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Arizona Mule Deer Bighorn Sheep

Unit 37B (Tortilla Mountains, Black Mountain and the 96 Hills)

Arizona Hunting Guide — Mule Deer, Bighorn Sheep

GMU 37B is the Sonoran Desert country of Pinal County between Florence, Superior, Kearny and Oracle — palo verde and saguaro flats, the Tortilla Mountains, Black Mountain, the Black Hills north of Oracle and the 96 Hills, with Picketpost Mountain and the White Canyon Wilderness along its northern edge. Mule deer numbers are slowly increasing but densities stay low, and the accepted method here is glassing from high points. The unit also carries a desert bighorn population restored to the Mineral Mountains between 2003 and roughly 2013, with the first sheep tag offered in 2013. Land ownership is mixed and heavily interrupted by private parcels, so knowing which ground is posted is part of hunting it.

🏔️
20%
Public Land
⛰️
1,478–4,088 ft
Sampled elevation

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 37B

Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Arizona Unit 37B 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.

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 37B.
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Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 37B

GMU 37B is the Sonoran Desert country of Pinal County between Florence, Superior, Kearny and Oracle — palo verde and saguaro flats, the Tortilla Mountains, Black Mountain, the Black Hills north of Oracle and the 96 Hills, with Picketpost Mountain and the White Canyon Wilderness along its northern edge. Mule deer numbers are slowly increasing but densities stay low, and the accepted method here is glassing from high points. The unit also carries a desert bighorn population restored to the Mineral Mountains between 2003 and roughly 2013, with the first sheep tag offered in 2013. Land ownership is mixed and heavily interrupted by private parcels, so knowing which ground is posted is part of hunting it.

Where the deer are in 37B: the Tortillas, the desert west of Black Mountain, and Falcon Valley

Deer numbers in 37B are slowly increasing, but the agency is straight about the density: there are deer out there and it's common to glass all day and see only a few. That sets the expectation for everything below.

Where the crowd goes

Worth knowing so you can avoid it. The highest hunter densities fall in the Black Hills north of Oracle and west of Mammoth, near the Willow Springs Ranch — which takes in Star Flat and the Bloodsucker and Camp Grant washes — and around the 96 Hills. The 96 Hills in particular haven't produced many deer for several years because of drought, so the crowd there is hunting a thin herd.

Where to go instead

The guide names four alternatives: the Tortilla Mountains west of Kearny, the palo verde and saguaro desert west of Black Mountain, the palo verde and saguaro desert northeast of Florence, and the flatter country throughout the unit — which it describes as very difficult to hunt effectively yet holding good deer numbers. That last one is the opportunity most hunters drive past.

Falcon Valley, for hunters on foot

North of Oracle Junction. Access is limited to foot travel on several parcels of State Land, which keeps the motorized crowd out entirely. The agency suggests it as a place to make a stand on a water hole or a well-travelled game trail. Close gates behind you, don't damage or cut fences, and stay out of the few posted areas in that part of the unit.

Private ground you need to know about

Roughly 19,000 acres of private land surround Black Mountain. Some is posted closed to hunting and some is open — you can't tell by looking. There are also private, posted parcels near the Haydon and Flying UW ranches along the Freeman road. Landowners will usually grant access to hunters who take the time to ask, and they can withdraw it at any time.

Water and access

The unit carries about 250 stock tanks and a dozen springs across 1,180 square miles of desert, so water concentrates deer. AZ 77, AZ 177, AZ 79 and US 60 are the paved frame; East 96 Ranch Road and East Freeman Road are the graded gravel that gets you into the interior.

Unit 37B terrain and land status

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

The lay of it

  • 1,478–4,088 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 2,865 ft ; peaks can run higher.
  • 1,181.7 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

  • 250 tanks
  • 12 springs
  • 2,013 stream segments
  • 5 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: Black Mountain (5,565 ft), Antelope Peak (4,508 ft), Cottonwood Hill (4,402 ft), Picketpost Mountain (4,347 ft)

Holding ground: Star Flat (3,819 ft), Haystack Valley (3,747 ft), Patterson Ravine (3,599 ft), Beehive Well, Deep Well

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 37B deer: glass from high points, early and late, and expect slow days

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Mule Deer Success Rates

Rifle22%
With roughly 650 tags across hunt periods over three years against 1,181 applicants, Unit 37B is one of the higher-opportunity mule deer units in southeast Arizona. Rifle success ranges from 25–40% depending on hunt period, with the late-November and December rut hunts posting the best numbers. Archery success hovers around 10–15%.

Mule Deer Draw Odds

SeasonTagsApplicantsDraw %Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Late Rifle Nov bull/buck only (combined pool) 22552124.6% —
Rifle — General Rifle Oct bull/buck only (combined pool) 10020734.3% —
Rifle — General Rifle Oct bull/buck only (combined pool) 22581022.7% —
Rifle — Late Rifle Dec bull/buck only (combined pool) 151,1171.3% —
Rifle — General Rifle Oct either sex (combined pool) 22581022.7% —
Rifle — Late Rifle Nov either sex (combined pool) 22552124.6% —
Rifle — General Rifle Oct either sex (combined pool) 10020734.3% —

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 37B is an opportunity unit with reasonable draw odds. Arizona's weighted bonus-point draw sends 20% of tags to max-point holders first; the remaining 80% go to a random weighted draw with one entry per bonus point plus loyalty and hunter-education bonuses. Residents with 1–3 bonus points can often draw early-season hunts; the coveted late December rut hunt may require 5–7+ points. Nonresidents face a 10% cap and typically need a couple more points.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does Unit 37B compare to 37A for mule deer?
37B has more tags (650 vs. 340 over 3 years) and slightly better draw odds, but 37A tends to have slightly higher buck quality due to less pressure. Both offer classic southeast Arizona desert hunting.
Is the December rut hunt in Unit 37B worth the points?
Yes. December hunts coincide with the desert mule deer rut and consistently produce daylight buck encounters. Success rates jump significantly compared to early-season hunts.
What should I base out of for Unit 37B?
Willcox is the best base — full fuel, groceries, lodging, and hospital. From there you can reach any corner of the unit within 30–45 minutes.
How do I draw a Unit 37B bighorn tag?
Apply every year via Arizona's weighted bonus-point system with Hunter Education bonus. With only 2 tags and ~589 applicants, this is a lifetime draw — even max-point applicants aren't guaranteed thanks to the random component.
Do I need an outfitter for Unit 37B?
Not required, but strongly recommended. The Galiuro Wilderness is rugged sky-island terrain that rewards local knowledge. The Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society also provides volunteer field support to tag holders.

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Sources & Verification

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

  1. AZGFD Game Management Units — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Unit 37B boundaries and ownership, Coronado NF, BLM, State Trust mix, Mule deer and Coues deer present, Winchester Mountains and Galiuro foothills · accessed 2026-04-17
  2. AZGFD Draw Portal — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Unit 37B historical draw odds, Tag allocation, Bonus points · accessed 2026-04-17
  3. BLM Tucson Field Office — Bureau of Land Management · supports: Sulphur Springs Valley public lands, Travel management, Dispersed camping · accessed 2026-04-17
  4. Coronado National Forest — Safford Ranger District — USDA Forest Service · supports: Winchester Mountains access, Forest road network, Wilderness regulations · accessed 2026-04-17
  5. GMU 37B — Unit Landing Page — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Galiuro unit boundary, Desert bighorn habitat, Wilderness access · accessed 2026-04-17
  6. 2026 Arizona Hunting Regulations — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Bighorn season structure, Tag allocation, Hunt codes · accessed 2026-04-17