The Arizona 2026 hunting regulations and applications regarding elk and antelope are available to view and print online at www.azgfd.gov. The printed regulations should be available by mail the first week of January. Arizona big game applications for elk and antelope must be submitted by Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Successful applicants should have their permits mailed out by April 1st. 

The 2026 Arizona Hunting Regulations and applications for sheep, fall bison, and deer are available online at www.azgfd.gov.www.azgfd.gov. To receive the regulations booklet, contact the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) at 602-942-3000 or download it from their website.

Arizona big game applications for sheep, fall bison, and deer must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Successful applicants should have their permits mailed out by late July. Archery permits will be mailed out earlier. You may check their website for draw results.

The October draw deadline is for spring turkey, javelina, and bison permits. Online applications are due to the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) by Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Arizona Time. You must have a combination hunting and fishing license that is valid through October 6 or later in order to apply. Credit cards must be kept up-to-date to be eligible to draw a tag. This article is focused on bison, javelina, and turkey hunts conducted in the spring of 2027. Successful applicants should begin receiving their tags in the mail by the first part of December 2026.

Applicants are charged the non-refundable application fee of $15 and the license fee if they haven’t purchased one prior to applying. PointGuard and PointGuard Plus may be purchased at the time of application. Once the draw takes place and if you are successful drawn, the Department will charge the credit card you have on file for the entire permit fee. If payment fails, the Department will not make any attempts to notify that your payment has been declined. Applicants can update their credit card information until the application period has closed.

For the 2027 spring season, Arizona will be issuing 40 bull bison permits for units 12A, 12B, and 13A (the Kaibab Plateau Herd) and 1 bison permit for the House Rock Wildlife Area within unit 12AE (the House Rock Herd). AZGFD will again have bison hunts on unit 5A/5B (the Raymond Herd) for the spring of 2027. They will offer a total of 13 tags. Residents will be able to apply for the two designated bull bison and two designated cow hunts, each of which offers a single permit (four total permits). Non-residents are not eligible to draw either of the Raymond Herd bull bison or cow bison permits, as there is only one permit for each, guaranteeing that they will go to residents. However, non-residents will have a chance at getting one of the three permits designated for each of the three available yearling bison hunts. Up to 10% of the 54 bison draw permits may go to non-residents, and 20% of the total number of permits is reserved for applicants with the most bonus points. Applicants must apply online at draw.azgfd.com, and they will only be required to pay the non-refundable $15.00 application fee as well as the hunting license fee (if the applicant doesn’t have a current hunting license) at the time of application. Arizona only accepts Visa or MasterCard.

Non-residents are limited to up to (not guaranteed) 10% of the elk and antelope tags for a given hunt code. Non-residents may only apply for hunts where none are available for any given hunt code. Non-residents are only eligible for 5% of the 20% quota in the max point draw. The other 5% of the 10% non-resident quota will be available in the random draw. Your first two application choices are considered bonus point choices in the draw. Your third, fourth, and fifth choices will be considered in the “leftover” tags. This will not happen for any bull elk or antelope hunts, as all tags will be taken before they fall to 3rd–5th choice. Bonus points will be purged if any of the five choices are drawn. Groups of up to four hunters may apply together for elk or antelope. Arizona will not over allocate tags to accommodate party applications. Bonus points will be averaged and rounded to the nearest whole number (rounded up if greater than or equal to 0.5). Group applications will be awarded tags if they draw and there are a sufficient number of tags for everyone in the party. There are no waiting periods after being drawn for elk or antelope permits. You must check Arizona’s Portal for draw results.

Hunters may choose the E-tag option when purchasing or applying for any big game hunt. You will not receive a carcass tag if you choose this option. Hunters who choose the E-tag will be required to download the E-tagging app on their phone, upload their big game license, and carry their phone in the field. A printed license and/or carcass tag is not required but flagging or some type of tag will need to be affixed to the antlers for transporting.

If you are applying for bonus points only, you may select this option on your application. Non-residents may gain two points a year by applying for points only for bison, javelina, and turkey by the June application deadline and then applying again by the October application deadline for spring 2027 hunts. The maximum resident point holder going into the 2027 spring draw has 63 bison points, and the non-resident maximum point holder has 61 bison points. The maximum resident point holder going into the 2027 spring draw has 43 turkey points, and the non-resident maximum point holder has 42 turkey points. For a copy of the spring hunting regulations, go to www.azgfd.com/hunting/regulations.

In addition to applying for bison hunts, now is also the time to apply for all spring javelina, limited bear, and limited turkey permits. If you’re planning on filling your spring season with any of these hunts, you must apply by the October deadline.

Hunters may choose the E-tag option when purchasing or applying for any big game hunt. You will not receive a carcass tag if you choose this option. Hunters who choose the E-tag will be required to download the E-tagging app on their phone, upload their big game license, and carry their phone in the field. A printed license and/or carcass tag is not required but flagging or some type of tag will need to be affixed to the antlers for transporting.

Online applications can be paid for with Visa, MasterCard, or Discover only. There is a $15 non-refundable application fee that is collected for each species when applying in Arizona. The non-refundable fee of $15 is also charged when only applying for a bonus point. A $160 combination hunting license is required for non-residents to apply for big game hunts, and it is valid for one year from the date of purchase. Enrollment in PointGuard costs an additional $5 per species, and PointGuard Plus is valid for all species for 365 days from the time of enrollment for $25.

Arizona has a bonus point system where applicants who apply and are unsuccessful in drawing a tag will obtain another bonus point for the following year’s draw. Applicants who have submitted a valid application for a species every year for five consecutive years will automatically be awarded another point (a loyalty point) in addition to the points they have already accumulated. Points are species specific and cannot be transferred to another species or applicant. For every applicant who applies will have an additional chance in the drawing for that species. If a hunter fails to apply five consecutive years for a particular species, bonus points for that species will be purged.

Arizona has always offered an extra lifetime bonus point that is applied to all species applications for hunters who have passed an AZGFD hunter education course. However, in 2021, AZGFD changed the requirement for obtaining this lifetime bonus point to simply taking an online course and paying a fee. Non-residents pay $300, and residents pay $50. You must be 18 years or older to take the class. A student will have two opportunities to pass the course with a minimum score of 80%. The course must be passed 30 days prior to the draw deadline day for bonus point to be valid for that particular draw. For more information on how to sign up to take the course, go to www.hunter-ed.com/ethically-hunting-arizona/.

If a hunter already has earned an Arizona Education Bonus point by completing Arizona Hunter Education, a second bonus point cannot be obtained through the taking of the Ethically Hunting Arizona course. In addition, completing the online course does not fulfill hunter education requirements to hunt in other states.

Applicants may apply for points only and will be guaranteed not to draw but will obtain a bonus point. Applicants who want to apply for points only are required to buy a $160 license and pay the $15 application fee per species.

BISON, JAVELINA, AND TURKEY POINTS ALERT

Don’t forget that there is a points-only option available for bison, javelina, and turkey in this fall draw period. This allows hunters to build a point now and apply for the spring draw in September with that point. All drawings for javelina hunts for adults are conducted in the spring draw period.

The fifth column in the hunt tables represents the minimum number of points needed to be considered in the bonus pass. Not all applicants with the amount of points listed draw a tag, but they were eligible in the bonus pass. We have listed the minimum number of points needed for residents as well as non-residents for the elk draw. The “Simple Draw Odds” listed in the tables are not the true draw odds. The odds we list are the number of first and second choice applicants minus the second choice applicants who drew their The fifth column in the hunt tables represents the minimum number of points needed to be considered in the bonus pass.

Not all applicants with the amount of points listed draw a tag, but they were eligible in the bonus pass. We have listed the minimum number of points needed for residents as well as non-residents for the elk draw. The “Simple Draw Odds” listed in the tables are not the true draw odds. The odds we list are the number of first and second choice applicants minus the second choice applicants who drew their

The bison draw odds we list are simple draw odds and take into account all first and second choice applicants. Javelina draw odds for non-residents will most likely get a bit tougher, as Arizona has implemented a 10% cap on non-resident tags issued through the 2027 spring draw. This is the first year this cap has been implemented for javelina, so true odds will be unknown for the 2027 spring draw. The following lists of javelina units have historically been tough to draw without having a couple of bonus points:

• Rifle hunts: 20B, 20C, 21, 22, 23, 24A, 24B, 35A, 35B, 37B, and 42/44A
• Youth-only hunts: 10/17/18A/19/20A, 20B/21, 22/23, 24A/24B, and 37
• HAM hunts: 6A/6B/8, 18B, 21, 22, 23, and 24B
• Archery hunts: 20C, 21, 22, 23, 24A, and 24B

Hunters who have interest in hunting javelina in these units should purchase a bonus point or two.

Arizona has created a youth hunt program. The hunting/fishing license cost for youth hunters under 18 years of age is $5. Only youth between the ages of 10 and 17 may apply for Arizona’s juniors-only hunts. The juniors-only elk tags will be for antlerless elk only and cost $50. All bull elk hunts will be at the regular non-resident fee. There are no juniors-only antelope permits for 2026. Arizona will allow a parent, grandparent, or guardian to whom a big game hunt tag is issued to transfer the tag to a minor child who is 10-17 years old on the date of the transfer. The minor child must have a valid youth combination hunting and fishing license on the date of the transfer, and, if they are younger than 14 years old, they must have completed a Department-approved hunter education course by the beginning of the hunt.

Arizona places very few restrictions on muzzleloaders. Scopes of any magnification are legal, as well as muzzleloading rifles with any type of ignition firing any type of projectile. Crossbows are not legal during the archery seasons in Arizona. Bows must have a standard pull of 30 pounds or more using arrows with broadheads no less than 7/8 inches wide with metal cutting edges.

Following the main drawing, any remaining permits available for elk and antelope will be available to residents and non-residents on a first-come, first-served basis. These permits are referred to as first-come permits. Applications will be accepted by mail on or after 8 a.m. MST on March 16, 2026. A list of leftover permits is available online at www.azgfd.gov/Hunting under “Big Game Draw” or at any Department office. Arizona does not have a landowner tag system. They offer raffle tags for each of the big game species within the state. The lucky winner of each of the big game Super Raffle tags will be permitted to hunt for up to 365 days beginning August 15, 2026. All public land within all game management units will be open to hunt. All residents and non-residents can participate. All raffle tickets must be purchased within the state of Arizona to be valid.

In our May 2026 issue, we covered deer hunts in Arizona that are available through the draw. This article will cover leftover and over-the-counter non-permit tags that are available for mule deer and Coues deer. For further information on Arizona’s rules and regulations, refer to our May issue or Arizona’s 2026/2027 hunting regulations.

Following the main drawing, all remaining permits for deer will be available to residents and non-residents on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications will be accepted by mail only after 8 a.m. (MDT) on July 6, 2026. Any application received prior to this date will be rejected. A list of leftover permits is available online at www.azgfd.com/Hunting under “Big Game Draw” or at any Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) office.

Your bonus points will not be affected by the purchase of any leftover or non-permit hunt tags. You may hold up to one permit deer tag and one archery non-permit deer tag per year; however, your bag limit is restricted to one deer (mule or Coues) per calendar year.

Archery hunters hunting in the August and September archery season may also purchase non-permit hunt tags for bear, mountain lion, and turkey in some units. Bear and mountain lion permits are on a harvest quota system and will close when the objective is met. Hunters hunting the January archery season may want to look into applying for an archery javelina permit in the unit they plan to hunt. These javelina permits are available in the spring draw, which is generally held during the first part of October. Check the leftover permit list following the spring draw for any leftover javelina permits.

Beginning in 2022, harvest limits were put in place for each unit that can be hunted with an OTC non-permit archery deer tag. Non-resident tags for 2026 have already sold out, but you can attempt to buy a 2027 archery-only non-permit tag on November 2, 2026, starting at 8 a.m. MST. We have listed the harvest limits for each unit in the “Over-the-Counter Archery Deer Hunts” table. They can also be found on pages 31 through 33 of the 2026/2027 Fall Hunting Regulations. Since there are harvest limits for each unit, there will be mandatory harvest reporting for any harvest within forty-eight hours of harvest. In units with a good diversity of both Coues whitetail and mule deer, harvest limits have been set for each species. Harvest reporting can be done online at www.azgfd.com/archerydeerreport or by calling 623-236-7961.

Arizona has seen a huge decline in the number of tags remaining after the initial draw. In 2015, Arizona had 1,506 leftover tags spread across seventeen hunts. In 2025, Arizona had 28 leftover tags in unit 33 for the muzzleloader hunt. We do not expect many, if any, leftover deer tags in 2026 due to the big reduction in Coues deer tags this year. The process for acquiring one of these leftover permits is simple. Any tag that remains after the initial draw held in July will be sold by a mail-in-only application process followed by a first-come, first-served in-office process. The application form can be downloaded at https://s3.amazonaws.com/azgfd-portal-wordpress/PortalImages/files/hunting/draw/applicationForm/paperDrawAppl.pdf. The acceptance date for mail-in paper applications is July 6, 2026. We recommend mailing in your application the Friday before the acceptance date. If your application arrives before July 6, it will be rejected.

Arizona also has over-the-counter archery deer hunts across most of the state. Most units will have three seasons, with the first occurring in August and September, the second in late December, and the third in January. The archery-only non-permit tag is valid in those units within certain dates as specified on pages 31 through 33 of the 2026/2027 Arizona Hunting Regulations booklet. Arizona has gone to a harvest quota for each unit in the over-the-counter archery deer program. With more and more hunters taking to the field every year, this change was made to continue providing archery hunters the opportunity to get out in the field without increasing the overall harvest. Improvements in technology have led to increased harvest success; as a result, some units have been converted to a draw, thus removing them from the OTC program. There were 2,785 OTC non-resident non-permit archery deer tags issued for 2026. There will most likely be slightly fewer tags available for 2027, as quite a few quotas have been reduced for the 2026/2027 season. They go on sale on November 2, 2026, at 8 a.m. MST.

This new quota-based hunting system has a similar reporting system to Arizona’s bear and mountain lion mandatory harvest reporting system, which has been in place for a number of years. Successful hunters will have forty-eight hours to report their harvest by hopping online, calling a hotline, or accessing the app. Once the harvest quota has been met for a given unit, that unit will close at sundown the Wednesday immediately following. AZGFD will have a PDF posted on their website that will be updated daily with the current harvest across relevant units.

Mule deer quotas typically fill very fast, especially in the northern portion of the state. The further south you get, the longer it takes to fill quotas, mostly because of the brutally hot temperatures in September and better hunting conditions further north early in the year. Most southern units will still have a quota available in December. Still, only a few Coues units filled their quota, and most of those took all three seasons to fill.

The December hunts can be good for both species, but mule deer are just starting to rut, and Coues deer are still pre-rut, for the most part, until the January season. Some of these units for Coues deer will take up to 12 or 15 points to draw the late December rifle permit, and archers can hunt the same season or hunt in January, which is better for rut activity. If you are just looking at hunting mule deer, we have listed units that we feel offer the best opportunities for good bucks.

If you haven’t taken advantage of these archery hunts in Arizona and you love archery hunting, you need to do yourself a favor; block out some time this fall and go. We have Hunt Advisors who go on these hunts every year and can give you some great advice on how to start your planning and research.

Applicants will have their permits mailed out by April 1, 2026. You can update your credit card information until the update card period has ended. Keep an eye on the AZGFD website for the deadline to update your card information. You cannot modify your application once it is submitted.

Arizona allows applicants with a valid AZGFD Portal account who purchased either PointGuard or PointGuard Plus to surrender their tag one time only for bonus point purposes for any reason the business day prior to the opening day of the hunt. Applicants are required to surrender the permit along with a completed Tag Surrender Application Form to AZGFD. All bonus points will be reinstated plus applicants gain a point for that year’s application. Applicants will forfeit tag fees associated with the tag. If the applicant chooses to surrender their tag, they will not be eligible for the PointGuard program again for that species until their bonus points for that species have been purged. Applicants can choose to be enrolled in the PointGuard program for each individual species during the online application process for a $10 non-refundable fee per species. Applicants can also choose to be enrolled in the PointGuard Plus program, which enrolls them for all species for a 365-day term for a $25 non-refundable fee.

Arizona will allow a parent, grandparent, or guardian to whom a big game hunt tag is issued to transfer the tag to a minor child who is 10-17 years old on the date of the transfer. The minor child must have a valid youth combination hunting and fishing license on the date of the transfer, and, if they are younger than 14 years old, they must have completed a Department-approved hunter education course by the beginning of the hunt. Arizona will also allow a person to transfer tag to a non-profit organization that provides opportunities and experiences to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Elk and antelope harvest reporting in Arizona is voluntary. We strongly encourage all hunters to complete their hunt survey to help with accurate harvest data.

All successful bison hunters must check out within three days following the close of the season at any AZGFD office. Unsuccessful bison hunters and those who did not hunt must also check out, either in person or by telephone, within three days. All javelina harvest reporting in Arizona is voluntary. We strongly encourage all hunters to complete their hunt survey to help with accurate harvest data.

Arizona works with different ranches throughout the state to secure private land for public use. Most of these ranches allow access through a sign-in box at the gate, but more information on which units and ranches have private land that is accessible by the public can be found at www.azgfd.gov/Hunting.