Hunting in Arizona

When you hunt in Arizona you will immerse yourself in stunning scenery, deserts, mesas, and rugged mountain ranges. Southern Arizona is primarily desert, while the northern part of the state is a mix of mountain ranges, pine forests, plateaus, and canyons. Arizona has excellent big-game hunting, with ten huntable species, including pronghorn antelope, black bears, bison, desert bighorn sheep, elk, javelina, Merriam turkeys, Gould’s turkeys, mountain lions, mule deer, and Coues white-tailed deer. The world-record typical elk, which scored 442 5/8 B&C points, came from Arizona. Bird hunting is also outstanding in Arizona, which has three species of quail (Gambel’s, scaled, and Mearns’), mourning doves, white-winged doves, Eurasian collard doves, band-tailed pigeons, blue grouse, and a wide variety of ducks and geese. Most of Arizona’s big-game hunting licenses are allocated through a draw system. The number of permits available per species are determined and adjusted annually from the results of surveys and studies. To apply for a hunt permit, or tag, an application must be submitted during the drawing period, so planning ahead is important for hunting in Arizona. There are also a few hunting permits available over the counter in Arizona, including archery deer hunts in some units and mountain lions and bears in some areas. Learn more about Arizona’s hunting regulations and how to apply for a license at the Arizona Game & Fish Department website: https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/.