Unit 43A, Arizona

The unit covers approximately 942 square miles (about 602,610 acres). Elevation ranges from roughly 200 feet in the Colorado River valley and desert basins up to approximately 3,300 feet at Cunningham Mountain in the Dome Rock Mountains (the range's high point) and about 2,770 feet at Mohave Peak in the Trigo Mountains. Terrain is characterized by rugged shale-rock mountains, deep rocky washes, bajadas, and broad flat desert flats. Interstate 10 bisects the Dome Rock Mountains, connecting Ehrenberg on the Colorado River with Quartzsite to the east. The Trigo Mountains form a north-south trending range bordering the Colorado River on its eastern edge; the Trigo Mountains Wilderness (BLM, ~30,300 acres, established 1990) lies within the southern portion of the unit. The Colorado River riparian corridor forms the western edge.

Primary paved access is via Interstate 10 (Ehrenberg exit / Exit 1) and US Highway 95. Key access points: (1) Dome Rock Mountains (north of I-10) — from Quartzsite, take Kofa Avenue north ~1.5 miles then 4 miles toward Marquetta Pass; Diablo Pass and Boyer Gap (from US-95 north) require 4WD; (2) Trigo Peaks — US-95 south from Quartzsite to milepost 82 (Cibola Road), then west ~30 miles through Yuma Proving Ground managed land; (3) Colorado River / Cibola area — Cibola Road west ~45 miles from US-95, or via Blythe, CA and State Route 78. Most interior routes in both mountain ranges require 4WD. The BLM Yuma Field Office administers public lands. The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge lies immediately to the east and southeast. The Cibola National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS) occupies the river corridor and is open to hunting for deer, quail, and waterfowl under refuge-specific regulations. Access exclusions: the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation boundary lies northwest of the Dome Rock Mountains and is closed to public hunting. The Yuma Proving Ground (U.S. Army) encompasses terrain in the southern unit including Trigo Peaks access road — access status can change with military training schedules; verify before hunting. Private holdings exist near Ehrenberg and Cibola. The Trigo Mountains Wilderness (BLM) occupies ~30,300 acres in the southern unit. Public land is approximately 40% of the unit (33% BLM plus minor other federal/state).

Lower Sonoran Desert dominates the unit, with sparse desert scrub vegetation dominated by palo verde, creosote bush, mesquite, ironwood, saguaro cactus, and buckhorn cholla on rocky bajadas and desert flats. Riparian corridor habitat along the Colorado River and at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge supports dense stands of cottonwood, willow, tamarisk, and tule. Large sandy and rocky washes serve as travel corridors connecting the river to the mountain ranges. There is no ponderosa pine, pinyon-juniper, or sky-island habitat in this unit.

Desert bighorn sheep (Nelson's subspecies) occupy two distinct areas: the Dome Rock Mountains (north and south of I-10, BLM land) and the Trigo Mountains/Trigo Peaks in the southern unit. The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge to the east supports an estimated ~940 desert bighorn sheep (2021 aerial survey) that can range into adjacent unit habitat. Mule deer are the principal big-game species, concentrated along the Colorado River corridor between Ehrenberg and Cibola, including a large herd on the Cibola NWR. Deer use large washes as travel corridors between the river and the desert mountain bases; scouting from high points overlooking wash junctions is productive. Javelina are present in the broader lower Colorado River desert habitat. Gambel's quail inhabit the river corridor and surrounding desert, particularly along Oxbow Road and between Cibola and Ehrenberg. Mourning dove and white-winged dove are seasonally abundant along the Colorado River riparian zone. Waterfowl — ducks, geese, coots — concentrate at Cibola NWR and Cibola Lake, which support some of Arizona's best waterfowl hunting. Mountain lion and coyote are present. No elk, pronghorn, turkey, or white-tailed deer habitat exists in this unit.

Elevation corrected: Dome Rock Mountains high point is Cunningham Mountain at 3,314 ft; Trigo Mountains high point is Mohave Peak at 2,771 ft. Draft figure of ~2,500 ft was understated.,Bighorn subspecies: Nelson's desert bighorn (Ovis canadensis nelsoni), the appropriate subspecies for western AZ below the Bill Williams River. HuntScore incorrectly labels this unit as Rocky Mountain bighorn.,Trigo Mountains Wilderness (BLM, ~30,300 acres, est. 1990) IS within the unit — draft claim of no designated wilderness areas was incorrect and has been removed.,Kofa NWR bighorn population: 2021 aerial survey estimated ~941 animals. Draft claim of over 1,000 was slightly overstated.,Cibola NWR hunting: confirmed for waterfowl (ducks, geese, coots), quail, and deer. Dove hunting at the refuge was not confirmed in available sources and has been removed from access_land text.,Mule deer tag quota (450) and harvest data from 2019 combined hunt 1072 (43A/43B/44A/44B); 2026 standalone 43A quota not confirmed.,Bighorn sheep draw odds (2 permits, hunt 6037, Dec 1–31) from 2025 draw; tag increase confirmed for 2026 but exact quota not publicly confirmed.,Source URLs: Four draft sources all pointed to the same Bighorn Sheep draw odds PDF — those were likely placeholder errors and have been replaced with appropriate verified sources.,Public land pct: 40% is the HuntScore figure (33% BLM + minor other federal). GoHunt reports 59.2% which likely includes all federal/state categories. Conservative 40% retained.,General season dates cited are 2019 historical; 2026 dates require verification against current AZGFD Commission Order 2 / hunt proclamation.