronghorn | 1 | 1 | 5 | Sep 4 to Sep 13 (hunt 2029) |
| Bighorn sheep | 2 | 0 | 2 | Oct 1 to Oct 31 (hunt 6502) |
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 6502 (Oct 1 to Oct 31, 1 permit, with 1) and hunt 6503 (Nov 1 to Nov 30, 1 permit, with 1).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Unit 2B?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 2B | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 2025 | 0 | 13 | ||
| Deer | 2025 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Pronghorn | 2025 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 2B. Source: AZGFD 2025 Elk Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the elk page, deer page and pronghorn page.
Bighorn sheep, 2025: hunt 6502 (01/02B), 1 hunter, 1 ram taken and hunt 6503 (01/02B), 1 hunter, 1 ram taken (AZGFD 2025 Bighorn Sheep Harvest Summary).
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 13 archers hunted Unit 2B for 47 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 2B?
Mule deer: 55 classified in 6 groups, 11 bucks and 42 young per 100 does. Pronghorn: 80 classified in 15 groups, 17 bucks and 12 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Survey Summary.
Which AZGFD wildlife areas are in Unit 2B?
Wenima Wildlife Area (354 acres inside the unit) and Springerville Marsh Wildlife Area (161 acres inside the unit, closed to hunting).
How do you get to Unit 2B?
Highways through the unit: US 191 (about 29 miles inside it), AZ 61 (about 17 miles inside it) and US 180 (about 14 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Springerville. Nearby towns: St. Johns (on the line) and Eagar (2 miles).
Which units border Unit 2B?
Unit 2B touches 3 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 1 | 844 | 91.1% | 20 | 2 | 2 |
| Unit 2A | 1,423 | 29.8% | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Unit 2C | 315 | 59.2% | 8 | 1 | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 2B?
56.7% of Unit 2B is public land open to hunting, 299,226 of its 527,314 acres; the largest share is state trust land at 272,141 acres. 47 acres are tribal land, which needs the tribe's own permit.
What can you hunt in Unit 2B in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 13 elk hunts (1,650 permits), 1 deer hunt (40 permits), 1 pronghorn hunt (5 permits) and 2 bighorn sheep hunts (2 permits) that include Unit 2B. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 2B?
Springerville is inside the unit. Just outside: St. Johns (on the line) and Eagar (2 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 2B in?
Region 1, run from the Pinetop office. It borders Unit 1, Unit 2A and Unit 2C.
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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.