Arizona Unit 43B: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 43B covers 859 square miles, and 19.9% 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 2 bighorn sheep hunts 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 43BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 4 (Yuma) |
|---|---|
| Size | 859 square miles (550,068 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 19.9% (109,489 acres) |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 450 permits |
| Bighorn sheep hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 10 permits |
| AZGFD wildlife areas | Mittry Lake |
| Towns in and near it | Martinez Lake, Yuma Proving Ground, El Prado Estates, Somerton, Yuma and Wellton |
| Highways | US 95 |
How much public land is in Unit 43B?
19.9% of Unit 43B is public land open to hunting: 109,489 of 550,068 acres. The largest share is BLM, 97,436 acres or 17.7% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 43B |
|---|---|---|
| Military (closed or by permit) | 369,022 | 67.1% |
| BLM | 97,436 | 17.7% |
| State trust land | 8,524 | 1.5% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 2,281 | 0.4% |
| Tribal land (tribal permit) | 2,060 | 0.4% |
| National wildlife refuge | 1,229 | 0.2% |
| City, county and other | 90 | under 0.1% |
| AZGFD land | 19 | 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 43B in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 43B, 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 43B | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 1 | 0 | 450 | Nov 6 to Nov 15 (hunt 1071) |
| Bighorn sheep | 2 | 2 | 10 | Nov 13 to Dec 3 (hunt 6042) |
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 6042 (Nov 13 to Dec 3, 5 permits) and hunt 6043 (Dec 4 to Dec 31, 5 permits).
How many elk, deer and pronghorn are taken in Unit 43B?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 43B | 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 43B. Source: AZGFD 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Each hunt, year by year, is on the deer page.
Bighorn sheep, 2025: hunt 6038 (43B), 4 hunters, 4 rams taken and hunt 6039 (43B), 4 hunters, 4 rams taken (AZGFD 2025 Bighorn Sheep Harvest Summary).
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 27 archers hunted Unit 43B for 161 days and took 3 deer (mule deer bucks 3, whitetail bucks 0) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 43B?
Mule deer: 40 classified in 9 groups, 13 bucks and 61 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Mule Deer Survey Summary.
Which AZGFD wildlife areas are in Unit 43B?
Mittry Lake Wildlife Area (2,901 acres inside the unit).
How do you get to Unit 43B?
Highways through the unit: US 95 (about 22 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Martinez Lake, Yuma Proving Ground, El Prado Estates and Buckshot. Nearby towns: Somerton (8 miles), Yuma (13 miles), Wellton (13 miles) and San Luis (16 miles).
Which units border Unit 43B?
Unit 43B 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 40B | 3,445 | 11.7% | 2 | ||
| Unit 41 | 2,835 | 56% | 2 | ||
| Unit 43A | 942 | 39.7% | 1 | ||
| Unit 45A | 322 | 99.9% | 1 | ||
| Unit 45C | 301 | 99.8% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 43B?
19.9% of Unit 43B is public land open to hunting, 109,489 of its 550,068 acres; the largest share is BLM at 97,436 acres. 2,060 acres are tribal land, which needs the tribe's own permit. 369,022 acres are military land.
What can you hunt in Unit 43B in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 1 deer hunt (450 permits) and 2 bighorn sheep hunts (10 permits) that include Unit 43B. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 43B?
Martinez Lake, Yuma Proving Ground and El Prado Estates are inside the unit. Just outside: Somerton (8 miles), Yuma (13 miles) and Wellton (13 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 43B in?
Region 4, run from the Yuma office. It borders Unit 40B, Unit 41, Unit 43A, 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 40B Unit 41 Unit 43A Unit 45A Unit 45C