Arizona Unit 31: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 31 covers 1,213 square miles, and 85% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly state trust land (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 2 elk hunts, 7 deer hunts, 2 pronghorn hunts, 1 bighorn sheep hunt and 1 javelina hunt here. On the hunts held only in Unit 31, AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 157 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 ReclamationTribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 31Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 5 (Tucson) |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,213 square miles (776,324 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 85% (659,842 acres) |
| Elk hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 15 permits |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 7 hunts, 375 permits |
| Pronghorn hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 5 permits |
| Bighorn sheep hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 2 permits |
| Javelina (fall) hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 25 permits |
| AZGFD wildlife areas | Cluff Ranch, Aravaipa Canyon |
| Towns in and near it | Pima, Thatcher, Winkelman, Safford, Hayden and Willcox |
| Highways | AZ 366, AZ 266, AZ 77 and US 70 |
How much public land is in Unit 31?
85% of Unit 31 is public land open to hunting: 659,842 of 776,324 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 272,434 acres or 35.1% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 31 |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 272,434 | 35.1% |
| National forest | 246,936 | 31.8% |
| BLM | 139,670 | 18% |
| Tribal land (tribal permit) | 2,630 | 0.3% |
| City, county and other | 2,015 | 0.3% |
| AZGFD land | 790 | 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 12 | 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: Coronado National Forest.
What can you hunt in Unit 31 in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 31, 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 31 | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 2 | 0 | 15 | Sep 11 to Sep 24 (hunt 3192) |
| Deer | 7 | 7 | 375 | Oct 9 to Oct 18 (hunt 1167) |
| Pronghorn | 2 | 0 | 5 | Aug 21 to Sep 3 (hunt 2059) |
| Bighorn sheep | 1 | 0 | 2 | Dec 1 to Dec 31 (hunt 6022) |
| 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 6022 (Dec 1 to Dec 31, 2 permits, with 32).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Unit 31?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 31 | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 2025 | 0 | 2 | ||
| Deer | 2025 | 7 | 416 | 157 | 0 |
| Pronghorn | 2025 | 0 | 2 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 31. 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 6022 (31/32), 2 hunters, 2 rams taken (AZGFD 2025 Bighorn Sheep Harvest Summary).
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 436 archers hunted Unit 31 for 2,321 days and took 67 deer (mule deer bucks 13, whitetail bucks 54) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 31?
Mule deer: 1 classified in 1 group, 100 bucks and 0 young per 100 does. White-tailed deer: 90 classified in 42 groups, 39 bucks and 27 young per 100 does. Pronghorn: 14 classified in 1 group, 27 bucks and 0 young per 100 does. Pronghorn (survey area 31/32): 42 classified in 9 groups, 39 bucks and 31 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 White-tailed Deer Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Survey Summary.
Which AZGFD wildlife areas are in Unit 31?
Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area (774 acres inside the unit) and Aravaipa Canyon Wildlife Area (368 acres inside the unit).
How do you get to Unit 31?
Highways through the unit: AZ 366 (about 30 miles inside it), AZ 266 (about 22 miles inside it), AZ 77 (about 6 miles inside it) and US 70 (about 4 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Pima, Thatcher, Winkelman, Fort Thomas, Cactus Flats and Swift Trail Junction. Nearby towns: Safford (on the line), Hayden (on the line), Willcox (on the line) and Kearny (9 miles).
Which units border Unit 31?
Unit 31 touches 5 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 24A | 812 | 82.7% | 2 | 5 | |
| Unit 28 | 2,230 | 86% | 2 | 4 | |
| Unit 30A | 1,727 | 45.9% | 7 | 2 | |
| Unit 32 | 1,535 | 74% | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| Unit 37B | 1,182 | 83.6% | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 31?
85% of Unit 31 is public land open to hunting, 659,842 of its 776,324 acres; the largest share is state trust land at 272,434 acres. 2,630 acres are tribal land, which needs the tribe's own permit.
What can you hunt in Unit 31 in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 2 elk hunts (15 permits), 7 deer hunts (375 permits), 2 pronghorn hunts (5 permits), 1 bighorn sheep hunt (2 permits) and 1 javelina (fall) hunt (25 permits) that include Unit 31. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 31?
Pima, Thatcher and Winkelman are inside the unit. Just outside: Safford (on the line), Hayden (on the line) and Willcox (on the line).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 31 in?
Region 5, run from the Tucson office. It borders Unit 24A, Unit 28, Unit 30A, Unit 32 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 5 Unit 24A Unit 28 Unit 30A Unit 32 Unit 37B