Arizona Unit 42: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 42 covers 1,488 square miles, and 66.8% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly BLM (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 3 deer hunts and 1 bighorn sheep hunt here. On the hunts held only in Unit 42, AZGFD's 2025 harvest survey counts 59 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 landBureau of ReclamationMilitary (closed or by permit)City, county and otherUnit 42Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 4 (Yuma), Region 6 (Mesa) |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,488 square miles (952,561 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 66.8% (636,664 acres) |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 3 hunts, 400 permits |
| Bighorn sheep hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 2 permits |
| Towns in and near it | Buckeye, Surprise, Wickenburg, Litchfield Park, El Mirage and Youngtown |
| Highways | US 60, I-10 and AZ 71 |
How much public land is in Unit 42?
66.8% of Unit 42 is public land open to hunting: 636,664 of 952,561 acres. The largest share is BLM, 383,692 acres or 40.3% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 42 |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 383,692 | 40.3% |
| State trust land | 252,290 | 26.5% |
| City, county and other | 30,184 | 3.2% |
| Military (closed or by permit) | 2,591 | 0.3% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 675 | 0.1% |
| AZGFD land | 7 | 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 42 in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 42, 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 42 | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 3 | 2 | 400 | Nov 6 to Nov 15 (hunt 1070) |
| Bighorn sheep | 1 | 0 | 2 | Dec 1 to Dec 31 (hunt 6040) |
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 6040 (Dec 1 to Dec 31, 2 permits, with 44A).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Unit 42?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 42 | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 2025 | 2 | 282 | 59 | 1 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 42. Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the deer page.
Bighorn sheep, 2025: hunt 6036 (42/44A), 2 hunters, 2 rams taken (AZGFD 2025 Bighorn Sheep Harvest Summary).
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 309 archers hunted Unit 42 for 1,871 days and took 23 deer (mule deer bucks 23, whitetail bucks 0) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 42?
Mule deer: 23 classified in 5 groups, 19 bucks and 25 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary.
How do you get to Unit 42?
Highways through the unit: US 60 (about 37 miles inside it), I-10 (about 26 miles inside it) and AZ 71 (about 9 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Buckeye, Surprise, Wickenburg, Aguila, Wittmann and Circle City. Nearby towns: Litchfield Park (6 miles), El Mirage (8 miles), Youngtown (9 miles) and Peoria (9 miles).
Which units border Unit 42?
Unit 42 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 20B | 755 | 83.4% | 3 | ||
| Unit 20C | 759 | 78% | 6 | 3 | |
| Unit 26M | 2,103 | 17.7% | |||
| Unit 41 | 2,835 | 56% | 2 | ||
| Unit 44A | 2,359 | 89.8% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 42?
66.8% of Unit 42 is public land open to hunting, 636,664 of its 952,561 acres; the largest share is BLM at 383,692 acres. 2,591 acres are military land.
What can you hunt in Unit 42 in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 3 deer hunts (400 permits) and 1 bighorn sheep hunt (2 permits) that include Unit 42. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 42?
Buckeye, Surprise and Wickenburg are inside the unit. Just outside: Litchfield Park (6 miles), El Mirage (8 miles) and Youngtown (9 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 42 in?
AZGFD lists Unit 42 in Regions 4 and 6. It borders Unit 20B, Unit 20C, Unit 26M, Unit 41 and Unit 44A.
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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 4 Region 6 Unit 20B Unit 20C Unit 26M Unit 41 Unit 44A