Unit 2B, Arizona

Mostly flat to gently rolling high-desert plateau at 6,000–7,000 feet elevation, with scattered hills and shallow draws. The terrain is generally not strenuous; slopes are predominantly 15 degrees or less. The unit is approximately 823 square miles (526,803 acres) in Apache County. Four-wheel-drive vehicles recommended on muddy roads.

The unit is bounded by US Highway 60 (south), US Highway 191/AZ Highway 61 (west), the Arizona–New Mexico state line (east), and the Navajo Nation boundary (north). Interior access is primarily off-road. Key access roads include Apache County Road 4003 from US-60 near milepost 396; ACR 6001 from ACR 6040 east of St. Johns toward New Mexico; ACR 6268 from US-191 near milepost 327; and Salt Lake Road, which runs easterly from St. Johns and serves as the primary interior corridor. Access from US-191 on the west side is nearly absent. Land ownership is a checkerboard of Arizona State Trust land, BLM (approximately 5% of total unit area), and private property throughout most of the unit. Hunting is legal on BLM and State Trust parcels, but many are landlocked by private land requiring landowner permission to reach. The northern portion has been further restricted by recent subdivision activity. Off-road vehicle use (including ATVs) is prohibited on State and BLM lands; OHV decals are required for vehicles under 1,800 lbs. The Pinetop AZGFD regional office (928-367-4281) handles management. Nearest services: Springerville, St. Johns, and Concho. No designated wilderness areas or National Forest lands are within the unit.

Roughly 80 percent high-desert grasslands and sagebrush; the remaining approximately 20 percent is pinyon-juniper woodland. No ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, or riparian woodland components are documented within this unit. The open grasslands provide classic pronghorn antelope habitat. The southern corridor between Salt Lake Road and US-60 has the highest game concentrations.

Pronghorn antelope are the dominant big game species and occupy open grassland habitat throughout the unit, with the highest concentrations in the southern area between Salt Lake Road and US-60; northern areas have lower pronghorn density. Elk are present in very low numbers; the unit participates in AZGFD limited-opportunity and depredation management hunts (combined with adjacent units, historically 2A/2B) aimed at population reduction rather than trophy production; elk concentrate in the southern portion near agricultural areas. Mule deer occur at very low densities with few areas of higher concentration; the northern section historically held slightly better deer numbers. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are listed as present by GoHunt unit data but no active hunt data has been confirmed for GMU 2B specifically. Black bears and mountain lions may occasionally move through but are not identified as target species. No javelina habitat is documented (elevation too high, no desert scrub). Merriam's turkey are not confirmed for this unit.

1. PRONGHORN QUOTA: The 5-permit figure is sourced from a secondary summary; it could not be independently verified against the official 2026 AZGFD PDF (PDF returned binary/logo data). Treat as low-confidence. 2. ELK COMBINED UNITS: HuntNowArizona references a combined 2A/2B limited-opportunity elk structure. The draft's claim of a Hunt 3126 combining Units 1/2B/2C with 225 permits was not confirmed by any directly accessible source and has been removed. Confirm current combined-unit structure in the official draw booklet. 3. MULE DEER DATES: Season dates removed from fields where they could not be confirmed from accessible sources; ranges noted as approximate. 4. BIGHORN SHEEP: Listed as present by GoHunt; no active hunt data confirmed for GMU 2B. 5. BLM LAND: HuntScore data indicates BLM comprises approximately 5% of the unit; the majority of public land is Arizona State Trust. 6. PUBLIC LAND PCT: 56.8% per GoHunt, rounded to 57%.