Arizona Unit 2C: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 2C covers 315 square miles, and 59.2% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly state trust land (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 8 elk hunts, 1 deer hunt and 1 pronghorn hunt here. On the hunts held only in Unit 2C, AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 10 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 landCity, county and otherUnit 2CNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 1 (Pinetop) |
|---|---|
| Size | 315 square miles (201,472 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 59.2% (119,320 acres) |
| Elk hunts, 2026 | 8 hunts, 1,590 permits |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 40 permits |
| Pronghorn hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 5 permits |
| Towns in and near it | St. Johns, Springerville, Eagar and Show Low |
| Highways | AZ 61, US 60 and US 180 |
How much public land is in Unit 2C?
59.2% of Unit 2C is public land open to hunting: 119,320 of 201,472 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 107,061 acres or 53.1% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 2C |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 107,061 | 53.1% |
| BLM | 12,046 | 6% |
| AZGFD land | 213 | 0.1% |
| City, county and other | 116 | 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 2C in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 2C, 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 2C | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 8 | 0 | 1,590 | Sep 11 to Sep 24 (hunt 3126) |
| Deer | 1 | 0 | 40 | Oct 23 to Nov 1 (hunt 1002) |
| Pronghorn | 1 | 1 | 5 | Sep 4 to Sep 13 (hunt 2003) |
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).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Unit 2C?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 2C | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 2025 | 0 | 8 | ||
| Deer | 2025 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Pronghorn | 2025 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 0 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 2C. 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.
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 7 archers hunted Unit 2C for 67 days and took 3 deer (mule deer bucks 3, whitetail bucks 0) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 2C?
Pronghorn: 80 classified in 12 groups, 23 bucks and 11 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Survey Summary.
How do you get to Unit 2C?
Highways through the unit: AZ 61 (about 17 miles inside it), US 60 (about 2 miles inside it) and US 180 (about 2 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: St. Johns. Nearby towns: Springerville (on the line), Eagar (5 miles), Show Low (12 miles) and Pinetop-Lakeside (12 miles).
Which units border Unit 2C?
Unit 2C 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 1 | 844 | 91.1% | 20 | 2 | 2 |
| Unit 2A | 1,423 | 29.8% | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Unit 2B | 824 | 56.7% | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| Unit 3B | 579 | 44.5% | 13 | 2 | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 2C?
59.2% of Unit 2C is public land open to hunting, 119,320 of its 201,472 acres; the largest share is state trust land at 107,061 acres.
What can you hunt in Unit 2C in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 8 elk hunts (1,590 permits), 1 deer hunt (40 permits) and 1 pronghorn hunt (5 permits) that include Unit 2C. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 2C?
St. Johns is inside the unit. Just outside: Springerville (on the line), Eagar (5 miles) and Show Low (12 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 2C in?
Region 1, run from the Pinetop office. It borders Unit 1, Unit 2A, Unit 2B and Unit 3B.
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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.