Arizona Unit 36C: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 36C covers 315 square miles, and 80.7% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly state trust land (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 7 deer hunts here. On the hunts held only in Unit 36C, AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 233 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.
BLMState trust landAZGFD landNational wildlife refugeTribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 36CNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 5 (Tucson) |
|---|---|
| Size | 315 square miles (201,599 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 80.7% (162,690 acres) |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 7 hunts, 675 permits |
| Highways | AZ 86 |
How much public land is in Unit 36C?
80.7% of Unit 36C is public land open to hunting: 162,690 of 201,599 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 135,040 acres or 67% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 36C |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 135,040 | 67% |
| National wildlife refuge | 17,436 | 8.6% |
| BLM | 10,211 | 5.1% |
| City, county and other | 2,491 | 1.2% |
| Tribal land (tribal permit) | 1,128 | 0.6% |
| AZGFD land | 3 | 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 36C in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 36C, 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 36C | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 7 | 7 | 675 | Oct 23 to Oct 29 (hunt 1148) |
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 36C?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 36C | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 2025 | 7 | 623 | 233 | 0 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 36C. Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the deer page.
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 275 archers hunted Unit 36C for 1,462 days and took 42 deer (mule deer bucks 7, whitetail bucks 35) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
How do you get to Unit 36C?
Highways through the unit: AZ 86 (about 3 miles inside it).
Which units border Unit 36C?
Unit 36C 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 36A | 617 | 68.2% | 9 | ||
| Unit 36B | 561 | 83.8% | 7 | ||
| Unit 37A | 1,674 | 67.6% | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 36C?
80.7% of Unit 36C is public land open to hunting, 162,690 of its 201,599 acres; the largest share is state trust land at 135,040 acres. 1,128 acres are tribal land, which needs the tribe's own permit.
What can you hunt in Unit 36C in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 7 deer hunts (675 permits) that include Unit 36C. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 36C?
No Census town lies inside Unit 36C or within 20 miles of it.
Which AZGFD region is Unit 36C in?
Region 5, run from the Tucson office. It borders Unit 36A, Unit 36B and Unit 37A.
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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.