Arizona Unit 40A: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 40A covers 1,085 square miles, and 50.5% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly BLM (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 2 deer hunts and 1 bighorn sheep hunt here.
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 landMilitary (closed or by permit)Tribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 40ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 4 (Yuma) |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,085 square miles (694,621 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 50.5% (350,611 acres) |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 500 permits |
| Bighorn sheep hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 2 permits |
| Towns in and near it | Why, Gila Bend, Casa Grande and Maricopa |
| Highways | I-8 and AZ 85 |
How much public land is in Unit 40A?
50.5% of Unit 40A is public land open to hunting: 350,611 of 694,621 acres. The largest share is BLM, 345,025 acres or 49.7% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 40A |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 345,025 | 49.7% |
| Military (closed or by permit) | 318,564 | 45.9% |
| State trust land | 5,586 | 0.8% |
| City, county and other | 2,596 | 0.4% |
| Tribal land (tribal permit) | 1,194 | 0.2% |
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 40A in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 40A, 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 40A | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 2 | 0 | 500 | Nov 6 to Nov 15 (hunt 1068) |
| Bighorn sheep | 1 | 1 | 2 | Dec 1 to Dec 31 (hunt 6032) |
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).
Bighorn sheep, 2026: hunt 6032 (Dec 1 to Dec 31, 2 permits).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Unit 40A?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 40A | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 2025 | 0 | 2 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 40A. Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the deer page.
Bighorn sheep, 2025: hunt 6030 (40A), 2 hunters, 2 rams taken (AZGFD 2025 Bighorn Sheep Harvest Summary).
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 94 archers hunted Unit 40A for 309 days and took 10 deer (mule deer bucks 8, whitetail bucks 2) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
How do you get to Unit 40A?
Highways through the unit: I-8 (about 29 miles inside it) and AZ 85 (about 26 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Why. Nearby towns: Gila Bend (2 miles), Casa Grande (13 miles) and Maricopa (15 miles).
Which units border Unit 40A?
Unit 40A 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 26M | 2,103 | 17.7% | |||
| Unit 39 | 1,939 | 72.6% | 2 | ||
| Unit 40B | 3,445 | 11.7% | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 40A?
50.5% of Unit 40A is public land open to hunting, 350,611 of its 694,621 acres; the largest share is BLM at 345,025 acres. 1,194 acres are tribal land, which needs the tribe's own permit. 318,564 acres are military land.
What can you hunt in Unit 40A in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 2 deer hunts (500 permits) and 1 bighorn sheep hunt (2 permits) that include Unit 40A. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 40A?
Why is inside the unit. Just outside: Gila Bend (2 miles), Casa Grande (13 miles) and Maricopa (15 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 40A in?
Region 4, run from the Yuma office. It borders Unit 26M, Unit 39 and Unit 40B.
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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.