Unit 17A/17B/18B/19B/20A/20C

Be honest with yourself about this hunt. AZGFD's unit guides call elk densities low across all six units, and they describe the herds as nomadic, drifting back and forth over unit lines. This isn't a hunt where you drive to a famous basin and glass up a herd. You find where elk are this week.

Juniper Mesa and the Juniper Mountains

Start here. The 17A guide says the population sits mainly in the western part of the unit, running south to north, with relatively good public access. Its list, south to north, is the Yolo Ranch and 7Up Ranch area (both posted private, surrounded by Prescott National Forest), the Forest Road 9 corridor, Juniper Mesa, and the Juniper Mountains on the Yavapai Ranch. Both Juniper Mesa and the Juniper Mountains top out around 7,067 feet.

The Yavapai Ranch is a checkerboard of Forest Service and private ground. The ranch supports hunting and allows public access. The 19B guide says that access comes through an agreement between the ranch and the Department, and that this same range sits along the western edge of 19B. You'll sign in at the boxes you pass.

Northern 17B: Cross U, Las Vegas and Yolo

17B elk are thin and spotty. The guide puts what's there mainly along the northern boundary on the Cross U, Las Vegas and Yolo Ranches. Reach it from Camp Wood Road (FR 21) and Fair Oaks Road (FR 85). The ranches are generally posted private, surrounded by Forest Service land. We'd treat this as country to scout from the public side, not a place to push boundaries.

18B: north of Bozarth Mesa, Goodwin Mesa

Elk in 18B concentrate in the northeastern corner, north of Bozarth Mesa and on the ORO Ranch. ORO takes a limited number of bull and cow hunters for a fee. Outside the ranch, reach the northeast from the Bagdad/Camp Wood road. Don't skip Goodwin Mesa and the higher ground to the northwest. Get there off Bogles Ranch Road and Burro Creek Crossing Road, coming from Highway 93. Fort Rock Ranch also offers limited access, with passes handed out first come, first served through the ranch manager (DGlasgow@maughanranches.com).

The upside is that AZGFD says hunter density in 18B is much lower than across the fence in 17A and 17B.

19B, 20A and 20C: the harder pieces

About 80 percent of 19B is deeded land or private State Trust that may be checkerboarded. Big Chino Valley elk work crop fields, so corn and alfalfa decide where they stand, and that's mostly private. Picacho Butte holds limited elk with the same access trouble. Big Black Mesa has limited water. Its Prescott National Forest portion is reached from Highway 89, while the north and west sides are private.

In 20A, look near Skull Valley and Kirkland Creek. The guide says to focus on deep, remote drainages that hold water year-round. In 20C, elk are few and concentrate around Kirkland and Wagoner, and private land along Kirkland Creek makes the Kirkland elk tough to reach.