Arizona Mule Deer Elk Pronghorn

Unit 11M (Mormon Lake – Anderson Mesa)

Arizona Hunting Guide — Mule Deer, Elk, Pronghorn

Unit 11M covers the Coconino National Forest country between Flagstaff and the Mogollon Rim, including Mormon Lake, Anderson Mesa, and the plateau grasslands and ponderosa forests south of Flagstaff. Elevations run roughly 6,000 to 8,000 feet across mixed ponderosa, pinyon-juniper, and grassland park systems. Mule deer hunting here blends classic Mogollon plateau habitat with higher-density tag allocation than adjoining premier units.

View Draw Odds Arizona Hunting Guide

🏔️

72%

Public Land

⛰️

6,400–8,687 ft

Sampled elevation

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 11M

Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Arizona Unit 11M guide around your hunt: three ranked spots with morning, afternoon and evening plays, a day-by-day plan, topo maps with every pin numbered, a camp and access plan, the legal and retrieval rules for this unit, shot discipline, a meat-care and pack-out plan, and a pre-trip checklist. Every coordinate sits on land recorded as public.

Mule Deer guide Elk guide Pronghorn guide

Free accounts get one report a year with the top spot unlocked. ProHunt Pro includes unlimited reports, all three spots, the full camp plan, and GPX/KML downloads for onX and Google Earth. Prefer to see one first? Open the builder and pick any unit.

Logistics & Planning Guide →

Access roads, campgrounds, elevation, monthly weather, stock tanks, cell coverage, and nearest-town services for Unit 11M.

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Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 11M

Where the deer are in 11M: the Mount Elden burns, Walnut Canyon and Woody Mountain

Mule deer occur throughout 11M, and the agency gives an unusually frank picture of how the hunt actually goes here.

The Mount Elden burns — and why they empty out

The highest deer densities during the season are on previously burned areas around Mount Elden, south of the San Francisco Peaks. But human densities on the burns are also high, and the agency notes that mature bucks learn fast to escape into dense cover and usually leave the burns early in the hunt. So the burns are where the deer are on day one and not necessarily on day three.

The ponderosa country

Three named areas: along Walnut Canyon, south near the Flagstaff airport, and on the west side along Woody Mountain Road. These are good places to find mule deer and they hold up better through a season than the burns do.

The pinyon-juniper to the east

The lower-elevation pinyon-juniper on the east side contains some mature animals, but densities are relatively low and the thick brush makes hunting a challenge. Mature bucks also live in and around Walnut Canyon, with the same caveat — low buck density and thick woody vegetation that makes hunting difficult.

The honest assessment of glassing here

This is the line that should shape your plan: the unit has few locations where binoculars are beneficial, and most bucks taken result from chance encounters between hunters and deer. That is not how most Arizona mule deer units work, and it changes the method entirely.

The boundary

11M is small — 282 square miles — and borders units 7, 7E, 7W, 6A, 6B and 5B. Your tag is valid in 11M only. Know the lines before you hunt near them.

Unit 11M terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

The lay of it

6,400–8,687 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 7,120 ft ; peaks can run higher.
281.9 sq mi inside the boundary.

Who owns the ground

National Forest — 60%
State Trust — 8%
Private / Other — 32%

Roughly 68% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.

Water on the ground

295 tanks
17 springs
940 stream segments
7 lakes

Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Elden Mountain (9,291 ft), Little Elden Mountain (8,987 ft), Wing Mountain (8,569 ft), A 1 Mountain (8,298 ft)

Holding ground: Turkey Park (9,017 ft), Schultz Pass (8,065 ft), Arizona Divide (7,316 ft), Little Elden Spring, Chimney Spring

Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.

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How to hunt 11M deer: still-hunt the cover, because glassing mostly won't work

Rifle success for mule deer here runs about 22 percent. The agency's own assessment — few places where binoculars help, and most bucks taken by chance encounter — tells you to build a different plan from the usual western one.

Still-hunting, properly

If glassing isn't the tool, movement is. Still-hunt the ponderosa along Walnut Canyon, south of the airport and along Woody Mountain Road: slow, into the wind, stopping more than you walk, eyes working the gaps at 40 to 80 yards rather than scanning for a whole deer. Mid-morning, when bedded deer shift to stay in shade, is better than most people expect.

Hunt the burns on day one, then leave them

Highest densities on the Mount Elden burns, highest hunter numbers too, and mature bucks escaping into dense cover early. So take the burns on the opener if you want to see deer, then follow the bucks into the thick stuff rather than staying to watch an empty burn.

Work the thick country deliberately

The east-side pinyon-juniper and the Walnut Canyon brush hold mature bucks at low density in difficult cover. That's a still-hunter's and an ambusher's opportunity: find a trail or a saddle with sign and sit it, or creep the edges with the wind right.

Use the one place glassing helps

Where the burns and the bigger openings give you a view, take it — a tripod and twenty quiet minutes at first light on a burn edge is worth more than an hour of walking. Just don't plan the whole hunt around it.

The boundary and the crowd

Check the unit line before every sit near an edge; 11M borders six other units and your tag covers none of them. And remember where you are: this is Flagstaff's forest, so expect trail users and be sure of every backstop.

Getting in and staying out: unit 11M

Named routes and what they need

AZ 89A — 5 mi · Paved (all rigs)
US 89 — 4.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
FS 776 — 4.5 mi · High-clearance
Forest Service Road 237 — 3.5 mi · High-clearance
CR 3 — 3.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
CR 505 — 3.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)

Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.

Nearest services

Flagstaff — 3.4 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging, gear
Doney Park — 3.4 mi · fuel, groceries
Mountain View Ranches — 6.9 mi · no services listed
Timberline-Fernwood — 6.9 mi · fuel
Fort Valley — 7.7 mi · lodging

Developed camps

Unnamed camp site
RV Park Flagstaff
Little Elden Spring Horse Camp
KOA Holiday - Flagstaff · reservable
Woody Mountain Campground

Season weather and signal

Jan45° / 19° · 1.7" precip
Aug81° / 52° · 3.3" precip
Sep76° / 44° · 1.7" precip
Oct66° / 32° · 1.3" precip
Nov54° / 25° · 1.4" precip
Dec44° / 18° · 1.6" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 15% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.

Arizona rules that decide your day

Summarised from AZGFD regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken only during daylight hours — from sunrise to sunset. Check the sunrise and sunset times for your unit, not for Phoenix.

Motorized retrieval

Arizona permits motorized big-game retrieval only where the unit's travel-management decision allows it, and in several units only for elk. Where it is allowed it means one vehicle, one trip, within one mile of a road shown open on the Motor Vehicle Use Map — never inside a quiet area, a wilderness or a closed area. Pull the MVUM for your ranger district and confirm before you shoot somewhere you cannot carry an animal out of.

Tagging

Sign your tag before you go afield and attach it to the animal immediately after the kill. Hunters aged 10–13 must carry their Hunter Education card with the licence and tag.

Leaving meat

Leaving edible meat in the field is illegal. Edible meat means the four quarters and the loins at a minimum.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting within a quarter mile of an occupied farmhouse, cabin, lodge or building without the owner's permission. That rules out shooting toward most lakeside cabin tracts.
Campsites and developed areas — Forest Service rules prohibit discharging a firearm within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area.
Roads and water — No shooting from a vehicle, and no shooting on, across or into a road. No shooting across a body of water adjacent to a Forest road.

Mule Deer: where to put the shot

Broadside or quartering away, on the back edge of the front leg about a third of the way up the body.

Shots to refuse

Nothing behind or overlapping the animal you picked.
Your maximum range is the farthest you have shot a three-shot group into a paper plate from the rest you are carrying.
Pass the shot you are talking yourself into.

Plan the carry: roughly 40– 120 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two large coolers. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Mule Deer Success Rates

Archery15%

Rifle22%

Unit 11M issues substantial mule deer tags (~480 across three recent years against ~900 applicants), making this one of AZ's more accessible rim-country draws. Success rates vary by weapon and season window — pull AZGFD's hunt-specific numbers before applying.

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Early Archery — bull/buck only (combined pool)	140	255	41.2%	—
Late Archery Nov — antlerless (combined pool)	50	67	50.7%	—
Late Archery Dec — antlerless (combined pool)	25	19	36.8%	—
Late Archery Dec — either sex (combined pool)	25	158	12.0%	—
Early Archery — either sex (combined pool)	140	256	37.1%	—
General Archery Oct — antlerless (combined pool)	50	60	53.3%	—
Rifle — Early Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool)	140	256	37.1%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct antlerless (combined pool)	50	60	53.3%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Dec antlerless (combined pool)	25	19	36.8%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct bull/buck only (combined pool)	11	6	100.0%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Nov bull/buck only (combined pool)	27	40	62.5%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Nov bull/buck only (combined pool)	20	28	71.4%	—
Muzzleloader — General Muzzleloader Oct bull/buck only (combined pool)	10	14	57.1%	—
Muzzleloader — Late Muzzleloader Dec bull/buck only (combined pool)	10	17	58.8%	—

Data from 2024 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number. This agency publishes no point thresholds, so the Pts column stays blank and these are pool odds, not what a point total draws.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Arizona's weighted bonus-point system gives 20% of tags to max-point applicants and routes 80% through a random weighted draw where each point adds a chance. With roughly 1.9:1 applicant-to-tag ratio in recent years, 11M is drawable at modest point balances for most hunt codes. A hunter-ed bonus point is available to applicants who complete AZGFD-recognized hunter education.

Elk Hunting in Unit 11M

GMU 11M is the city unit — the ponderosa and grassland country immediately around Flagstaff, from Bellemont and Woody Mountain Road on the west, across Mount Elden and the south flank of the San Francisco Peaks, to Walnut Canyon, Winona and Mountainaire on the east and south. Elk live here year-round, mule deer concentrate on the Mount Elden burns, and pronghorn use the open grassland pockets between the pines. The thing that catches people out is the tag: 11M permits are issued for and restricted to 11M, not to units 7, 7 West, 7 East, 6A, 6B or 5B. Know the boundaries before you hunt, because this unit touches five others.

Where the elk are in 11M: the west side off 89A, Walnut Canyon and south of the airport

Elk live in 11M all year. During the season they're found throughout the unit, with higher densities on the west, south and east portions. The agency's named areas are specific and local.

The west side along Highway 89A

Higher numbers of elk along Highway 89A near Forest Highlands. That's the west edge of the unit, where the pines run down toward the highway.

The southeast — north of Walnut Canyon and south Continental

Also named as holding higher numbers. Walnut Canyon is the dominant feature on this side of the unit and the country above it holds elk through the season.

South of the Flagstaff airport and east of Mountainaire

The agency calls this a good area to check for bugling bulls. That's a useful, specific pointer for an early archery or early firearms hunt.

The north side, and its catch

Elk are on the north side of the unit too — but vehicle access is limited and you will have to pack your animal out. That's the trade: fewer hunters, more work.

The boundary problem

Read this twice. Elk permits for 11M are issued specifically for, and restricted to, GMU 11M — not 7, 7 West, 7 East, 6A, 6B or 5B. This unit is small, at 282 square miles, and it borders all of them. Load the boundary into your GPS and check it before you shoot near an edge.

The country itself

Elevations run from about 6,400 feet to 8,687, all of it ponderosa, grassland pocket and volcanic cone. Mount Elden sits south of the San Francisco Peaks in the middle of it. This is a forest unit inside a city's recreation area.

Unit 11M terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

The lay of it

6,400–8,687 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 7,120 ft ; peaks can run higher.
281.9 sq mi inside the boundary.

Who owns the ground

National Forest — 60%
State Trust — 8%
Private / Other — 32%

Roughly 68% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.

Water on the ground

295 tanks
17 springs
940 stream segments
7 lakes

Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Elden Mountain (9,291 ft), Little Elden Mountain (8,987 ft), Wing Mountain (8,569 ft), A 1 Mountain (8,298 ft)

Holding ground: Turkey Park (9,017 ft), Schultz Pass (8,065 ft), Arizona Divide (7,316 ft), Little Elden Spring, Chimney Spring

Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.

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How to hunt 11M elk: hunt the bugle south of the airport, and expect company

Rifle success in this country runs around 25 percent and archery 18. The distinctive features of 11M are its size, its boundaries and the number of people using the same forest.

Work the named areas in the rut

South of the Flagstaff airport and east of Mountainaire is the agency's own recommendation for locating bugling bulls. Get above a drainage before light, locate a vocal bull, and close with the wind. The Highway 89A country near Forest Highlands and the ground north of Walnut Canyon are the other two blocks to work.

Go north if you'll carry it

The north side has elk and limited vehicle access, and you'll pack an animal out of there. On a small unit with a lot of hunters, that's where the pressure drops. Decide in advance whether you're willing, and plan a two-person pack-out before you shoot.

Mind the boundary constantly

11M touches units 7, 7E, 7W, 6A, 6B and 5B, and your tag is good in none of them. In 282 square miles of continuous forest with no change in the trees at the line, that is a genuine hazard. Mark it, check it, and don't follow a bull across it.

Hunt around the people

This is Flagstaff's backyard — trails, mountain bikers, dog walkers, forest roads busy with traffic. Be past the trailhead crowds before light, use weekdays where you can, and be certain of your backstop on every shot.

Logistics

Everything is close. You can sleep in town and be glassing in twenty minutes, which is unusual for an Arizona elk tag. Use that: hunt first and last light hard and spend the middle of the day scouting the next morning's ground rather than driving home.

Getting in and staying out: unit 11M

Named routes and what they need

AZ 89A — 5 mi · Paved (all rigs)
US 89 — 4.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
FS 776 — 4.5 mi · High-clearance
Forest Service Road 237 — 3.5 mi · High-clearance
CR 3 — 3.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
CR 505 — 3.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)

Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.

Nearest services

Flagstaff — 3.4 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging, gear
Doney Park — 3.4 mi · fuel, groceries
Mountain View Ranches — 6.9 mi · no services listed
Timberline-Fernwood — 6.9 mi · fuel
Fort Valley — 7.7 mi · lodging

Developed camps

Unnamed camp site
RV Park Flagstaff
Little Elden Spring Horse Camp
KOA Holiday - Flagstaff · reservable
Woody Mountain Campground

Season weather and signal

Jan45° / 19° · 1.7" precip
Aug81° / 52° · 3.3" precip
Sep76° / 44° · 1.7" precip
Oct66° / 32° · 1.3" precip
Nov54° / 25° · 1.4" precip
Dec44° / 18° · 1.6" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 15% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.

Arizona rules that decide your day

Summarised from AZGFD regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken only during daylight hours — from sunrise to sunset. Check the sunrise and sunset times for your unit, not for Phoenix.

Motorized retrieval

Tagging

Sign your tag before you go afield and attach it to the animal immediately after the kill. Hunters aged 10–13 must carry their Hunter Education card with the licence and tag.

Leaving meat

Leaving edible meat in the field is illegal. Edible meat means the four quarters and the loins at a minimum.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting within a quarter mile of an occupied farmhouse, cabin, lodge or building without the owner's permission. That rules out shooting toward most lakeside cabin tracts.
Campsites and developed areas — Forest Service rules prohibit discharging a firearm within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area.
Roads and water — No shooting from a vehicle, and no shooting on, across or into a road. No shooting across a body of water adjacent to a Forest road.

Elk: where to put the shot

Broadside or quartering away, on the back edge of the front leg about a third of the way up the body. That is lungs, and on a quartering-away angle it picks up the far shoulder.

Shots to refuse

No straight-on and no straight-away shots. An elk's chest is deep and the margin is small.
Nothing standing behind or overlapping the animal you picked. A pass-through kills the elk behind it too.
Your maximum range is the farthest you have put three shots in a paper plate off the sticks you are actually carrying. Not the farthest you have ever hit anything.
Scope on 3–4x. A herd fills a 12x field of view and you lose the animal you picked.

Identification:On an antlerless tag, legal means no antler of any kind through the skin. A spike looks exactly like a cow until it turns its head. If you can't see the head, don't shoot.

Plan the carry: roughly 150– 220 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two to four large coolers, plus bagged ice from town. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

Pro Members Only

Unlock elk tactics for Unit 11M

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Elk Success Rates

Archery18%

Rifle25%

Unit 11M elk success rates typically run 30-50% for rifle hunters and 10-20% for archery hunters per recent AZGFD hunt report averages. Bull quality is solid Mogollon Rim — 280-320 class bulls are common with occasional trophies exceeding 340. The higher tag numbers trade trophy quality slightly for meaningful tag access.

Elk Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Early Archery — bull/buck only (combined pool)	80	361	15.5%	—
Early Archery — antlerless (combined pool)	80	96	39.6%	—
Rifle — Early Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool)	80	298	19.5%	—

Data from 2025 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number. This agency publishes no point thresholds, so the Pts column stays blank and these are pool odds, not what a point total draws.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Unit 11M is one of Arizona's most popular elk units but also one of the more attainable premier units. Rifle bull hunts typically require 6-14 bonus points; cow and early hunts may require fewer. The 20% set-aside for 0-point applicants gives new hunters a realistic long-shot each year. Apply every year to build bonus points toward a confident bull-hunt draw in 5-10 years.

Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 11M

Unit 11M is Arizona's Anderson Mesa pronghorn hunt — a legendary trophy antelope unit on the high grasslands southeast of Flagstaff. The mesa sits at 6,500–7,500 feet in a mix of Coconino National Forest, Arizona State Trust Land, and private ranch cooperative. Mature bucks routinely score 80+ inches and the unit has produced state-record-caliber animals. With only ~10 tags across three years against 258 applicants, 11M is one of the harder pronghorn draws in the state and a classic bucket-list tag.

Where the pronghorn are in 11M: Bellemont, Walnut Canyon, Winona and the power line

The 11M pronghorn hunt falls in late August and early September, which means the animals will be on summer range while you're hunting them. Pronghorn can occur in virtually all the grassland in the unit, with four named concentrations.

The west side near Bellemont

Open grassland on the unit's western edge. The highest densities in 11M are here and on the south and east sides.

The south and east near Walnut Canyon and Winona

The open grass through that country holds pronghorn regularly. Walnut Canyon is the landmark; Winona sits east of it along the I-40 corridor.

North of I-40 along the power line

On the eastern edge of the unit. A power line across open grassland is an easy feature to find and to navigate by, and the agency names it specifically.

Grassland inside the forest

Pronghorn are also found regularly in the grassland openings within the forested country — which is unusual and worth knowing. They move through but generally avoid moderate to heavy woody cover in the pine and pinyon-juniper. So hunt the openings, not the trees, but don't assume an opening is too small or too enclosed.

The volcanic cones

This is the best local tip in the guide. Volcanic cones and other high points in open grassland give hunters wide views for searching with binoculars and spotting scopes. The Flagstaff country is full of them. One important condition: access those high points on foot, not by driving off road.

The boundary rule

Pronghorn permits for 11M are issued specifically for and restricted to 11M — not units 7, 7 West, 7 East, 6A, 6B or 5B. Know the boundaries before you hunt.

Unit 11M terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

The lay of it

6,400–8,687 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 7,120 ft ; peaks can run higher.
281.9 sq mi inside the boundary.

Who owns the ground

National Forest — 60%
State Trust — 8%
Private / Other — 32%

Roughly 68% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.

Water on the ground

295 tanks
17 springs
940 stream segments
7 lakes

Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Elden Mountain (9,291 ft), Little Elden Mountain (8,987 ft), Wing Mountain (8,569 ft), A 1 Mountain (8,298 ft)

Holding ground: Turkey Park (9,017 ft), Schultz Pass (8,065 ft), Arizona Divide (7,316 ft), Little Elden Spring, Chimney Spring

Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.

How to hunt 11M pronghorn: climb a cinder cone and glass the grass

Rifle success on Arizona's drawn pronghorn hunts runs high, and this unit hands you a tool most pronghorn country doesn't: elevated vantage points scattered through flat grassland.

Use the cones

Walk up a volcanic cone or a high point in the open grass before first light, set the binoculars and spotting scope on a tripod, and work the grassland methodically. From a cone you can cover several square miles of pronghorn country without moving. Walk up — driving off road to reach one is illegal and the agency says so explicitly.

Scout considerably, as the agency asks

Hunters should spend considerable time scouting before the season to locate herds. In a late-August and early-September hunt on summer range, that scouting is directly transferable: the animals you find in the weeks before will be using the same grassland when you open.

Hunt the openings, including the small ones

Pronghorn use virtually all grassland in the unit and are found regularly in the grassy openings inside the forest. They move through but avoid heavy woody cover. So include the enclosed meadows in your plan rather than only the big flats at Bellemont and along the power line.

Closing the distance

From a cone you'll find animals a long way off. Pick the route down and across before you lose the view, use the swales, and accept a long stalk. In late August it will be hot — carry water and start early.

Boundaries and backstops

11M touches six other units and your tag is valid only here. Mark the line. And this is country with houses, roads, an interstate and a railway through it — know what lies beyond your target, and keep a quarter mile from occupied buildings.

Getting in and staying out: unit 11M

Named routes and what they need

AZ 89A — 5 mi · Paved (all rigs)
US 89 — 4.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
FS 776 — 4.5 mi · High-clearance
Forest Service Road 237 — 3.5 mi · High-clearance
CR 3 — 3.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
CR 505 — 3.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)

Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.

Nearest services

Flagstaff — 3.4 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging, gear
Doney Park — 3.4 mi · fuel, groceries
Mountain View Ranches — 6.9 mi · no services listed
Timberline-Fernwood — 6.9 mi · fuel
Fort Valley — 7.7 mi · lodging

Developed camps

Unnamed camp site
RV Park Flagstaff
Little Elden Spring Horse Camp
KOA Holiday - Flagstaff · reservable
Woody Mountain Campground

Season weather and signal

Jan45° / 19° · 1.7" precip
Aug81° / 52° · 3.3" precip
Sep76° / 44° · 1.7" precip
Oct66° / 32° · 1.3" precip
Nov54° / 25° · 1.4" precip
Dec44° / 18° · 1.6" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 15% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.

Arizona rules that decide your day

Summarised from AZGFD regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken only during daylight hours — from sunrise to sunset. Check the sunrise and sunset times for your unit, not for Phoenix.

Motorized retrieval

Tagging

Sign your tag before you go afield and attach it to the animal immediately after the kill. Hunters aged 10–13 must carry their Hunter Education card with the licence and tag.

Leaving meat

Leaving edible meat in the field is illegal. Edible meat means the four quarters and the loins at a minimum.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting within a quarter mile of an occupied farmhouse, cabin, lodge or building without the owner's permission. That rules out shooting toward most lakeside cabin tracts.
Campsites and developed areas — Forest Service rules prohibit discharging a firearm within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area.
Roads and water — No shooting from a vehicle, and no shooting on, across or into a road. No shooting across a body of water adjacent to a Forest road.

Pronghorn: where to put the shot

Broadside, straight up the front leg, a third of the way into the body. Pronghorn are shallow-chested and the lungs sit forward.

Shots to refuse

Range it, then range it again. Open country makes 400 yards look like 250.
Wait for the buck to stop. Nobody kills a running pronghorn cleanly on purpose.
Mind the backdrop. A miss carries a long way across a flat.

Plan the carry: roughly 30– 45 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — one large cooler with ice already in it. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

Pro Members Only

Unlock Pronghorn tactics for Unit 11M

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Pronghorn Success Rates

Archery48%

Unit 11M pronghorn success runs 85–100% in most seasons with trophy-class bucks (80+ inches) routinely taken. The combination of low tag numbers, mature-buck-heavy herd, and open glassing country delivers one of Arizona's most satisfying pronghorn experiences.

Pronghorn Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Early Archery — bull/buck only (combined pool)	5	155	3.2%	—

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Unit 11M pronghorn is one of Arizona's harder antelope draws. Arizona uses a weighted bonus-point system with Hunter Education bonus — 20% of tags to max-point holders, 80% to a random weighted draw. With only ~10 tags against 258 applicants over three years, residents usually need 8–15 bonus points to compete. Nonresidents face the 10% cap and similar point requirements. Apply annually for the loyalty bonus.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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Road Conditions

I-40, US-89, and Lake Mary Road (FR 3) provide the paved backbone. Forest roads are mostly maintained gravel — a 2WD truck works for most access, though 4WD helps late season.

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Hunting Pressure

Moderate to heavy. Proximity to Flagstaff and easy road access bring high hunter density near paved corridors.

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Weather

October 40–70°F days, 25–45°F nights. Late-November and December hunts can bring heavy snow — Mormon Lake sits at ~7,000 ft.

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Cell Service

Coverage along Lake Mary Road and near Flagstaff is good. Drops off quickly on interior forest roads.

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Nearest Town

Flagstaff (full services, hospital, outfitters, 20–40 min). Mormon Lake Village (lodge, cafe, basic supplies). Happy Jack (very limited).

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Permit Notes

AZGFD tag required. Coconino NF MVUM governs which forest roads are open to motor vehicles.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Unit 11M a good first Arizona mule deer hunt?

Yes — tag allocation is substantial, the road network is extensive, and Flagstaff gives you full services 30 minutes away. We recommend it as a solid introduction to AZ rim-country mule deer.

What's the trade-off between 11M and 6A?

6A has larger buck potential but tighter draw odds and more road pressure. 11M has better draw odds and still produces representative rim-country bucks. Both pull hunters out of Flagstaff.

Can I hunt 11M with a 2WD truck?

For the main forest roads — yes, most of the time. For late-season and muddy conditions, we upgrade to 4WD. Always check road conditions with the Coconino NF office before heading out.

How many bonus points for Unit 11M elk?

Unit 11M bull hunts typically require 6-14 bonus points depending on hunt code. Cow hunts require fewer. The 20% set-aside for 0-point applicants means new hunters have a real long-shot chance each year in Arizona's weighted draw.

Is Unit 11M a trophy elk unit?

Unit 11M is a solid opportunity unit with good bull quality but not elite trophy status. Most bulls fall in the 280-320 class with occasional 340+ bulls. Hunters seeking 350+ bulls typically target Unit 1, 9, or 27.

How crowded does Unit 11M get during hunts?

Moderately crowded near road access. Get a mile or more off the road and pressure drops significantly. Plan to scout and work harder than the average hunter to find less-pressured bulls.

How big do Unit 11M pronghorn get?

Mature Anderson Mesa bucks routinely score 80+ inches (B&C), with 85+ bucks taken in strong years. The unit has produced some of Arizona's largest pronghorn of the past two decades.

How many bonus points do I need for Unit 11M?

Residents typically need 8–15 bonus points to realistically compete. Nonresidents face similar point requirements and the 10% cap. The hunter-education bonus ticket helps marginally.

Do I need a State Trust Land permit for Unit 11M?

If you plan to hunt State Trust parcels within the unit, yes — purchase an Arizona State Land Department recreational permit. Most of the core Anderson Mesa hunt is on Coconino NF, which requires only your AZGFD tag.

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-17.

GMU 11M — Unit Landing Page — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Unit 11M boundaries, Coconino NF land ownership, Species present · accessed 2026-04-17
2025-26 Arizona Hunting Regulations — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Mule deer season structure in 11M, Bag limits, Legal equipment · accessed 2026-04-17
Coconino National Forest — Mogollon Rim & Flagstaff Ranger Districts — USDA Forest Service · supports: Mormon Lake RD, Anderson Mesa access, Road network · accessed 2026-04-17
AZGFD Draw Portal — Hunt Drawing Information — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Weighted bonus point draw, 11M historical draw results · accessed 2026-04-17
2026 Arizona Pronghorn and Elk Regulations — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Elk season structure for 11M, Tag quotas, Hunt area boundaries · accessed 2026-04-17
AZGFD Pronghorn Hunting — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Anderson Mesa pronghorn population, Unit 11M trophy potential, Season structure and tag caps, Pronghorn management program · accessed 2026-04-17