Arizona Unit 7: public land, hunts and harvest
Arizona's game management Unit 7 covers 1,390 square miles, and 75.4% of it is public land open to hunting, mostly national forest (measured from USGS PAD-US). AZGFD's 2026 hunt lists open 16 elk hunts, 3 deer hunts, 2 pronghorn hunts and 1 turkey hunt here. On the hunts held only in Unit 7, AZGFD's latest harvest surveys count 760 elk (2025), 211 deer (2021) and 34 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 landNational park or monument (no hunting)Tribal land (tribal permit)City, county and otherUnit 7Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| AZGFD region | Region 2 (Flagstaff) |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,390 square miles (889,461 acres) |
| Public land open to hunting | 75.4% (670,949 acres) |
| Elk hunts, 2026 | 16 hunts, 2,725 permits |
| Deer hunts, 2026 | 3 hunts, 1,250 permits |
| Pronghorn hunts, 2026 | 2 hunts, 50 permits |
| Turkey (fall) hunts, 2026 | 1 hunt, 100 permits |
| AZGFD wildlife areas | Lamar Haines |
| Towns in and near it | Parks, Fort Valley, Williams and Flagstaff |
| Highways | US 180, US 89, I-40 and AZ 64 |
How much public land is in Unit 7?
75.4% of Unit 7 is public land open to hunting: 670,949 of 889,461 acres. The largest share is national forest, 508,678 acres or 57.2% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Unit 7 |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 508,678 | 57.2% |
| State trust land | 159,773 | 18% |
| National park or monument (no hunting) | 38,480 | 4.3% |
| Tribal land (tribal permit) | 3,035 | 0.3% |
| BLM | 2,343 | 0.3% |
| City, county and other | 189 | under 0.1% |
| AZGFD land | 155 | 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: Coconino National Forest, Kaibab National Forest.
What can you hunt in Unit 7 in 2026?
Draw hunts that include Unit 7, 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 7 | Permits | Earliest season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 16 | 16 | 2,725 | Sep 11 to Sep 24 (hunt 3136) |
| Deer | 3 | 0 | 1,250 | Oct 23 to Oct 29 (hunt 1180) |
| Pronghorn | 2 | 2 | 50 | Aug 21 to Sep 3 (hunt 2047) |
| Turkey (fall) | 1 | 1 | 100 | Oct 2 to Oct 8 (hunt 4508) |
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 7?
| Species | Year | Hunts only in Unit 7 | Hunters | Taken | Shared hunts that included it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | 2025 | 17 | 2,109 | 760 | 0 |
| Deer | 2025 | 0 | 2 | ||
| Pronghorn | 2025 | 2 | 39 | 34 | 0 |
Sums of AZGFD's per-hunt figures for the hunts held only in Unit 7. 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.
Over-the-counter archery deer, 2024: AZGFD estimates 986 archers hunted Unit 7 for 6,164 days and took 97 deer (mule deer bucks 97, whitetail bucks 0) (AZGFD 2024 Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Harvest Summary).
What did AZGFD's 2025 surveys count in Unit 7?
Elk (survey area 7E): 101 classified in 13 groups, 100 bulls and 92 young per 100 cows. Elk (survey area 7W): 435 classified in 38 groups, 48 bulls and 18 young per 100 cows. Pronghorn: 163 classified in 22 groups, 48 bucks and 21 young per 100 does.
Source: AZGFD 2025 Elk Survey Summary, AZGFD 2025 Pronghorn Survey Summary.
Which AZGFD wildlife areas are in Unit 7?
Lamar Haines Wildlife Area (155 acres inside the unit).
How do you get to Unit 7?
Highways through the unit: US 180 (about 37 miles inside it), US 89 (about 29 miles inside it), I-40 (about 16 miles inside it) and AZ 64 (about 14 miles inside it). Towns and places inside: Parks and Fort Valley. Nearby towns: Williams (2 miles) and Flagstaff (7 miles).
Which units border Unit 7?
Unit 7 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 4A | 754 | 62.7% | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Unit 5B | 810 | 83.6% | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| Unit 6B | 404 | 84.1% | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Unit 8 | 644 | 94.9% | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Unit 9 | 1,066 | 76.5% | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Unit 10 | 2,252 | 39.3% | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| Unit 11M | 281 | 74.2% | 4 | 4 | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Arizona Unit 7?
75.4% of Unit 7 is public land open to hunting, 670,949 of its 889,461 acres; the largest share is national forest at 508,678 acres. 3,035 acres are tribal land, which needs the tribe's own permit.
What can you hunt in Unit 7 in 2026?
AZGFD's 2026 draw lists 16 elk hunts (2,725 permits), 3 deer hunts (1,250 permits), 2 pronghorn hunts (50 permits) and 1 turkey (fall) hunt (100 permits) that include Unit 7. Over-the-counter seasons are set statewide in AZGFD's regulations.
What is the closest town to Unit 7?
Parks and Fort Valley are inside the unit. Just outside: Williams (2 miles) and Flagstaff (7 miles).
Which AZGFD region is Unit 7 in?
Region 2, run from the Flagstaff office. It borders Unit 4A, Unit 5B, Unit 6B, Unit 8, Unit 9, Unit 10 and Unit 11M.
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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 2 Unit 4A Unit 5B Unit 6B Unit 8 Unit 9 Unit 10 Unit 11M