Unit 5A/5B (Sitgreaves - Heber)

Anderson Mesa's rim and the drainages running north

Start here. AZGFD's 5B guide says the highest mule deer densities during the season sit in the transition belt between high-elevation summer range and the lower pinyon-juniper. That belt runs along the rim of Anderson Mesa (7,240 feet) and the drainages that fall north toward I-40. Acorns, mountain mahogany and cliffrose pull deer in. So do old juniper, chainings and other openings.

The agency names the larger drainages as the concentration points: Walnut Canyon, Mormon Canyon, Padre Canyon, Grapevine Canyon and Canyon Diablo. Deer bed in thick juniper close to canyon rims or other rugged escape cover, then slide out into the openings to feed. Plan on being on the edge of those openings at first and last light.

Hutch and Mahan Mountain down to Bargaman Park

The 5B guide still lists "some good deer densities" around the Hutch/Mahan Mountain complex, from the 125 (Kinnikinick Lake) Road down to Bargaman Park. Hutch tops out at 8,508 feet and Mahan at 8,253. That's the high summer-range end of the transition. We'd treat it as the upper bookend of your scouting, then work down toward the junipers.

Jacket Fire fringes, Long Lake and Lake Mary Road

The guide also points to the fringes of the Jacket Fire between Winona Road and Twin Arrows roads, the vicinity of Long Lake, and the western edge of Anderson Mesa along the Lake Mary Road corridor. Its rule of thumb is simple: cliffrose plus a good water source means deer are probably close. The unit has 372 mapped tanks, 53 springs and 7 lakes. Sawmill Springs, Elk Spring, Ashurst Spring and Mint Spring are named in the data, but the agency doesn't say which have deer on them, so check each one on a map before you commit a day.

5A: Mogollon Rim burns to the Sunset Mountains

AZGFD's 5A guide sends deer hunters to the burns just on top of the Mogollon Rim, then through the pinyon-juniper north of Highway 87 milepost 312 to the Sunset Mountains. Small numbers also use Jacks Canyon and some of the pushes east of Highway 87. The guide says numbers are climbing and there's a good chance at a mature buck. In 5B, by contrast, it says most bucks you'll see are young, with mature ones scattered. We'd weigh that when choosing between the two halves.

Country to skip, and who owns what

Whitetails live in small numbers in Walnut, Cherry and Jacks Canyons and in the big 5A drainages. The agency calls them hard to hunt because of steep, brushy ground. If you're after mule deer, don't spend your days there.

The unit is 60 percent national forest, 8 percent state trust and 32 percent private or other. Much of the state land in 5A is checkerboarded with private sections, so know where you're standing. Access is permitted on the Bar T Bar Ranch and the Hopi Three Canyon Ranch through the AZGFD landowner compact. A few private parcels are posted.

Glass the openings at the edges of the day

AZGFD says deer are vulnerable in drainages and openings early and late as they feed. Build the day around that. Be set up before light on a rim or a knob that looks into a chaining, a burn edge or a canyon head. Glass until the feeding stops, then still-hunt or sit the bedding cover. Deer bed in thick juniper tight to rims, so the second half of the day is slow, close work along those edges.

The terrain data flags Hutch Mountain, Mahan Mountain, Baker Butte (8,069 feet) and Pine Mountain (7,986) as glassing summits. Anderson Mesa's rim is the obvious perch for the drainages running to I-40. Pick one high point and one low rim, and don't try to cover both in a morning.

Hunt the water and the cliffrose

The 5B guide ties deer to cliffrose with a dependable water source. That's your filter when you're looking at 372 tanks and 53 springs on a map. Look for the overlap of browse, water and broken cover, then glass it from a distance. Don't walk into it.

Beating the crowd, and what a day looks like

The unit's rifle success runs 22 percent in our data, so expect to work for it. Most roads that matter are high-clearance (FR 300, FR 751, FR 631), and AZ 87 is paved. Hunters who stay on the roads will pile up on the obvious ones. We'd walk away from the truck and put distance between yourself and the pavement. Burn fringes and canyon rims in 5A and 5B that are a mile or two off a road see less pressure.

A realistic day: glass a rim from first light, move through juniper midmorning, check water at midday, then be back on an opening for the last hour. Expect young bucks in 5B. If you want a mature one, be ready to pass a lot of deer.

Rules that will cost you if you miss them

• No motorized retrieval. It isn't permitted on national forest land in either 5A or 5B. Plan to pack the animal out. Carry the Motor Vehicle Use Map; it's free from Forest Service offices.
• State land: you need a valid Arizona hunting license, and off-road vehicle travel isn't allowed.
• Bows: it's unlawful to discharge one within a quarter mile of a residence without permission. That matters in drainages near communities.
• Archery nonpermit-tag hunters must report a harvest within 48 hours at www.azgfd.gov/ArcheryDeerReport or 623-236-7961. The unit closes at sundown on the Wednesday after the harvest limit is reached, so check before every hunt.
• Whitetails overlap in Walnut, Cherry and Jacks Canyons. Confirm what your tag allows and be sure of what you're looking at before you shoot.