Unit 2A, Arizona

Generally flat to gently rolling high-desert plateau with low ridgelines, draws, and badland features; elevation ranges from approximately 5,000 to 6,500 feet above sea level. The landscape is part of the Colorado Plateau physiographic province.

Primary paved access: US-191/AZ-61 forms the eastern boundary through St. Johns; US-180 runs along the southern boundary; AZ-77 and I-40 define the western and northwestern edges near Holbrook. Interior unpaved access: Apache County Road 7230 from US-191 (near milepost 345) and Apache County Road 6390 from US-180 (near milepost 355). Public land is roughly 42 percent of the unit in a classic checkerboard pattern — alternating sections of BLM, State Trust, private, and tribal lands. Many BLM and State Trust sections are landlocked by private holdings, requiring written landowner permission before crossing. Petrified Forest National Park (western/northern interior) is completely closed to hunting. Approximately 15 sections of Zuni Tribe reservation land around Stinking Springs Mountain are not open to state permit hunting. The northeast portion borders the Navajo Nation New Lands (Navajo Reservation extension), which is also closed to state permit hunting. Off-road vehicle use is prohibited on BLM and State Trust lands. Four-wheel drive recommended in wet conditions. No National Forest land is within the unit. BLM contacts: Phoenix Field Office (602) 417-9200; Safford Field Office (928) 348-4400. AZGFD Pinetop Regional Office: (928) 367-4281.

Roughly half desert grassland and half open pinyon-juniper woodland and sagebrush flats, characteristic of Great Basin/Colorado Plateau steppe. Riparian corridors follow Zuni Wash, Hardscrabble Wash, and the Little Colorado River. No ponderosa pine or chaparral present at these elevations.

Pronghorn are the primary big-game species with higher densities in the western half of the unit south of Petrified Forest NP toward Highways 61 and 180. Mule deer are present at very low density with scattered pockets of higher concentration between the central ridgeline and US-191 and in southern drainages. Elk occur in low numbers in non-traditional habitat — mostly in northern juniper stands — and the unit is managed under limited-opportunity protocols (AZGFD Note 59: hunt success may be very low to no success). Black bear are present at huntable but low densities. Javelina occur throughout brushier desert scrub areas. Mexican wolves may be present and are federally protected. No documented turkey population in the unit.

1. Pronghorn hunt corrected to Hunt 2002 (not 2004); 15 permits confirmed from 2026 pronghorn draw regulations. 2. Elk tag quota of 260 is the combined 2A+2B total across all limited-opportunity draw hunts: antlerless (3077: 65, 3078: 60, 3079: 40 = 165) plus any-elk (3088: 35, 3089: 35, 3090: 25 = 95); AZGFD does not publish 2A-only splits. 3. Mule deer Hunt 1002 quota of 40 covers Units 2A, 2B, and 2C combined; 2A-only quota not published separately. 4. Bear archery season has two windows: Aug 14-20 and Aug 21-Sep 10, each with a 10-female harvest limit; annual combined limit for units 1/2A/2B/2C/27 is 62. 5. Hunter success rates and reported harvest totals for individual hunts in Unit 2A could not be sourced from publicly available 2024-2025 AZGFD harvest reports. 6. No turkey, bighorn sheep, bison, or white-tailed deer hunts are offered in Unit 2A. 7. Mexican wolves are federally protected and may be present; CWD surveillance encouraged for harvested deer and elk.