Arizona Unit 3B: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 3B covers 579 square miles, and 44.5% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly national forest (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 13 elk hunts, 2 deer hunts and 2 pronghorn hunts here. On the hunts held only in Unit 3B, AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 305 elk, 26 deer and 6 pronghorn 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 landTribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 3BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 1 (Pinetop) |
|---|---|
| Size | 579 square miles (370,688 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 44.5% (164,782 acres) |
| Elk hunts, 2026 | 13 hunts, 765 permits |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 110 permits |
| Pronghorn hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 12 permits |
| AZGFD wildlife areas | Allen Severson Memorial, Jaques Marsh |
| Towns in and near it | Pinetop-Lakeside, White Mountain Lake, Pinetop Country Club, Taylor, Show Low and Snowflake |
| Highways | US 60, AZ 260, AZ 73 and AZ 77 |
How much public land is in Unit 3B?
44.5% of Unit 3B is public land open to hunting: 164,782 of 370,688 acres. The largest share is national forest, 102,581 acres or 27.7% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 3B |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 102,581 | 27.7% |
| State trust land | 58,724 | 15.8% |
| BLM | 2,579 | 0.7% |
| AZGFD land | 898 | 0.2% |
| City, county and other | 400 | 0.1% |
| Tribal land (tribal permit) | 52 | 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: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.
What can you hunt in Unit 3B in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 3B, 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 3B | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 13 | 7 | 765 | Jul 31 to Aug 6 (hunt 3119) |
| Deer | 2 | 2 | 110 | Oct 23 to Nov 1 (hunt 1182) |
| Pronghorn | 2 | 2 | 12 | Aug 21 to Sep 3 (hunt 2040) |
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 3B?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 3B | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 2025 | 7 | 621 | 305 | 6 |
| Deer | 2025 | 1 | 104 | 26 | 0 |
| Pronghorn | 2025 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 3B. 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.
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 148 archers hunted Unit 3B for 852 days and took 14 deer (mule deer bucks 14, whitetail bucks 0) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 3B?
Elk: 185 classified in 11 groups, 21 bulls and 15 young per 100 cows. Mule deer: 62 classified in 19 groups, 60 bucks and 47 young per 100 does. Pronghorn: 87 classified in 19 groups, 45 bucks and 23 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Elk Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Survey Summary.
Which AZGFD wildlife areas are in Unit 3B?
Allen Severson Memorial Wildlife Area (360 acres inside the unit) and Jaques Marsh Wildlife Area (221 acres inside the unit).
How do you get to Unit 3B?
Highways through the unit: US 60 (about 18 miles inside it), AZ 260 (about 15 miles inside it), AZ 73 (about 14 miles inside it) and AZ 77 (about 12 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Pinetop-Lakeside, White Mountain Lake, Pinetop Country Club, Lake of the Woods, Shumway and Wagon Wheel. Nearby towns: Taylor (on the line), Show Low (on the line), Snowflake (on the line) and St. Johns (13 miles).
Which units border Unit 3B?
Unit 3B 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 1 | 844 | 91.1% | 20 | 2 | 2 |
| Unit 2A | 1,423 | 29.8% | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Unit 2C | 315 | 59.2% | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Unit 3A | 773 | 29.6% | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Unit 3C | 555 | 82.3% | 12 | 3 | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 3B?
44.5% of Unit 3B is public land open to hunting, 164,782 of its 370,688 acres; the largest share is national forest at 102,581 acres. 52 acres are tribal land, which needs the tribe's own permit.
What can you hunt in Unit 3B in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 13 elk hunts (765 permits), 2 deer hunts (110 permits) and 2 pronghorn hunts (12 permits) that include Unit 3B. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 3B?
Pinetop-Lakeside, White Mountain Lake and Pinetop Country Club are inside the unit. Just outside: Taylor (on the line), Show Low (on the line) and Snowflake (on the line).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 3B in?
Region 1, run from the Pinetop office. It borders Unit 1, Unit 2A, Unit 2C, Unit 3A and Unit 3C.
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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 1 Unit 1 Unit 2A Unit 2C Unit 3A Unit 3C