Arizona Unit 35A: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 35A covers 646 square miles, and 44.7% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly national forest (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 7 deer hunts, 2 pronghorn hunts and 2 javelina hunts here. On the hunts held only in Unit 35A, AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 395 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 landNational park or monument (no hunting)Military (closed or by permit)City, county and otherUnit 35ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 5 (Tucson) |
|---|---|
| Size | 646 square miles (413,553 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 44.7% (184,770 acres) |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 7 hunts, 1,090 permits |
| Pronghorn hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 5 permits |
| Javelina (fall) hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 100 permits |
| Towns in and near it | Sierra Vista, Huachuca City, Sierra Vista Southeast, Tombstone, Bisbee and Patagonia |
| Highways | AZ 90, AZ 92, AZ 83 and AZ 82 |
How much public land is in Unit 35A?
44.7% of Unit 35A is public land open to hunting: 184,770 of 413,553 acres. The largest share is national forest, 127,603 acres or 30.9% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 35A |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 127,603 | 30.9% |
| Military (closed or by permit) | 80,965 | 19.6% |
| BLM | 29,456 | 7.1% |
| State trust land | 27,589 | 6.7% |
| City, county and other | 12,301 | 3% |
| National park or monument (no hunting) | 4,813 | 1.2% |
| AZGFD land | 122 | 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 35A in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 35A, 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 35A | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 7 | 5 | 1,090 | Oct 9 to Oct 15 (hunt 1171) |
| Pronghorn | 2 | 0 | 5 | Aug 21 to Sep 3 (hunt 2061) |
| Javelina (fall) | 2 | 0 | 100 | Oct 9 to Oct 15 (hunt 5509) |
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 35A?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 35A | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 2025 | 10 | 1,195 | 395 | 2 |
| Pronghorn | 2025 | 0 | 1 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 35A. Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary, AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the deer page and pronghorn page.
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 329 archers hunted Unit 35A for 1,831 days and took 38 deer (mule deer bucks 7, whitetail bucks 31) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 35A?
Mule deer: 3 classified in 2 groups, 50 bucks and 0 young per 100 does. White-tailed deer: 93 classified in 35 groups, 11 bucks and 24 young per 100 does. Pronghorn: 154 classified in 26 groups, 29 bucks and 19 young per 100 does. Pronghorn (survey area 35A/35B): 35 classified in 10 groups, 43 bucks and 43 young per 100 does. Pronghorn (survey area Fort Huachuca): 9 classified in 1 group, 33 bucks and 0 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 White-tailed Deer Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Survey Summary.
How do you get to Unit 35A?
Highways through the unit: AZ 90 (about 20 miles inside it), AZ 92 (about 19 miles inside it), AZ 83 (about 11 miles inside it) and AZ 82 (about 9 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Sierra Vista, Huachuca City, Sierra Vista Southeast, Palominas and Miracle Valley. Nearby towns: Tombstone (6 miles), Bisbee (10 miles), Patagonia (11 miles) and Benson (14 miles).
Which units border Unit 35A?
Unit 35A 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 30B | 1,440 | 51.8% | 8 | ||
| Unit 34B | 500 | 72.7% | 6 | 2 | |
| Unit 35B | 333 | 62.7% | 7 | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 35A?
44.7% of Unit 35A is public land open to hunting, 184,770 of its 413,553 acres; the largest share is national forest at 127,603 acres. 80,965 acres are military land.
What can you hunt in Unit 35A in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 7 deer hunts (1,090 permits), 2 pronghorn hunts (5 permits) and 2 javelina (fall) hunts (100 permits) that include Unit 35A. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 35A?
Sierra Vista, Huachuca City and Sierra Vista Southeast are inside the unit. Just outside: Tombstone (6 miles), Bisbee (10 miles) and Patagonia (11 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 35A in?
Region 5, run from the Tucson office. It borders Unit 30B, Unit 34B and Unit 35B.
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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.