Unit 2A (St. Johns Grasslands)
Arizona Hunting Guide — Pronghorn
GMU 2A covers the rolling grasslands and open sage flats of eastern Arizona's Colorado Plateau, centered on the agricultural valleys and juniper uplands east of Springerville and St. Johns. AZGFD manages pronghorn in this unit through its limited-draw bonus point system; tag quotas are typically modest, keeping hunter density low. The mix of state trust, BLM, and private land requires scouting access routes in advance.
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Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 2A
GMU 2A covers the rolling grasslands and open sage flats of eastern Arizona's Colorado Plateau, centered on the agricultural valleys and juniper uplands east of Springerville and St. Johns. AZGFD manages pronghorn in this unit through its limited-draw bonus point system; tag quotas are typically modest, keeping hunter density low. The mix of state trust, BLM, and private land requires scouting access routes in advance.
Where the Pronghorn Sit in 2A's Checkerboard
West of the Witch Wells–Navajo ridge line, out to Highway 180
Start here. AZGFD's own unit guide says most of the western half and the southern part of 2A is pronghorn habitat, and it gives the western side a slightly higher density. The guide defines that block as the country between a ridge line and Highway 180. The ridge starts near the junction of the Salt River Project railroad line and the county road, runs from Witch Wells to Navajo, then heads mostly south toward the Stinking Springs Mountains. Access is generally good off Highways 180 and 61. In a unit this big and this broken up, that counts for a lot.
Apache County Road 6390 comes off Hwy 180 near milepost 355. It's one of the two entry points the guide names.
Hardscrabble Wash south to Highway 61
The second habitat block runs from the Hardscrabble Wash area down to Highway 61. We'd scout it hard, because the guide gives no more detail than that. The packet doesn't name individual pastures here, so you'll build your own picture from a BLM 1:100,000 land status map. The agency recommends those maps for exactly this reason. They're sold at BLM offices and some general map stores.
Northern and central access off County Road 7230
Apache County 7230 Road is about 10 miles of graded gravel, and a 2WD rig with a small trailer can handle it. It leaves Hwy 191 near milepost 345, just north of the 191/61 junction. The guide says this is how you reach the northern and central parts of the unit. It also says access is limited between St. Johns and that road. Don't plan to wander in from town. Two shorter graded roads, Cherrys Road (about 6 miles) and Apache County N7200 Road (about 6 miles), are also in the packet.
Glassing points and water on the map
The terrain data flags Puerco Ridge (about 6,500 feet), Hennessy Buttes (5,759) and Mitten Peak (5,402), all in Navajo County, as glassing points on public land. Surprise Valley (5,584) in Apache County is flagged public holding country. Other named features in the data are flagged non-public: Black Ridge, Potter Mesa, Twin Buttes, Potter Place Draw, Rogers Lake, Soda Lake and Hunt Valley. Treat those as places to look at from a legal section, not to walk into. Check each one against your land status map.
The unit runs from about 5,180 to 6,480 feet, so it's open and gentle. It also holds roughly 930 mapped tanks and a handful of named springs and wells, including Prospect Spring, Mesa Well and Jenson Well. Those are places to check from a distance.
Country to skip
Skip the Petrified Forest National Park, which has expanded and now includes the former Hatch Ranch on its eastern edge. Skip the "New Lands" along the northeast edge, which belong to the Navajo Reservation. Skip the roughly 15 square miles of Zuni land around Stinking Springs Mountain. A State permit doesn't open any of it, and the guide says the New Lands and Zuni land aren't well posted. Two named windmills in the data carry "Zuni" in their names. Confirm where the line falls before you hunt near either.
Unit 2A terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 5,182–6,484 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 5,646 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 1,426 sq mi inside the boundary. Big enough that picking one drainage beats driving three.
Who owns the ground
- Private / Other — 100%
Roughly 0% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.
Water on the ground
- 931 tanks
- 6 springs
- 1,313 stream segments
- 26 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: Puerco Ridge (6,548 ft), Hennessy Buttes (5,759 ft), Mitten Peak (5,402 ft)
Holding ground: Surprise Valley (5,584 ft), Prospect Spring, Mesa Well, East Zuni Windmill
Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.
Hunting 2A: Scout Early, Stay Legal, Glass Before You Move
Pronghorn Success Rates
Pronghorn Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts (n/p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle — Early Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool) | 15 | 798 | 0.9% | — |
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 EngineUnit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply for a pronghorn tag in GMU 2A?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & Verification
Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-17.
- AZGFD 2026 Pronghorn Hunt Regulations — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Unit 2A pronghorn season dates, Tag quotas, Legal weapons · accessed 2026-04-17
- AZGFD Draw Portal — Hunt Drawing Information — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Bonus point draw system, Historical applicant counts, Tags issued per year · accessed 2026-04-17
- GMU 2A — Unit Landing Page — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Unit boundary description, Land ownership, Species present · accessed 2026-04-17