Arizona Unit 43A: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 43A covers 942 square miles, and 39.7% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly BLM (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 1 deer hunt 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 landAZGFD landNational wildlife refugeBureau of ReclamationMilitary (closed or by permit)Tribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 43ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 4 (Yuma) |
|---|---|
| Size | 942 square miles (602,925 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 39.7% (239,493 acres) |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 450 permits |
| Bighorn sheep hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 3 permits |
| AZGFD wildlife areas | Cibola Valley Conservation and |
| Towns in and near it | La Paz Valley, Cibola, Ehrenberg, Quartzsite, Parker and Lake Havasu City |
| Highways | US 95, I-10, US 60 and AZ 1 |
How much public land is in Unit 43A?
39.7% of Unit 43A is public land open to hunting: 239,493 of 602,925 acres. The largest share is BLM, 200,152 acres or 33.2% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 43A |
|---|---|---|
| Tribal land (tribal permit) | 233,168 | 38.7% |
| BLM | 200,152 | 33.2% |
| Military (closed or by permit) | 102,844 | 17.1% |
| State trust land | 27,576 | 4.6% |
| National wildlife refuge | 10,286 | 1.7% |
| AZGFD land | 1,132 | 0.2% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 347 | 0.1% |
| City, county and other | 5 | 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 43A in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 43A, 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 43A | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 1 | 0 | 450 | Nov 6 to Nov 15 (hunt 1071) |
| Bighorn sheep | 1 | 1 | 3 | Dec 1 to Dec 31 (hunt 6041) |
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 6041 (Dec 1 to Dec 31, 3 permits).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Unit 43A?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 43A | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 2025 | 0 | 1 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 43A. Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the deer page.
Bighorn sheep, 2025: hunt 6037 (43A), 2 hunters, 2 rams taken (AZGFD 2025 Bighorn Sheep Harvest Summary).
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 34 archers hunted Unit 43A for 228 days and took 7 deer (mule deer bucks 7, whitetail bucks 0) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 43A?
Mule deer: 24 classified in 8 groups, 12 bucks and 29 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary.
Which AZGFD wildlife areas are in Unit 43A?
Cibola Valley Conservation and Wildlife Area (1,300 acres inside the unit).
How do you get to Unit 43A?
Highways through the unit: US 95 (about 38 miles inside it), I-10 (about 21 miles inside it), US 60 (about 21 miles inside it), AZ 1 (about 17 miles inside it) and AZ 21 (about 15 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: La Paz Valley, Cibola, Ehrenberg, Cienega Springs, Bluewater and Poston. Nearby towns: Quartzsite (on the line), Parker (2 miles) and Lake Havasu City (17 miles).
Which units border Unit 43A?
Unit 43A touches 7 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 16A | 2,470 | 80.1% | 2 | 2 | |
| Unit 16B | 129 | 74.8% | |||
| Unit 43B | 859 | 19.9% | 1 | ||
| Unit 44A | 2,359 | 89.8% | 1 | ||
| Unit 44B | 639 | 88.9% | 1 | ||
| Unit 45A | 322 | 99.9% | 1 | ||
| Unit 45C | 301 | 99.8% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 43A?
39.7% of Unit 43A is public land open to hunting, 239,493 of its 602,925 acres; the largest share is BLM at 200,152 acres. 233,168 acres are tribal land, which needs the tribe's own permit. 102,844 acres are military land.
What can you hunt in Unit 43A in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 1 deer hunt (450 permits) and 1 bighorn sheep hunt (3 permits) that include Unit 43A. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 43A?
La Paz Valley, Cibola and Ehrenberg are inside the unit. Just outside: Quartzsite (on the line), Parker (2 miles) and Lake Havasu City (17 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 43A in?
Region 4, run from the Yuma office. It borders Unit 16A, Unit 16B, Unit 43B, Unit 44A, Unit 44B, Unit 45A and Unit 45C.
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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 Unit 16A Unit 16B Unit 43B Unit 44A Unit 44B Unit 45A Unit 45C