Unit 26M, Arizona

Low desert terrain and foothills with elevations ranging from approximately 1,000 to 4,000 feet. The landscape is characterized by flat desert plains cut by braided washes and alluvial fans, with scattered low mountain ranges and regional parks providing the most rugged topography. The Gila River Indian Community Reservation occupies a significant central corridor through the unit.

The unit is bounded and crossed by major highways including I-10, I-17, US-60, US-93, and Arizona State Routes 74, 79, 84, 85, 87, 287, and 347. Public hunting access is heavily constrained — approximately 81% of the unit is private land. Key publicly accessible areas opened by Commission Order (Note 18) for archery-only seasons include: Lake Pleasant Regional Park (north of Peoria via AZ-74), White Tank Mountain Regional Park (west of Phoenix via Olive Ave), Estrella Mountain Regional Park (southwest Phoenix via Bullard Ave), Buckeye Hills Regional Park (I-10 west then north on Miller Rd), McDowell Mountain Regional Park (northeast of Scottsdale via McDowell Mountain Road), McDowell Sonoran Preserve (Scottsdale, multiple trailhead access points), and portions of Skyline Regional Park (Back Country designated areas only — contact AZGFD Mesa Regional Office or City of Buckeye for area maps). Hunting in these parks and preserves is NOT permitted within 1/4 mile of any developed picnic area, developed campground, shooting range, occupied building, boat ramp, or golf course (developed areas do not include trails). Two specific closure areas apply within 26M: Note 16 (private lands just north of Cave Creek in Sections 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15, T6N R4E) and Note 17 (unincorporated portion of Queen Creek in Pinal County, Sections 5, 7, 8, and 18, T3S R8E). The deer table also specifically excludes Cave Creek Recreation Area from the open area. The Gila River Indian Community Reservation is sovereign tribal land — hunting is not permitted without tribal authorization. BLM manages limited dispersed public land within the unit (approximately 2% of unit area); no BLM campgrounds or designated recreation areas are present within the unit core. No National Forest land falls within 26M. Statewide regulation Note 4 prohibits discharge of a bow within 1/4 mile of any occupied farmhouse, cabin, lodge, or other structure without permission of the owner.

Lower Sonoran Desert dominates, with creosote bush, mesquite, palo verde, saguaro and other cacti forming the primary cover. Braided desert washes provide riparian corridors of cottonwood, willow, and mesquite bosque that concentrate wildlife. Agricultural lands producing cotton and grain crops occupy the southern portion around Casa Grande and Eloy. Canal systems and stock tanks provide water sources across the unit.

Mule deer inhabit the unit's desert washes, riparian corridors, and the foothills around the regional parks; mature bucks are few given the fragmented urban landscape. Javelina (collared peccary) are broadly distributed throughout the Sonoran Desert habitat and are numerous, particularly in the park preserves and mesquite/cactus corridors. Mountain lion range through the unit following deer and javelina into the regional park mountain ranges; the unit is in Zone J (harvest threshold 54, covering Units 21/22/23/24A/24B/25M/26M) for statewide quota management and is open archery-only. Gambel's quail are common throughout. Mourning and white-winged doves use agricultural fields and desert washes, particularly in the southern agricultural zone. Coyote, bobcat, and other predatory and fur-bearing mammals are present; the general (firearms) predator/fur-bearer season excludes Units 11M, 25M, 26M, and 38M — only shotgun-shooting-shot and archery methods apply under special restrictions. No elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, wild turkey, or black bear hunting is offered in this unit.

1. Unit 26M is an Arizona Metro Unit covering the Phoenix metro and surrounding developed desert. No elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, wild turkey, or black bear hunts are offered. 2. The 19% public land figure is from HuntScore/GoHunt aggregated data (81% private, ~2% BLM). The AZGFD unit page returned HTTP 403. 3. Deer season for 26M is Dec–Jan ONLY (no Aug/Sep season) per 2026-2027 regulations, Commission Order 2 table. Harvest limit is 30 antlered deer. 4. Mountain lion is archery-only in 26M — the general firearms season explicitly excludes this unit. Zone J threshold = 54 (shared with Units 21/22/23/24A/24B/25M). 5. Note 16 closes private lands in Sections 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 of T6N R4E (Cave Creek area) to all hunting. Note 17 closes unincorporated Queen Creek in Pinal County (Sections 5, 7, 8, 18 of T3S R8E) to all hunting. Note 18 opens listed Maricopa County parks/preserves for archery-only seasons with 1/4-mile buffer from developed areas. 6. General and shotgun-only predator/fur-bearer seasons exclude 26M per Commission Order 13. 7. Specific hunter success rates and annual harvest totals for 26M are not publicly reported in sources accessed; AZGFD harvest data available at azgfd.gov/surveydata.