Arizona Unit 36B: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 36B covers 561 square miles, and 83.8% 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 here. On the hunts held only in Unit 36B, AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 489 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 wildlife refugeCity, county and otherUnit 36BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 5 (Tucson) |
|---|---|
| Size | 561 square miles (359,290 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 83.8% (300,923 acres) |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 7 hunts, 2,130 permits |
| Towns in and near it | Arivaca, Tubac, Nogales, Patagonia and Sahuarita |
| Highways | AZ 286, I-19 and AZ 189 |
How much public land is in Unit 36B?
83.8% of Unit 36B is public land open to hunting: 300,923 of 359,290 acres. The largest share is national forest, 201,042 acres or 56% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 36B |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 201,042 | 56% |
| National wildlife refuge | 49,603 | 13.8% |
| State trust land | 48,821 | 13.6% |
| City, county and other | 6,592 | 1.8% |
| BLM | 1,252 | 0.3% |
| AZGFD land | 205 | 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 36B in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 36B, 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 36B | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 7 | 7 | 2,130 | Oct 23 to Oct 29 (hunt 1144) |
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 36B?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 36B | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 2025 | 7 | 2,047 | 489 | 0 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 36B. Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the deer page.
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 751 archers hunted Unit 36B for 3,709 days and took 65 deer (mule deer bucks 25, whitetail bucks 40) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 36B?
Pronghorn: 26 classified in 7 groups, 53 bucks and 59 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Survey Summary.
How do you get to Unit 36B?
Highways through the unit: AZ 286 (about 6 miles inside it), I-19 (about 4 miles inside it) and AZ 189 (about 3 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Arivaca and Tubac. Nearby towns: Nogales (on the line), Patagonia (15 miles) and Sahuarita (15 miles).
Which units border Unit 36B?
Unit 36B 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 34A | 690 | 59.3% | 7 | 2 | |
| Unit 35B | 333 | 62.7% | 7 | 2 | |
| Unit 36A | 617 | 68.2% | 9 | ||
| Unit 36C | 315 | 80.7% | 7 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 36B?
83.8% of Unit 36B is public land open to hunting, 300,923 of its 359,290 acres; the largest share is national forest at 201,042 acres.
What can you hunt in Unit 36B in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 7 deer hunts (2,130 permits) that include Unit 36B. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 36B?
Arivaca and Tubac are inside the unit. Just outside: Nogales (on the line), Patagonia (15 miles) and Sahuarita (15 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 36B in?
Region 5, run from the Tucson office. It borders Unit 34A, Unit 35B, Unit 36A and Unit 36C.
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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 34A Unit 35B Unit 36A Unit 36C