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Arizona's Mule Deer Breakdown

Arizona's Coues Deer Breakdown

Arizona's Bighorn Sheep Breakdown

Arizona's Bison Breakdown

Arizona's 2026 deer, bighorn sheep, and bison application overview

Note: The online application deadline for Arizona deer, bighorn sheep, and bison is June 2, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ARIZONA time. You can apply online here.

State information

Below you can find important information and an overview of Arizona’s rules/regulations, the draw system, bonus points, tag and license fees, and an interactive boundary line map on our State Profile. Once at the State Profile, you can find even more information on applying in Arizona. You can also view the Arizona mule deer, Coues deer, bighorn sheep, and bison profiles to access historical and statistical data to help you find trophy units.

How to apply

To apply, visit www.azgfd.com/hunting/draw and login to your AZGFD portal account. If you have not created a portal you will need to take the necessary steps to do so. Once inside your portal click on “Apply For A Draw.”

Applicants must possess a valid Arizona hunting license to apply for a hunting permit. That license must be valid on the last day of the application period (June 2, 2026). Check your AZGFD portal account.

Important dates and information

Note: The cost of the permit will only be charged if you are successful in the draw. If you are successful, AZGFD will attempt to charge the card used when you applied. If the card is declined, they will not attempt to contact you. They will move past your application to the next applicant in the queue. Make sure the card you use is current and has the room to accommodate the permit(s) you applied for!

Drought in Arizona

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

Border activity

We regularly get questions about the potential danger of hunting units occurring along the US/Mexico border. If you are hunting north of Interstate 10 there is little to worry about in this regard illegal immigrants or issues related to trafficking. 

If you choose to hunt south of Interstate 10, the odds of having any type of interaction with illegal immigrants is low but not nonexistent. Immigrants and traffickers are very aware of the hunting seasons, and the influx of hunters in the mountains at these times, and do what they can to curb the number of potential interactions they have with people of any kind. 

The bulk of the illegal immigrant movement happens at night. In the daytime, these groups of people are often in the bottom of a canyon or shaded up during the day and trying to remain undetected. They often travel all night and sleep and seek cover during the day. The most common time to have interaction is right at sun up or right at sundown. When hunting early in the morning and just prior to dark, you should be more vigilant of your surroundings. Water sources, wash bottoms, and canyons are potential points of travel and contact. Water sources can offer great ambush deer hunting opportunities but the chance of an encounter with immigrants goes up. When you are hiking, stay on the ridgebacks and, if you cross a canyon, don’t travel down it or up it for long distances if you can avoid it. Always have a satellite messaging device and be aware of your surroundings. If you are truck camping and day hunting from a vehicle it may pay to leave some water and food outside the vehicle to deter break ins. Also, cover or remove any gear left inside your vehicle. The odds of having an interaction are low, but be prepared and be aware of your surroundings at all times. Should you have an encounter, keep a cool head, remain calm, and alert border patrol as soon as you can safely do so.

The Arizona draw system

Arizona has a bonus point hybrid draw system where 20% of the deer permits are allocated to the applicants who apply with the most points for any given hunt, and the remaining 80% of the permits are randomly allocated, with weight given to the number of bonus points you have. In essence, the more bonus points you have, the more chances you get in the draw. For example, if I have 11 bonus points, then I have 12 chances in the random draw (one for each bonus point I have, plus one for this year’s application). Nonresidents are limited to no more than 10% of the total permits for each hunt code for antlered deer. Out of that 10%, up to 5% can be allocated to hunters in the bonus pass. [Bonus pass is the process that awards permits to maximum point holders.] After that, the remaining 5% can be allocated to nonresidents in the random pass (second pass).

For bighorn sheep and bison, 20% of the total number of permits statewide are reserved for maximum point applicants. Nonresidents are issued up to 10% of the total statewide bighorn sheep and bison permits and no more than 50% per hunt code. Up to one nonresident permit can be awarded if a hunt offers two or three permits. If a hunt has four or more permits, two could be awarded to nonresidents. Be aware that nonresidents can apply for hunts that only have one permit, but are not eligible to draw. For nonresidents, make sure you apply for hunts that have more than one permit available. Hunters may only harvest one desert bighorn sheep, one Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and one bison in their lifetime in Arizona.

Bonus Points

Bonus points are species-specific. Applicants gain one bonus point for any species they apply for and are unsuccessful in the draw. You can also apply for points only, but Arizona allocates a portion of the permits randomly in the draw, so we highly recommend applicants apply for hunts. The only reason that an applicant should apply for points only is if they cannot afford the time off to hunt or the money for the permit. 

Arizona also offers two more options to gain extra bonus points. One is to apply for five consecutive years. In this case, you will be awarded a “loyalty bonus point” which is an extra bonus point. This point will remain as long as you continue to apply. If you miss a year of applying, that loyalty point will be purged. The other is the “hunter’s education point.”. Applicants can complete an AZGFD approved hunter’s education course in person in Arizona or they can pay to take the online course. The online course fee for nonresidents is $300, and $150 for residents. Applicants must be 18 or older to take the class. In this case, a permanent bonus point will be awarded for every species for life. 

If an applicant does not apply for five consecutive years for any given species, the bonus points for that species will be purged. If an applicant draws any of their hunt choices, all points will be purged, except for the loyalty and hunter education points (if the applicant had those).

Hunt choices

Applicants can apply for up to five hunt choices on their application. Only your first and second choice are considered before moving to the next application. This means an applicant's third, fourth, and fifth choices will only be considered if there are leftover permits after every applicant has had their first and second choices on their application considered. Be aware that if you draw any of your choices, your points will be purged. For that reason, we advise applicants to only include first and second choices unless they are willing to burn points on the types of hunts that make it to the leftover list. Bonus points will not be impacted if you obtain a leftover deer permit in the first-come, first-served process.

Group applications

Up to four applicants can apply as a group for deer. Nonresidents and residents can apply together on a group application. Bonus points for the group will be averaged and rounded to the nearest whole number (rounded up if equal to 0.5 or greater). If a group application is successful in the draw, all members of the group will receive a permit provided there are enough permits to cover the group. Nonresident permits come out of the nonresident quota. Arizona will not over-allocate the permit quota to accommodate a group application. This means if a group of two applicants was selected and there was only one permit remaining in the draw, that application would be unsuccessful and they would move to the next single applicant.

Youth and mentoring opportunities

Youth can apply for and hunt big game in Arizona at 10 years old. They must have completed a hunter’s education course and purchased an Arizona hunting license. That license is only $5 for youth (10 to 17). We highly recommend that you begin to apply and build points for your youth beginning at age 10.

Arizona has a unique program that will allow a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian to transfer a permit they have drawn to their youth (10 to 17). The youth must have a valid hunting license and completed hunter’s education if they are younger than 14.

Arizona also offers youth-only deer permits. The youth-only permits are good opportunities to get your kids in the field. You can explore the hunt odds for these hunts within the standalone draw odds in your Insider Research Platform.

Leftover first-come, first-served permits

After the drawing is complete, all remaining permits for deer are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The leftover permit will be listed online at www.azgfd.gov/hunting under the big game draw section. The process to obtain a leftover permit is different from what it is in other western states. Applicants will need to print and fill out an application with their choices from the leftover list and send that in by mail on or after the determined date, which is typically early July.

Current mule deer herd condition

Arizona offers many units to draw a license and hunt mule deer, but very few of them are managed for trophy quality. Those units that are managed for bigger, older age class bucks are primarily located in the northern part of the state on the famed Arizona Strip and the Kaibab Plateau. Those units are 13A, 13B, 12A and 12B. The 12A and 12B are further divided into subunits and the later hunts are more highly sought after due to the potential to hunt rutting bucks. There is one other unit 3A/3C that can provide a low pressure, fun hunt, with the opportunity to look over a number of bucks, but the trophy potential is not on par with the previously noted units. Overall, because there are so few hunts that are managed for trophy caliber bucks, the draw odds for these hunts are extremely tough. You can review the "Hit List" table below to see what those odds look like. If your goal is to hunt the biggest and best bucks Arizona has to offer, those hunts are your best options when you apply.

In saying that, Arizona is experiencing drought conditions, with the best trophy-producing areas in the northern end of the state being moderately dry and severely dry. The range conditions are not great, certainly not as good as they were the previous year. The Strip is normally dry and can still produce giant bucks. The Kiabab is slightly higher in elevation, and those herds will have wintered well but may lack some of the spring and, more critically, the summer feed to produce a banner year. The antler growth is likely to be average, but in my opinion, it will not be a great year. One factor that is interesting to consider is that Arizona’s ban on trail cameras has improved the anonymity of deer and deer hunting, and a giant buck can pop up without having a crowd of guides and hunters already knowing about it.

The central and southern ends of the state are also suffering from moderate to severe drought. In this portion of the state, the body size and antlers are generally smaller, and those areas can be viewed as more of an opportunity type of hunt rather than providing great trophy potential. It’s not that some great bucks are not taken, but the ones that are, are regularly taken by locals that have ample time to scout and hunt. There are good odds of drawing hunts in the central and southern end of the state. Other decent options include units 23, 1, 27, 8, and perhaps 10.

Overall, Arizona offers both trophy hunts and opportunity hunts, and applicants will have to decide which of those types of hunts they want to pursue. One thing I always suggest is that applicants should apply for hunts in Arizona. I would not suggest applying for points only unless you cannot afford the cost of the permit, should you draw, or you cannot secure the time off to hunt. Where a significant portion of the permits are allocated randomly with the more points you have offering better odds in the random pass of the draw, it’s worth applying. This fall may not be the best antler growth year but the top tier units will still produce and it’s worth applying I believe.

How to uncover hidden gem deer units

Use Filtering so you can search for exactly the type of hunt you are looking for. Sort success rates, percentage of public land, and trophy quality to find a quality hunt that most hunters may not be keying into.

To get started with filtering

The points system

Managing points and expectations

Coues deer and mule deer use the same bonus points pool.

2026 maximum bonus points for deer: 29

Coues hunting draws much more attention from residents than it does from nonresident applicants. While most nonresidents think about Arizona as a trophy-producing mule deer state, in reality, the potential for a trophy Coues buck is much better, with almost any unit in the state having the potential to produce 100”+ bucks. Coues deer populations are generally good, but the drought is starting to negatively impacting populations across the state. AZGF has reduced the number of permits in every unit going into 2026 except for units 6A, 22, 23, and 34A which has fared a bit better in regards to drought. Hopefully, some monsoon rains and winter moisture going into the later months of 2027 will improve range conditions, but time will tell. For now, there are still plenty of opportunities to draw a permit and have a good hunt, but the west definitely needs the moisture.

Most units offer three or four rifle seasons. There are also some muzzleloader seasons in some units. As you review the draw odds, the late seasons are harder to draw and require more bonus points. That is due to the fact that Coues deer are hard to spot during the early seasons prior to the rut. The late hunt dates aren’t typically primetime rut dates, but the bucks are more active, visible, and the temperatures are cooler. Harvest success and trophy potential are better on the late rifle hunt. 

I would also note that as you review the hunt odds, the earliest Oct season in many cases is more sought after than the mid-seasons. The first rifle season is hot, but it does give rifle hunters the first chance in the field. If you can scout hard and find a great buck, the early season is a great chance to kill that buck when the home range is smaller, and deer are more reliant on water. Harvest success is also higher on the early hunt when compared to the mid-season hunts. Oct is a challenging time to hunt southern Arizona, but it’s worth considering. 

As stated, Coues populations are good, and hunting these small desert deer is a lot of fun. There are very few quality mule deer areas in the state, but Coues deer opportunities are plentiful. Applicants that have been chasing trophy caliber mule deer units might consider switching to a quality Coues deer hunt. Even applicants that have relatively few points might consider applying for Coues deer. Coues are unique, and hunting them is challenging. There is a reason why so many residents are fanatical about Coues hunting; perhaps more nonresidents should consider using their points there rather than waiting for a permit that they may never draw for mule deer.

How to uncover hidden gem units

Using Filtering and Draw Odds, you’ll be able to study additional information like trophy potential and success rates to narrow down where you would like to hunt. If you want to hunt Coues deer every year, you can. In the table below, we offer hunts that were drawn with no points and have harvest success rates greater than 20%. In addition, there are many hunts that can be drawn that have slightly lower harvest success rates.

The highest hurdle is actually drawing a permit, and, if you look at the odds for every hunt in the state, the outlook is bleak to say the least. At this point, most of us will never be guaranteed a chance to draw, but with permits being randomly allocated, I think it’s definitely worth applying. As noted in the draw system portion of this article, 20% of the total number of permits statewide are reserved for maximum point applicants, and nonresidents are issued up to 10% of the total statewide bighorn sheep permits. Knowing that, it’s imperative that applicants with fewer than maximum points are aware of the hunts where random permits are regularly drawn. Since 20% of the permits are allocated to applicants with the highest number of bonus points in the bonus pass, the bulk of those bonus pass permits are going to be drawn by residents (there are more residents with more bonus points than nonresidents) in the best trophy units. This means that nearly 90% plus of the bighorn sheep tags that will be drawn by nonresidents will be in the random pass for units that are not top- tier trophy units.  AZGF made some changes going into 2026 that applicants should be aware of. For starters, Unit 15C north had a permit reduction and will not offer a nonresident permit this year. Additional hunts for residents were added in Unit 37A north, and Unit 44A was split into Units 44A west and 44A east. Units 40B Tinajas, 41E, and 44B south also split hunt dates into an additional season to reduce the pressure. Units 41 West, 43A, and 45C all saw slight permit increases.

Harvest success and trophy potential are very good throughout the state. If you are lucky enough to get a desert bighorn permit, you have a very good opportunity to look over a good number of rams and harvest a mature animal. If you have fewer than 35 to 36 bonus points as a nonresident, review the table below for good and best option hunts to apply for. The hunts listed as worst, are hunts that regularly do not allocate a random permit because the permits are allocated in the bonus draw. Arizona is conservative with the number of permits they allocate, but the trade-off is that the trophy potential and opportunity to harvest are unmatched. The odds of drawing are horrific, but for the $15 application fee and a random chance to draw, I believe applicants should apply. 

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep populations are much lower than desert sheep. As such, the permit numbers are much lower. On the other hand, trophy potential is phenomenal, with every unit offering the opportunity at a ram north of 170” plus. Many units produce rams in the 180” class. As is the case with desert bighorn sheep, applicants with fewer than maximum bonus points should pay attention to the table below that indicates the best hunt options to apply for that historically have drawn random permits.

The GOHUNT hit list units for Arizona Desert bighorn sheep

As previously noted, the best odds of drawing a permit are in areas where the trophy potential is not quite as good. The top-tier units in the state will produce 170” to 180” class rams most years. Those units are also the ones that will require maximum points or all the luck in the world to draw a permit.

Managing bighorn sheep points and expectations

The bighorn sheep point system

Arizona desert bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep use the same bonus points pool.

2026 maximum bonus points for Arizona bighorn sheep: 37

Arizona has two separate application periods for bison, with no mature bull permits being available within this application timeframe. Applicants can apply for bonus points during both timeframes, which is why you see some applicants with as many as 59 bonus points. The bull permits are allocated in the Sept-Oct application. This approaching application is only for designated cow and yearling bison. With 20% of the permits allocated to max point holders, it’s possible that the House Rock and Raymond Wildlife Area permits will not have a random permit available. The number of permits has not yet been determined and released at the time of writing. 

Bison exist in a few areas of Arizona, the Raymond and House Rock Wildlife areas. Both enclosed areas offer hunts for designated cow bison, and Raymond has added two additional designated yearling bison hunts in recent years. The Raymond Wildlife Area is located approximately 20 miles east of Flagstaff, with the herd originally established in 1945. Up to 1972, the herd was hunted within corrals. From 1982 to 2020, the department guided hunters who had permits for the area. In 2021, a new hunt strategy was implemented.

The House Rock population was introduced between 1906 and 1909 to the Kaibab area. In 1927, they were first hunted in that area, and in 1950, they established the House Rock Wildlife Area. In 1972, bison were hunted on open range or corrals, and in 1982, open public hunts were implemented in House Rock, WA. In the early 1990s, bison began moving into the Grand Canyon National Park and have since occupied the park primarily spending 90-95% of their time within Park boundaries. In 2021, a new hunt strategy was implemented. 

The designated cow and yearling bison hunts on the Raymond and House Rock Wildlife Areas are controlled and are typically one-day hunts. The other opportunity is within units 12A, 12B, and 13A, which is considered the Kiabab Plateau for adult cow bison. This hunt is very different from the designated hunts on the Wildlife Areas. The herd within 12A, 12B, and 13A resides mostly within the National Park boundaries and can be very tough, with ample research and intel of where and when bison may drift out of the park. When water is abundant within the park, bison rarely ever leave, and harvest success rates have fluctuated. A guide will improve your chances of harvesting if you decide to apply for and draw a permit on the Kiabab Plateau area. This year, there will be some changes in the House Rock Wildlife Area. One cow hunt was removed, and the others had permit reductions, so there will only be one permit, which is unavailable to nonresidents.

Unit 5A/5B will have two designated cow bison hunts with 2 permits for each hunt. That same unit will have three designated yearling bison hunts with 2 permits for each hunt. The House Rock Wildlife Area will have two designated cow bison hunts with only one permit per each. It will also have two designated yearly bison hunts with two permits each. Unit 12A/12B/13A (excluding the closure area within House Rock) will have twelve cow bison permits. The Kiabab area hunt will issue 10, 5, and 5 permits on the three hunt dates. Draw odds for all of the hunts are low, less than 1% for all hunts through 19 bonus points. Given the odds to draw a bison permit of any kind are low and the cost of the permit is quite high, applicants will need to decide if it’s worth applying. If a bison is on your lifetime list and you apply in Arizona for other species, it’s worth adding your application for the minimal $15 application fee. Just be aware that if you have less than max points, the best option to potentially draw is on the Kiabab units, and harvest opportunities can be hit and miss.