Unit 12B

Start with the migration, because everything else follows from it. AZGFD's own unit guide calls 12B primarily winter range for deer from the North Kaibab and from Utah's Paunsaugunt Plateau. Elevation runs roughly 4,000 to 7,000 feet in pinyon-juniper and sagebrush flats. The deer aren't here year-round. They arrive, and you hunt the arrival.

The Buckskin Mountains

This is the strongest country. The agency guide puts the highest deer densities in the central Buckskins and says they hunt best after mid-October. Paunsaugunt deer start showing up mid-October through early November. Kaibab deer begin drifting north to meet them in early November. Our landform data lists Buckskin Mountain at 6,474 feet, with White Knolls (7,268), One Toe Ridge (7,096), Pinnacle Ridge (6,782) and Horse Ridge (6,655) nearby as high glassing perches.

Early-season ground toward Snake Gulch

On the early hunt, AZGFD says deer sit in pinyon-juniper and along meadow edges at higher elevation in the Buckskins, running southwest toward Snake Gulch. Don't expect big bucks here. The guide says most early harvest is bucks around 2 years old, because the hunt falls early in the migration.

Pigeon Canyon, Toothpick Ridge and Gunsight Point

This is your late-season country. As cold and snow build, Kaibab deer from the western plateau slide down toward Pigeon Canyon, Toothpick Ridge (6,096 feet) and Gunsight Point (5,301). The guide calls this area best after early November, depending on snowfall. Pigeon Point (5,391) and Crowbar Point (5,019) are also listed as cliff glassing spots. Deer only use the open sagebrush flats once snow pushes them out of the trees.

What to skip

The Paria Plateau in the east holds the fewest deer. AZGFD says it's a small resident herd, separate from the migratory deer, with difficult access and hard-to-find animals. It's only open to you if you drew a 12B permit rather than 12BW. We'd skip it unless you've scouted it hard. Also skip 12BW's west side before the snow in the archery months, since the guide says very few deer live there year-round.

Roads and ownership

Graded-gravel roads in our data include House Rock Road (11.9 miles), BLM-52, NF-422A, BLM-248 and Ryan Road, all rated 2WD with a small trailer. US 89, US 89A and AZ 389 are paved. The packet doesn't say which road reaches which drainage, so lay them over a BLM map yourself. Ownership is also unclear. AZGFD says most of the unit is BLM, but our ownership layer shows 60% National Forest. Confirm boundaries before you commit to a spot. Cedar Mountain and Wolf Knoll are listed under Kane County, which is Utah, so check the state line before you hunt near them.