Arizona is a limited-draw turkey state for most firearm opportunities, with over-the-counter nonpermit tag options for archery hunters and youth hunters. Nonresident strategy is mostly about choosing between higher odds Merriam's hunts in northern and central Arizona and very low odds Gould's hunts in the southeast. Arizona also has Rio Grande turkeys on the Strip, but current hunting opportunity is limited compared to Merriam's and Gould's units. There is currently not a huntable population of Rio’s on the Strip.

Limited Weapon-Shotgun Shooting Shot turkey hunts are issued through the Arizona big game draw. Arizona uses a hybrid system and the draw runs in “passes”. The first pass (bonus pass) is treated like a true preference point draw and up to 20% of the tags are allocated in this pass. This means, whoever has the highest points will be awarded the tags. The next passes are random passes where the remaining 80% of the tags are awarded and treated like a bonus point system. Each point gives you extra chances. In the random passes, each application gets one random number plus additional random numbers for bonus points; the lowest number controls. Of the 20% in the bonus pass, nonresidents can be awarded a maximum of 5% of the total tags. So, for a non-resident to obtain a tag using points, there would need to be 20 tags available. Unfortunately, the most tags allocated for a particular hunt was 14 tags, meaning no nonresident will obtain a tag on points. Nonresidents must get lucky and draw a random tag. Chances of obtaining a random tag were 0.36% to 2.37% for limited weapon-shotgun. In 2026, they added a second tag to one of the three archery Gould’s hunts, meaning a nonresident then had a chance to draw a tag randomly. However, that tag did end up going to a resident. So, when applying be sure you are applying for a unit with more than one tag for a chance at getting one random.

For the 2026 spring draw, applications were due online by 11:59 p.m. Arizona time on October 7, 2025, and spring turkey permit-tags were scheduled to be mailed by November 26, 2025. For the 2026 fall draw, applications were due by 11:59 p.m. Arizona time on June 2, 2026, and permit-tags were scheduled to be mailed by July 24, 2026.

Adults can buy Arizona turkey nonpermit-tags only for specified archery-only seasons and open units. Youth hunters also have youth-only shotgun nonpermit-tag opportunities in listed units. A nonpermit-tag is Arizona's over-the-counter tag; it is not issued through the draw and is valid only for the open areas, dates, legal wildlife, and weapon type printed in the regulations.

Arizona allows turkey hunting during daylight hours. Early mornings are still the most productive, and spring heat can make late-day hunting difficult in lower-elevation units. Merriam's hunters should focus on the Kaibab Plateau, Mogollon Rim, White Mountains, Coconino National Forest, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, and ponderosa pine transitions with nearby water and roost habitat. Gould's hunters should concentrate on southeast Arizona's Sky Island ranges and the Coronado National Forest. As a practical rule, areas north of U.S. Route 70 are primarily Merriam's opportunity, while the southeast units south of that line are the core Gould's country.

For the 2026 spring draw, applications were due online by 11:59 p.m. Arizona time on October 7, 2025, and spring turkey permit-tags were scheduled to be mailed by November 26, 2025. For the 2026 fall draw, applications were due by 11:59 p.m. Arizona time on June 2, 2026, and permit-tags were scheduled to be mailed by July 24, 2026.

• Pay attention to how many tags are allocated for each hunt code. As a nonresident, do not apply for an area offering only 1 tag as it will be allocated to a resident. For a nonresident to be able to draw a Gould’s tag on points, there would need to be at least 20 tags. At that mark, one tag can be awarded to the top point nonresident holder. If a hunt code has two or more tags, a nonresident does have a chance to draw a tag randomly.

• Use 12A later season as the benchmark for easy Merriam's draw opportunity. It was 94.9% in spring 2025 and 79.8% in fall 2025.

• If you are applying for Gould's, look first at the larger 10 to 14 permit hunt numbers, then check whether the season dates and access fit your plan.

• Archery hunters should not overlook OTC/nonpermit tags. They are narrow in unit availability, but they avoid the draw and can be excellent backup plans.

• Youth hunters have better paths than adults because Arizona offers both youth draw hunts and youth-only nonpermit-tag hunts.

• For fall, compare permit changes before relying on old odds. Unit 12A increased to 750 permits for 2026, while several other units were reduced.

• Make sure the license is valid on the day you apply and on the draw deadline. Arizona will reject applications that do not meet license requirements.

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