Arizona Unit 3A: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 3A covers 773 square miles, and 29.6% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly state trust land (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 7 elk hunts, 3 deer hunts and 2 pronghorn hunts here. On the hunts held only in Unit 3A, AZGFD's latest harvest surveys count 9 elk (2023) and 7 pronghorn (2025) 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 landCity, county and otherUnit 3ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 1 (Pinetop) |
|---|---|
| Size | 773 square miles (494,611 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 29.6% (146,432 acres) |
| Elk hunts, 2026 | 7 hunts, 705 permits |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 3 hunts, 90 permits |
| Pronghorn hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 6 permits |
| Towns in and near it | Snowflake, Woodruff, Holbrook, Taylor and St. Johns |
| Highways | AZ 77, AZ 377 and US 180 |
How much public land is in Unit 3A?
29.6% of Unit 3A is public land open to hunting: 146,432 of 494,611 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 93,196 acres or 18.8% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 3A |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 93,196 | 18.8% |
| BLM | 35,650 | 7.2% |
| National forest | 17,586 | 3.6% |
| City, county and other | 604 | 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: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.
What can you hunt in Unit 3A in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 3A, 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 3A | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 7 | 0 | 705 | Sep 11 to Sep 24 (hunt 3127) |
| Deer | 3 | 0 | 90 | Aug 21 to Sep 10 (hunt 1200) |
| Pronghorn | 2 | 2 | 6 | Aug 21 to Sep 3 (hunt 2039) |
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 3A?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 3A | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 2025 | 0 | 8 | ||
| Deer | 2025 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Pronghorn | 2025 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 0 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 3A. 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.
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 3A?
Elk (survey area 3A/3C): 279 classified in 27 groups, 16 bulls and 8 young per 100 cows. Mule deer (survey area 3A/3C): 142 classified in 23 groups, 27 bucks and 31 young per 100 does. Pronghorn: 97 classified in 21 groups, 17 bucks and 9 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Elk Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Survey Summary.
How do you get to Unit 3A?
Highways through the unit: AZ 77 (about 26 miles inside it), AZ 377 (about 17 miles inside it) and US 180 (about 8 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Snowflake and Woodruff. Nearby towns: Holbrook (on the line), Taylor (5 miles), St. Johns (13 miles) and Show Low (17 miles).
Which units border Unit 3A?
Unit 3A 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 2A | 1,423 | 29.8% | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Unit 3B | 579 | 44.5% | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| Unit 3C | 555 | 82.3% | 12 | 3 | 1 |
| Unit 4B | 1,335 | 38.9% | 7 | 1 | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 3A?
29.6% of Unit 3A is public land open to hunting, 146,432 of its 494,611 acres; the largest share is state trust land at 93,196 acres.
What can you hunt in Unit 3A in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 7 elk hunts (705 permits), 3 deer hunts (90 permits) and 2 pronghorn hunts (6 permits) that include Unit 3A. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 3A?
Snowflake and Woodruff are inside the unit. Just outside: Holbrook (on the line), Taylor (5 miles) and St. Johns (13 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 3A in?
Region 1, run from the Pinetop office. It borders Unit 2A, Unit 3B, Unit 3C and Unit 4B.
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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.