Unit 12A, Arizona

The Kaibab Plateau rises from approximately 3,000 feet in the western canyon country near Kanab Creek to a high point of 9,200 feet on the main plateau. The central plateau sits mostly between 6,000 and 9,200 feet and is a broad, forested tableland. The western reaches drop steeply into narrow drainages and large canyon systems — including Kanab Creek Canyon — that descend toward the Arizona Strip lowlands. The eastern boundary falls into House Rock Valley. The overall unit totals approximately 1,017 square miles (650,993 acres). Winter snowpack on the high plateau can reach 8 to 10 feet, and numerous springs and sinkholes are the primary natural water sources across the forested plateau top.

Vegetation is strongly elevation-driven. The high plateau (above roughly 7,500 feet) supports dense ponderosa pine, aspen, Engelmann spruce, Douglas fir, and blue spruce with grassy meadow parks; post-fire burns have created stands of young aspen, forbs, and grasses that are heavily used by deer and turkey. Mid-elevation slopes transition into Gambel oak, pinyon pine, and juniper with cliffrose, bitterbrush, and scattered sagebrush. The western canyon country and lower terraces below approximately 5,000 feet are open desert scrub of sagebrush, cliffrose, and rocky rim country. Riparian corridors follow Kanab Creek and its tributaries in the western portion.

Mule deer are the dominant big-game species and the primary draw for hunters; the Kaibab herd is world-renowned for large-antlered bucks and is managed under an Alternative Management framework. Unit 12AW holds the highest deer density of any Alternative Management unit in Arizona; 12AE holds the state's only recognized migratory mule deer herd, which moves to lower canyon-country winter range. A small, transient elk population occupies the unit, with animals occasionally moving south from southern Utah; elk are present at low densities and hunting opportunity is limited. Free-ranging bison from a herd estimated at approximately 300–400 animals (managed toward a goal of under 200 by Grand Canyon National Park, AZGFD, and Kaibab National Forest) spend most of their time within adjacent Grand Canyon National Park but regularly venture onto National Forest lands; bison densities within huntable areas are unpredictable and can be very low. Merriam's turkey populations are among the highest in Arizona, concentrated in the ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests. Mountain lions maintain a resident and migratory population; OTC lion tags are available and approximately a dozen lions are taken annually. The Kaibab squirrel — an endemic subspecies of the Abert's squirrel (Sciurus aberti kaibabensis) found only on the Kaibab Plateau — is present throughout ponderosa pine stands on the North Rim and in Kaibab National Forest. Pronghorn antelope are present in the unit's more open areas. Blue (dusky) grouse occupy mixed-conifer habitat zones at higher elevations.