Unit 16A, Arizona

The unit covers approximately 2,469 square miles with elevations ranging from about 1,000 feet along the Bill Williams River bottom to 8,417 feet in the Hualapai Mountains. Terrain ranges from flat sandy desert washes and low rolling hills in the valleys to steep, rugged canyon country in the isolated mountain ranges — the Hualapai, Mohave, Rawhide, Poachie, McCracken, Aubrey Peak, Arrastra, and Artillery Mountains. About 80 percent of the public-land acreage has slopes at or below 21 degrees; the Hualapai high country is notably steep with thick brush.

Unit 16A is bounded by I-40 from Kingman (Exit 48) west to US Hwy 95 (Exit 9), south on US 95 to the Bill Williams River, east along the Bill Williams and Santa Maria Rivers to US 93, then north on US 93 back to I-40 (Exit 71). Approximately 80.8 percent of the unit is public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Arizona State Trust; the remainder is a checkerboard of private ranch land. The Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge has portions closed to public hunting. Mohave County Park lands within the unit are closed to hunting by Commission Order (this closure applies across all species seasons). The Aubrey Peak and Arrastra Mountain Wilderness Areas are foot-and-horse access only; no motorized vehicles. Private ranches requiring hunter sign-in include Cane Springs Ranch (via Blake Ranch Road off US 93) and Bar-S Ranch (via Alamo Road or Chicken Springs Road). Key access routes include US 93 (the main north-south spine), Blake Ranch Road, Alamo Road, Planet Ranch Road, Chicken Springs Ranch Road, Franconia Road, and Flag Mine Road. Four-wheel-drive is recommended for interior access. Developed campgrounds include Burro Creek (BLM), Wild Cow Spring, and Hualapai Mountain County Park; dispersed camping on BLM is widely available. No Prescott National Forest land falls within 16A; land management is exclusively BLM, State Trust, and private. The AZGFD Region III office in Kingman (5325 N. Stockton Hill Road, Kingman AZ 86409; 928-692-7700) is the contact for current road and access conditions.

Lower elevations support Sonoran and Mohave desert scrub — saguaro, prickly pear, creosote, and Joshua tree flats. Foothills carry chaparral, scrub oak, and juniper. The Hualapai Mountains sky island rises through pinyon-juniper and chaparral into dense stands of ponderosa pine, Gambel oak, Douglas fir, white fir, and scattered aspen. Riparian corridors along the Big Sandy, Bill Williams, and Santa Maria Rivers support sycamore, cottonwood, and willow. The variety in cover across more than 7,000 feet of elevation creates high habitat diversity for both desert and montane species.

Mule deer are the primary big game species and are found throughout the unit, with the highest densities in and around the Hualapai Mountains and lower densities in the more remote McCracken and Rawhide Mountains ranges; fawn survival and overall population have been below historical levels in recent years. A small, isolated elk herd — estimated at fewer than 100 animals — occupies the Hualapai Mountains sky island; a portion of the herd resides within the Mohave County Park lands where hunting is prohibited. Desert bighorn sheep inhabit disjunct isolated ranges across the unit; rams in the 150-160 inch class have been documented. Javelina range throughout the unit in habitat supporting dense enough vegetation; densities increase in scrubby terrain and prickly pear flats in the southern portion. Black bears are present in the Hualapai Mountains and surrounding higher country. Mountain lions are present across multiple mountain ranges, particularly the Hualapai Mountains (Zone E, harvest threshold 14, covering 16A/16B/18A/18B). Gambel's quail are found unit-wide with populations tied to winter rainfall; mourning and white-winged dove concentrate near water sources.

1. General deer draw quota of 175 permits is from Hunt 1023 (Oct 23–Nov 1, 2026, 16A excluding Mohave County Park Lands) per the 2026-27 AZGFD regulations PDF, Commission Order 2. The OTC archery harvest limit of 15 antlered mule deer is a separate nonpermit-tag limit. 2. Javelina youth-only general draw (Hunt 5502) season runs Oct 2–Oct 11, 2026 (30 permits). The draft incorrectly stated Nov 20–Nov 29 — that date applies to the muzzleloader companion tag. 3. Bighorn sheep quota of 4 is the combined total of Hunt 6013 (2 permits, 16A north of Big Sandy River) and Hunt 6014 (2 permits shared between 16A south and unit 18B). Pioneer Hunt 6801 covers 16A with 1 permit. 4. Bear OTC archery Aug 21–Sep 10 confirmed; general Oct 2–Dec 31 confirmed; female limit 3 confirmed from 2026 Bear Annual Female Harvest Limits table. 5. Elk seasons are listed in the separate 2026 Elk/Pronghorn Regulations booklet; the fall regs PDF does not include elk draw hunt tables. 6. No turkey, pronghorn, or bison seasons exist for unit 16A. 7. Mohave County Park lands are closed to hunting by Commission Order across all species. Bill Williams NWR prohibits hunting. 8. The closure referenced in the draft as 'Alamo Wildlife Area (Planet Ranch)' is described in regulations as a ranch requiring hunter sign-in, not a formal wildlife area closure.