Arizona Unit 3C: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 3C covers 555 square miles, and 82.3% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly national forest (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 12 elk hunts, 3 deer hunts, 1 pronghorn hunt and 1 turkey hunt here. On the hunts held only in Unit 3C, AZGFD's latest harvest surveys count 19 elk (2023) and 3 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 landAZGFD landTribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 3CNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 1 (Pinetop) |
|---|---|
| Size | 555 square miles (355,308 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 82.3% (292,591 acres) |
| Elk hunts, 2026 | 12 hunts, 715 permits |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 3 hunts, 90 permits |
| Pronghorn hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 3 permits |
| Turkey (fall) hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 150 permits |
| AZGFD wildlife areas | Fool Hollow Lake |
| Towns in and near it | Show Low, Taylor, Linden, Snowflake, Pinetop-Lakeside and Star Valley |
| Highways | AZ 260 and AZ 277 |
How much public land is in Unit 3C?
82.3% of Unit 3C is public land open to hunting: 292,591 of 355,308 acres. The largest share is national forest, 285,847 acres or 80.5% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 3C |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 285,847 | 80.5% |
| State trust land | 6,457 | 1.8% |
| Tribal land (tribal permit) | 303 | 0.1% |
| BLM | 173 | under 0.1% |
| AZGFD land | 114 | under 0.1% |
| City, county and other | 114 | 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 3C in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 3C, 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 3C | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 12 | 0 | 715 | Jul 31 to Aug 6 (hunt 3119) |
| Deer | 3 | 0 | 90 | Aug 21 to Sep 10 (hunt 1200) |
| Pronghorn | 1 | 1 | 3 | Sep 4 to Sep 13 (hunt 2005) |
| Turkey (fall) | 1 | 1 | 150 | Oct 2 to Oct 8 (hunt 4502) |
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 3C?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 3C | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 2025 | 0 | 13 | ||
| Deer | 2025 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Pronghorn | 2025 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 3C. 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 3C?
Elk (survey area 3A/3C): 279 classified in 27 groups, 16 bulls and 8 young per 100 cows. Elk: 132 classified in 6 groups, 25 bulls and 16 young per 100 cows. Mule deer (survey area 3A/3C): 142 classified in 23 groups, 27 bucks and 31 young per 100 does. Pronghorn: 62 classified in 16 groups, 48 bucks and 34 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 3C?
Fool Hollow Lake Wildlife Area (90 acres inside the unit).
How do you get to Unit 3C?
Highways through the unit: AZ 260 (about 45 miles inside it) and AZ 277 (about 15 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Show Low, Taylor, Linden, Pinedale, Heber-Overgaard and Clay Springs. Nearby towns: Snowflake (on the line), Pinetop-Lakeside (8 miles) and Star Valley (18 miles).
Which units border Unit 3C?
Unit 3C 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 3A | 773 | 29.6% | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Unit 3B | 579 | 44.5% | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| Unit 4B | 1,335 | 38.9% | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Unit 23 | 1,185 | 98.1% | 10 | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 3C?
82.3% of Unit 3C is public land open to hunting, 292,591 of its 355,308 acres; the largest share is national forest at 285,847 acres. 303 acres are tribal land, which needs the tribe's own permit.
What can you hunt in Unit 3C in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 12 elk hunts (715 permits), 3 deer hunts (90 permits), 1 pronghorn hunt (3 permits) and 1 turkey (fall) hunt (150 permits) that include Unit 3C. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 3C?
Show Low, Taylor and Linden are inside the unit. Just outside: Snowflake (on the line), Pinetop-Lakeside (8 miles) and Star Valley (18 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 3C in?
Region 1, run from the Pinetop office. It borders Unit 3A, Unit 3B, Unit 4B and Unit 23.
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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.