Arizona Elk Mule Deer

Unit 3A/3C (Snowflake, Taylor and Show Low)

Arizona Hunting Guide — Elk, Mule Deer

The combined 3A/3C elk hunt spans two very different units. 3A is the open grassland and juniper country around Snowflake, Taylor and Concho, classified mostly as a Minimal Occurrence Elk Management Zone with four separate hunt structures — Standard, Limited Opportunity, Population Management and over-the-counter. 3C is the forested Apache-Sitgreaves country from Taylor up to the Mogollon Rim, where elk densities are far higher, especially south of Highway 260 and west of Decker Wash. The practical upshot: concentrate on 3C's forest and on 3A west of Highway 77, be sure which hunt boundary your tag carries, and expect to pack an animal out of anything that isn't vehicle accessible.

View Draw Odds Arizona Hunting Guide

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5,229–6,057 ft

Sampled elevation

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 3A/3C

Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Arizona Unit 3A/3C 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.

Elk guide Mule Deer 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.

Elk Hunting in Unit 3A/3C

Where the elk are in 3A/3C: west of Highway 77, and south of Highway 260

Two units, two pictures. In 3A, very few elk currently live east of Highway 77 and hunters find better success west of it. In 3C, elk are through the unit in both pine and pinyon-juniper, with the highest densities south of Highway 260 and west of Decker Wash.

Western 3A, and how to get in

The Zeniff Road, the Oasis Trail (Old Holbrook Highway) and the Wind Farm Road are the main access points into western 3A. The unit is a mix of private, State Trust and BLM, and State Trust and BLM are legal to hunt with a valid Arizona licence. Several ranches north of Highway 277 are currently locked and not accessible. Some areas may not be properly posted, which is exactly why pre-scouting matters here.

3C's named areas

Telephone Lake and White Lake north of Show Low off State Route 77. Juniper Ridge on FR 143 west of Show Low and Linden. Pinedale Ridge on FR 132 south of Clay Springs. The Deer Springs country on FR 107, 161 and 145 near the Lookout Tower. The Aripine area on FR 332. The ground between Phoenix Park Wash and Decker Wash on FR 146. Around the Gentry Lookout Tower. And anywhere near Black Canyon Lake via FR 86 or State Route 260.

The management zones and the hunt structures

Most of 3A is a Minimal Occurrence Elk Management Zone, with the Apache-Sitgreaves ground in the far southwest classified as Winter Range. Four hunt structures run in 3A. Make sure you know which hunt boundary your permit carries, because they don't all cover the same ground.

Access and pack-outs

In 3C, most of the unit sits in the Black Mesa and Lakeside Ranger Districts, so access is not a problem. In 3A it can be. If you kill an elk somewhere not vehicle accessible, be prepared to pack it out.

The rules the agency enforces here

Vandalism — cutting fences, property damage, shooting signs — is strictly enforced in 3A. Cross-country travel and littering are prohibited. On a unit where ranch gates are already locking, that matters.

Unit 3A/3C terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up · figures are for GMU 3A

The lay of it

5,229–6,057 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 5,580 ft ; peaks can run higher.
773.2 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

445 tanks
195 stream segments
9 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: Bull Flat Ridge (7,704 ft), Brookbank Point (7,681 ft), OW Point (7,593 ft), Al Fulton Point (7,520 ft)

Holding ground: Stott Canyon (7,206 ft), Baca Meadow (7,023 ft), Outlaw Draw (6,984 ft)

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 3A/3C elk: glass the open, call the juniper, and know your hunt boundary

Rifle success in this country runs about 25 percent and archery 18. The two units ask for different techniques, and the agency names them.

Glassing in the open, calling in the juniper

Glassing with binoculars is very effective for locating elk in the open areas of 3A. In the juniper woodlands, the successful techniques are calling, still-hunting and hunting near water. Pick the method to match where you're standing rather than carrying one approach across both units.

Start in 3C's forest if your tag allows

Higher densities south of Highway 260, reinforced by the Rodeo-Chediski Fire, with good public access and lookout towers and lakes to anchor your days. If your hunt boundary covers both, that's where the first morning belongs.

In 3A, scout the land status as hard as the elk

Locked ranches north of Highway 277, poorly posted boundaries, and a mix of private, State Trust and BLM. Pre-scouting so you know what's legally open is the agency's explicit advice. Build a map before you build a plan.

Ask the Show Low landowners

A number of ranchers and farmers around Linden, Burton and Show Low will allow hunter access to their private land if you obtain permission first. Make those calls weeks out.

Scout, because the density shifts

3C's densest country can move with precipitation patterns. Work out where the rain fell and the feed is green, then weight your plan toward it. Scouting is, in the agency's word, critical.

Get the forest map

Apache-Sitgreaves maps come from the district offices in Overgaard, Lakeside, Springerville and Alpine, or the Game and Fish regional office. On ground navigated by road number, the map is the plan.

Getting in and staying out: unit 3A/3C

Figures are for GMU 3A

Named routes and what they need

AZ 277 — 13.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
US 180 — 12.7 mi · Paved (all rigs)
AZ 377 — 9.8 mi · Paved (all rigs)
AZ 180A — 8.4 mi · Paved (all rigs)
CR 5020 — 5.5 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
377g — 5 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

Snowflake — 9.8 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging
Taylor — 13.1 mi · fuel, groceries
Holbrook — 18.5 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging
Joseph City — 26.5 mi · fuel, groceries
Show Low — 27.5 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging

Developed camps

Silver Sage Trailer Park

Season weather and signal

Jan50° / 21° · 0.7" precip
Aug89° / 58° · 1.8" precip
Sep84° / 50° · 1.1" precip
Oct73° / 38° · 0.9" precip
Nov60° / 27° · 0.7" precip
Dec49° / 20° · 0.8" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 21% 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.

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.

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Elk Success Rates

The 03A/03C combined unit produces reliable 40–60% rifle success rates. The combination of good road access, strong elk numbers, and consistent habitat allows hunters to efficiently work the unit. Archery success runs lower at 15–25% but the rut in this unit is productive for calling.

Elk Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Early Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool)	20	3,995	0.4%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Dec bull/buck only (combined pool)	275	1,095	12.9%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Nov antlerless (combined pool)	200	1,247	11.9%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct antlerless (combined pool)	150	463	18.4%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct either sex (combined pool)	15	124	7.3%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Nov bull/buck only (combined pool)	250	1,142	10.6%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct antlerless (combined pool)	150	463	18.4%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct either sex (combined pool)	15	124	7.3%	—
Early Archery — bull/buck only (combined pool)	75	1,625	3.6%	—
Early Archery — antlerless (combined pool)	35	45	31.1%	—

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

Over 24,000 cumulative applicants rank this as one of Arizona's most competitive elk draws. Most hunters need 15–25 bonus points to draw. Apply every year — missing a cycle delays the draw date and forfeits the loyalty bonus.

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 3A/3C

The 03A/03C combined unit is one of Arizona's top mule deer draws, attracting nearly 13,000 cumulative applicants. The Show Low and Lakeside Ranger District ponderosa plateau produces quality bucks with large frames typical of the White Mountains / Mogollon Rim transition zone. Post-fire habitat recovery and managed hunting pressure have rebuilt the buck age structure in this unit to produce consistent trophy-class opportunities.

Where the deer are in 3A/3C: west of Highway 77, where cover meets feed

Read the warning first, because it's unusually direct. Unit 3A has a scattered, sparse deer population. It can produce quality bucks, but the agency says hunting it is not for the novice deer hunter because of the low densities — it can be difficult to find any deer at all. Both the archery and general hunts in 3A are combined with 3C, and 3C has a much higher density of deer than 3A. That's where to spend your time.

West of State Route 77

Concentrate there. There are deer east of the highway but they're few, extremely scattered and hard to locate — the only reason to hunt the east side is if scouting has found you a pocket of deer or a particular buck.

The habitat formula

This is the most useful line in the guide: the key to locating deer is finding cover and food sources close together. In 3A that's usually the open juniper woodland containing cliffrose and other browse. Deer concentrate where there's cover and some topographic relief — so look for cover plus broken, hilly or rocky terrain.

The country and the roads

Elevations run 5,000 to 6,000 feet through grassland and juniper woodland savannah. There are numerous unimproved roads and a few improved dirt roads. Land ownership mixes National Forest in the southwestern corner with State Trust, private and BLM. Most of the unit is open to hunting, though some areas are posted.

One thing not to worry about

There are no white-tailed deer in 3A, even though the permits are valid for any antlered deer. That removes the identification problem that dogs hunters further south.

If you hunt the 3C side

Higher deer density and good public access in the Black Mesa and Lakeside Ranger Districts. The major drainages and the country off the Rim road are worth working, and a forest map from any Apache-Sitgreaves office will show you the road system.

Unit 3A/3C terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up · figures are for GMU 3A

The lay of it

5,229–6,057 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 5,580 ft ; peaks can run higher.
773.2 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

445 tanks
195 stream segments
9 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: Bull Flat Ridge (7,704 ft), Brookbank Point (7,681 ft), OW Point (7,593 ft), Al Fulton Point (7,520 ft)

Holding ground: Stott Canyon (7,206 ft), Baca Meadow (7,023 ft), Outlaw Draw (6,984 ft)

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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Unlock mule deer locations for the 03A/03C unit

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How to hunt 3A/3C deer: find cover beside feed, in broken ground

Rifle success for mule deer across these units runs about 22 percent, and in 3A specifically the agency warns that finding any deer can be hard. Hunt deliberately.

Hunt the formula, not the acreage

Cover plus food in close proximity, in broken or rocky terrain. In practice that means working the edges of open juniper woodland with cliffrose in it, where a rocky draw or a hilly break gives deer somewhere to go. Walking uniform flat grassland is how people spend a week in 3A without seeing a deer.

Weight your days toward 3C

Your tag covers both and 3C has substantially more deer. Unless scouting has located a specific buck in 3A, that's where the hunting time belongs. Treat 3A as the place you go for a quality buck you already know about.

Glass where the country allows it

The open juniper savannah gives you long sight lines in places. Get on a rise before light with binoculars on a tripod and work the browse edges. Where the juniper closes in, still-hunt slowly into the wind instead.

Scout to find a pocket

With a sparse, scattered population, scouting's job is to find the two or three pockets holding deer rather than to pattern one animal. Then hunt those pockets properly instead of covering ground.

Mind the posted ground

Most of 3A is open but some areas are posted, and several ranches north of Highway 277 are locked. Some boundaries aren't well marked. Carry a land-status map and check before you hunt a new block.

Set your expectations honestly

Low density, quality potential, and an agency recommendation that beginners look elsewhere. If you want a buck in the freezer, hunt 3C. If you want a chance at a good one and you're prepared to work several days for a single sighting, 3A will give you that.

Getting in and staying out: unit 3A/3C

Figures are for GMU 3A

Named routes and what they need

AZ 277 — 13.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
US 180 — 12.7 mi · Paved (all rigs)
AZ 377 — 9.8 mi · Paved (all rigs)
AZ 180A — 8.4 mi · Paved (all rigs)
CR 5020 — 5.5 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
377g — 5 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

Snowflake — 9.8 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging
Taylor — 13.1 mi · fuel, groceries
Holbrook — 18.5 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging
Joseph City — 26.5 mi · fuel, groceries
Show Low — 27.5 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging

Developed camps

Silver Sage Trailer Park

Season weather and signal

Jan50° / 21° · 0.7" precip
Aug89° / 58° · 1.8" precip
Sep84° / 50° · 1.1" precip
Oct73° / 38° · 0.9" precip
Nov60° / 27° · 0.7" precip
Dec49° / 20° · 0.8" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 21% 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.

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.

Pro Members Only

Unlock mule deer tactics for the 03A/03C unit

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Mule Deer Success Rates

The 03A/03C combined mule deer unit yields 50–70% harvest success for rifle hunters. The accessible terrain, good deer numbers, and multiple-day hunt structure allow persistent hunters to connect. Trophy quality has improved significantly in recent years with maturing post-fire habitat.

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — General Rifle Oct bull/buck only (combined pool)	60	2,335	2.1%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Dec bull/buck only (combined pool)	10	1,392	0.7%	—
Rifle — Early Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool)	20	328	4.6%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct either sex (combined pool)	60	2,335	2.1%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Dec either sex (combined pool)	10	1,392	0.7%	—
Early Archery — bull/buck only (combined pool)	40	441	6.8%	—
Early Archery — either sex (combined pool)	20	328	4.6%	—

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Nearly 13,000 cumulative applicants make this one of Arizona's top-tier mule deer draws. Expect 12–20 bonus points before drawing. Never miss an application — each missed year delays the draw date and costs a bonus point.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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Water

Moderate. Stock tanks and seasonal springs scattered throughout. Developed campgrounds have water seasonally.

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Road Conditions

Highways 260 and 60 provide paved main access. Forest roads are mostly graded gravel with some rough two-track spurs.

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Terrain Difficulty

Moderate. Rolling ponderosa plateau at 6,500–8,500 ft. More accessible than the southern canyon units.

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Weather

October temperatures range 25–60°F. Early November snow is possible at higher elevations. Afternoon monsoon-tail thunderstorms occur in September.

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Cell Service

Better than most Arizona units — coverage available near Show Low and major roads. Limited in backcountry.

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Nearest Town

Show Low (full services — fuel, groceries, lodging, gear shops). Pinetop-Lakeside (full services).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the 03A/03C combined hunt a special unit that combines two separate GMUs?

Yes. Arizona issues combined-unit tags when AZGFD manages the hunt across the boundaries of GMUs 3A and 3C jointly. The tag is valid anywhere within both units — hunters have access to the full combined landscape.

What is the typical buck age class in the 03A/03C combined unit?

Managed hunting pressure and improving post-fire habitat have produced a strong 3.5–5.5 year-old buck class in recent years. The unit regularly produces bucks in the 160–185 B&C range. Exceptional individuals exceeding 190 inches are taken most years.

Free Hunt Planning Tools

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-18.

AZGFD Big Game Draw — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Applicant counts, Draw odds · accessed 2026-04-18