Arizona Elk Mule Deer Pronghorn Turkey

Unit 5A (Flagstaff)

Arizona Hunting Guide — Elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Turkey

Unit 5A covers the Coconino National Forest south of Flagstaff extending toward the Mogollon Rim, offering elk hunting in classic ponderosa pine and mixed conifer habitat. The unit holds a strong elk herd with above-average bull quality, though proximity to Flagstaff creates some access challenges and higher hunting pressure on public roads. Hunters willing to push off the beaten path find productive elk country in the timber parks and meadow systems.

View Draw Odds Arizona Hunting Guide

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5,095–7,158 ft

Sampled elevation

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Access roads, campgrounds, elevation, monthly weather, stock tanks, cell coverage, and nearest-town services for Unit 5A.

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Elk Hunting in Unit 5A

Where the 5A elk live: Rim ridges, transition country and the Sunset flats

The high country: Baker Butte to Buck Springs Ridge

AZGFD's unit guide says elk occur throughout 5A, from high-elevation mixed conifer near the Mogollon Rim north to the Sunset Mountains just south of Winslow. It doesn't break the unit down drainage by drainage. So we're working from the terrain it describes and the landforms on the map.

The Rim country is very rugged, with long ridges and deep canyons. That's where the summer herd concentrates. The big glassing ridges all sit up here: Baker Butte (8,069 feet), Dick Hart Ridge (7,814), McClintock Ridge (7,805), Hospital Ridge (7,741) and Buck Springs Ridge (7,648). If you drew an early September tag, start in this country. It's the strongest ground in the unit.

The transition band: Turkey Pen Ridge down to Cave Ridge

This is a migratory herd. At the first snow, the southern part moves off the Rim, and the central part heads for lower GMU 6A. The agency says that when heavy snow hits, hunting can be very good in the transition zones between summer and winter range.

The guide doesn't name that band. Our read is the mid-elevation ridges, which sit below the Rim crest and above the juniper flats: Turkey Pen Ridge (7,267), Cinch Hook Butte (7,226), McCarty Ridge (7,198), Milk Ranch Point (7,165), Cart Ridge (7,093) and Cave Ridge (6,986). Treat that as a starting hypothesis and confirm it with sign. Late hunts without snow are a different story, because elk don't have to move.

Red Hill and the Sunset Mountains: the resident elk

Some elk never leave. The guide says a portion of the herd stays all year on low-elevation winter range near Red Hill and the Sunset Mountains, and the northern part of the herd lives year-round in the juniper grasslands. East Sunset Mountain tops out at 6,836 feet, West Sunset at 6,603, Red Hill at 6,564, and Mesita Knoll at 6,601.

The ground is rolling hills with two large mountains and two large canyons, mostly pinyon-juniper to grassland. It's also checkerboard state and private land. AZGFD says access to nearly all of the limited-opportunity area runs through the Bar T Bar and Hopi Three Canyon Ranch, both in the Landowner Compact program, and you have to submit an access request. The guide also warns that success in these hunts may be very low, since they exist to address resident elk on winter range. We wouldn't plan a trophy hunt around them.

Water won't pin them down

The packet counts 372 tanks, 53 springs, 793 stream segments and 7 lakes in the unit. AZGFD says 5A has fairly good water compared to most Arizona units. Skip the idea of finding the one tank everybody needs. Elk have options, so look for feed and cover instead.

Unit 5A terrain and land status

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

The lay of it

5,095–7,158 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 6,051 ft ; peaks can run higher.
692.4 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

372 tanks
53 springs
793 stream segments
7 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: Baker Butte (8,069 ft), Dane Ridge (7,902 ft), Dick Hart Ridge (7,814 ft), Hospital Ridge (7,741 ft)

Holding ground: Limestone Pasture (7,360 ft), Bill McClintock Draw (7,324 ft), Cienega Draw (7,311 ft)

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 5A: snow, oaks, glass-and-stalk and a retrieval rule that matters

Hunt the weather, not the calendar

Seasons start in September and run into December, depending on your weapon. Where the elk are depends heavily on snow. Before a first-snow hunt, we'd watch the forecast and be ready to drop from the Rim ridges into the transition band. If it stays dry, stay high. The summer range holds elk until something pushes them.

The numbers say this isn't an easy tag. The packet shows 25 percent rifle success and 18 percent archery. Plan on putting in days.

Oak patches and timber parks

Since water is plentiful, AZGFD says hunting over it isn't very productive. Its own tip is that in years with good mast crops, hunting oak patches can be very productive. Scout for acorn sign first, and if you find it, sit that feed. Meadows and timber parks are the other obvious places to glass at first and last light. Flagstaff's proximity means public roads see heavy pressure, so we'd put our time a good walk from the nearest road.

Spot and stalk in the Sunsets

For the northern limited-opportunity hunts, AZGFD calls spot and stalk the most productive method. It's open, rolling country. Glass from a high point like East Sunset or Red Hill, find the herd, and plan the stalk around the canyons. Get your landowner permission settled well before the hunt. The guide says it's unlawful to discharge a bow within a quarter mile of a residence without permission, and that applies when you're pursuing herds around the drainages and canyons near residential communities. Archers should mark those buildings on the map first.

Roads, retrieval and what a day looks like

This one catches people. Motorized retrieval of big game is not permitted on national forest land in 5A, and the Travel Management Rule limits motor vehicles to designated routes on the Motor Vehicle Use Map. The MVUM is free at Forest Service offices. Know it before you shoot, because everything comes out on your back or a game cart. That favors hunting 1 to 2 miles from the truck rather than 4 or 5.

Several of the named forest roads are high-clearance: FR 300 (16.1 miles), FR 751 (6.1) and FR 631 (4.6). AZ 87, AZ 99 and I-40/US 180 are paved. A realistic day is an early glass from a ridge, a midday scout through oak patches, and an evening watch on a park. Pack light and expect to hike.

Getting in and staying out: unit 5A

Named routes and what they need

AZ 87 — 30.4 mi · Paved (all rigs)
FR 300 — 16.1 mi · High-clearance
FR 751 — 6.1 mi · High-clearance
I 40;US 180 — 5.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
FR 631 — 4.6 mi · High-clearance
AZ 99 — 3.3 mi · Paved (all rigs)

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

Winslow — 24.8 mi · groceries, lodging
Beaver Valley Estates — 34.3 mi · no services listed
Pine — 36.9 mi · no services listed
Strawberry — 37.4 mi · no services listed
Mesa Del Caballo — 37.4 mi · fuel, groceries

Developed camps

Jack's Canyon Camping and Climbing Area · Free
Kehl Springs Campground
Knoll Lake Campground
Long Valley Work Center Group Campground
Unnamed camp site · Free

Season weather and signal

Jan45° / 20° · 2.1" precip
Aug82° / 55° · 3" precip
Sep77° / 48° · 1.9" precip
Oct67° / 37° · 1.3" precip
Nov54° / 27° · 1.2" precip
Dec45° / 19° · 1.8" 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

Unit 5A elk success rates average 20-30% for rifle and 8-15% for archery. The unit produces consistent results for hunters who distance themselves from roads. Bull quality is above average with 280-310 class bulls taken annually. The proximity to Flagstaff makes this one of the more convenient Arizona elk hunts logistically.

Elk Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Early Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool)	5	10	40.0%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Dec bull/buck only (combined pool)	339	826	23.1%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct antlerless (combined pool)	25	0	0.0%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct antlerless (combined pool)	121	203	37.9%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Nov bull/buck only (combined pool)	339	1,249	17.7%	—
Rifle — Early Rifle antlerless (combined pool)	2	1	100.0%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct antlerless (combined pool)	25	10	60.0%	—
Early Archery — bull/buck only (combined pool)	145	1,128	9.5%	—
Late Archery Nov — bull/buck only (combined pool)	48	38	55.3%	—
Early Archery — antlerless (combined pool)	48	65	26.2%	—

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 5A elk tags are moderately competitive. Expect to need 8-15 bonus points for rifle tags. Archery is somewhat more accessible. The unit's convenient location and solid bull quality make it a popular application choice, keeping draw odds competitive relative to more remote units.

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 5A

Unit 5A provides mule deer hunting in the ponderosa and pinyon-juniper forests of the Coconino NF surrounding Flagstaff. The unit holds a healthy deer herd with above-average buck quality driven by good habitat diversity from 6,000 to 9,000 feet. Convenient access from Flagstaff makes this unit popular, but hunters who push deeper into the timber find quality bucks with less competition.

Where to find mule deer in 5A: the Rim burns, the Sunset Mountains and the pinyon-juniper between

AZGFD's unit guide is short on named spots for 5A, but what it does say is specific. It points deer hunters to three kinds of country, and we'd build the whole hunt around them.

The burns on top of the Mogollon Rim

This is the guide's first recommendation, and it's where we'd start. AZGFD tells 5A hunters to concentrate around the burns just on top of the Rim. The guide doesn't name the burns or give their elevations. The mapping data does list a string of high ridges along the Rim country: Dick Hart Ridge at 7,814 feet, McClintock Ridge at 7,805, Hospital Ridge at 7,741, Buck Springs Ridge at 7,648, and Blue Ridge at 7,471. Those are your glassing platforms for looking into the openings. Some of them top the unit's listed maximum of 7,158 feet, so check the boundary on your map before you plan a camp around one.

Pinyon-juniper north of Highway 87 milepost 312, out to the Sunset Mountains

The guide's second area is the pinyon-juniper country north of AZ 87 at milepost 312, running to the Sunset Mountains. It's lower and broader than the Rim. East Sunset Mountain tops out at 6,836 feet and West Sunset Mountain at 6,603. Chavez Mountain (6,903), Mesita Knoll (6,601) and Red Hill (6,564) fall in the same elevation band, and all are listed as public land. The unit bottoms out at 5,095 feet, so there's a lot of vertical room between the Rim and the flats. AZGFD says mule deer numbers here are increasing and there's a good chance of finding a mature buck. Take that as the agency's read, not a promise.

Jacks Canyon and the east side of 87

The guide gives Jacks Canyon and "some of the pushes on the east side of Highway 87" only small numbers of mule deer. It's a fallback, not a plan A. Fewer deer means more glassing for fewer looks.

What to skip, and what to know about ownership

The guide's best-known deer names (Walnut, Mormon, Padre, Grapevine and Canyon Diablo, plus Anderson Mesa) belong to the 5B paragraph. Don't build a 5A hunt on them. Whitetails exist in the big drainages, but AZGFD calls them few, tucked in steep, brushy ground, and rarely taken.

Ownership matters here. Only 60 percent of the unit is national forest, 8 percent is State Trust, and 32 percent is private or other. Much of the state land is checkerboarded with private sections, so a map that shows boundaries matters more than a good set of binoculars. The guide notes access by permission on the Bar T Bar Ranch and the Hopi Three Canyon Ranch, and a few posted private parcels.

Getting there

AZ 87 runs 30.4 paved miles through the unit, and AZ 99 adds 3.3 more. The main high-clearance options are FR 300 (16.1 miles), FR 751 (6.1) and FR 631 (4.6). Water isn't the limiting factor on paper: the data shows 372 tanks and 53 springs, though none are named.

Unit 5A terrain and land status

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

The lay of it

5,095–7,158 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 6,051 ft ; peaks can run higher.
692.4 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

372 tanks
53 springs
793 stream segments
7 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: Baker Butte (8,069 ft), Dane Ridge (7,902 ft), Dick Hart Ridge (7,814 ft), Hospital Ridge (7,741 ft)

Holding ground: Limestone Pasture (7,360 ft), Bill McClintock Draw (7,324 ft), Cienega Draw (7,311 ft)

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 5A mule deer: glass the openings, stay legal on the roads, pack it out on foot

The agency's 5A guidance is thin on tactics, so some of this is our read of the terrain. We'll mark which is which.

Glass the burn edges and the Sunset knobs

The only behavior detail in the guide comes from its 5B paragraph. Deer there feed in openings and along drainages early and late in the day, then bed in thick juniper near rugged escape cover. They're after acorns, mountain mahogany and cliffrose. Nothing suggests 5A deer act differently, so we'd apply the same logic. Be on a ridge before first light. Glass the edges of the Rim burns, where open ground meets cover, then slide down into the pinyon-juniper as the light comes up. Dick Hart, McClintock and Hospital ridges give you the height for the burns. For the lower country, East Sunset or Chavez Mountain make sense. Glass until midmorning, and don't walk into beds you haven't looked over first.

Beat the roads, not the deer

AZ 87 is a paved corridor through the middle of the unit, and the unit sits close to Flagstaff. We'd expect road-hunter traffic, though the packet doesn't measure it. FR 300, FR 751 and FR 631 are high-clearance, which filters out some people but not many. Park at the first good glassing spot and walk. The pinyon-juniper north of milepost 312 is wide enough to lose the trucks in a mile or two.

Rules that will cost you if you miss them

No motorized retrieval. AZGFD states that motorized retrieval of big game isn't permitted on national forest land in 5A. Plan to quarter and pack the deer out. That should shape how far downhill from a ridge you're willing to shoot.
Stay on the MVUM. Motorized use is only allowed on designated routes on the Motor Vehicle Use Map. The maps are free at Forest Service offices.
State land is foot-only. You need a valid Arizona hunting license to access it, and no off-road vehicle travel is allowed.
Bow hunters: it's unlawful to discharge a bow within a quarter mile of a residence without permission. That matters near the drainages by residential areas.
Private land: the Bar T Bar and Hopi Three Canyon ranches require access permission. Leave posted parcels alone.
Archery nonpermit-tag hunters must report har
Getting in and staying out: unit 5A
Named routes and what they need
AZ 87 — 30.4 mi · Paved (all rigs)
FR 300 — 16.1 mi · High-clearance
FR 751 — 6.1 mi · High-clearance
I 40;US 180 — 5.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
FR 631 — 4.6 mi · High-clearance
AZ 99 — 3.3 mi · Paved (all rigs)
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
Winslow — 24.8 mi · groceries, lodging
Beaver Valley Estates — 34.3 mi · no services listed
Pine — 36.9 mi · no services listed
Strawberry — 37.4 mi · no services listed
Mesa Del Caballo — 37.4 mi · fuel, groceries
Developed camps
Jack's Canyon Camping and Climbing Area · Free
Kehl Springs Campground
Knoll Lake Campground
Long Valley Work Center Group Campground
Unnamed camp site · Free
Season weather and signal
Jan45° / 20° · 2.1" precip
Aug82° / 55° · 3" precip
Sep77° / 48° · 1.9" precip
Oct67° / 37° · 1.3" precip
Nov54° / 27° · 1.2" precip
Dec45° / 19° · 1.8" 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.
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.

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Mule Deer Success Rates

Mule deer rifle success in Unit 5A averages 25-35%. The unit's diverse terrain provides good habitat but also allows deer to disperse widely. Hunters who focus on transition zones and water sources typically outperform the average. Archery success is around 10-18%.

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Late Rifle Nov bull/buck only (combined pool)	423	2,240	16.2%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Dec bull/buck only (combined pool)	9	460	1.3%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct bull/buck only (combined pool)	27	41	56.1%	—
Rifle — General Rifle Oct either sex (combined pool)	423	2,254	16.0%	—

Data from 2024 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 5A mule deer tags are moderately competitive. Rifle tags typically require 5-10 bonus points. Archery is more accessible, sometimes available as second-choice or leftover. The unit offers a reasonable balance between deer quality and draw accessibility.

Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 5A

Unit 5A supports a pronghorn population across the open grassland parks and volcanic cinder flats northeast of Flagstaff. The terrain is classic high-desert pronghorn country with long sight lines and open expanses. Herd numbers fluctuate with precipitation and forage, but the unit consistently offers quality pronghorn hunting with above-average bucks available.

Where the pronghorn are: west of Highway 87 and around the Sunset Mountains

West of Highway 87, off Meteor Crater Road

Start here. AZGFD's own unit guide puts the highest concentrations of pronghorn west of Highway 87, south of I-40 and north of West Sunset Mountain. The easiest way in is Meteor Crater Road. It's open grassland with sparse pinyon-juniper, and it sits in the northern part of the unit.

The ground is a state and private checkerboard. Private sections here belong to Hopi Three Canyon Ranch and Bar T Bar Ranch. Both allow access, but only by permission through the AZGFD Landowner Compact/Access Agreement. Sort that out before you leave home, not at the gate.

Unit elevation runs 5,095 to 7,158 feet and averages 6,051. The grassland these goats use is the northern country, so we'd expect you'll be hunting the lower end of that range.

The Sunset Mountains and Moonlight Bay

The guide's second recommendation is the top of West and East Sunset Mountain, plus Moonlight Bay north of East Sunset. East Sunset tops out at 6,836 feet and West Sunset at 6,603. Neither is a big climb above the surrounding flats, but that's the point. Each is a glassing perch over open country where bucks cruise during the rut.

The packet doesn't name roads to either summit. Check the Motor Vehicle Use Map before you plan a drive.

South of the forest boundary

The agency says a few large herds hold in less open country south of the forest boundary. That's a harder hunt. Cover breaks up your sightlines, and a herd can slip out of view in one fold of ground. We'd treat it as a second option, not a plan A.

Three high-clearance forest roads cross the unit: FR 300 (16.1 miles), FR 751 (6.1) and FR 631 (4.6). The packet doesn't say which ones reach pronghorn, so verify that on the MVUM rather than trusting us.

Country to skip

Forest covers 60 percent of the unit, and most of it isn't pronghorn habitat. The long list of timbered ridges, including Dick Hart, McClintock and Hospital, is elk country. Some of those points, like Baker Butte at 8,069 feet, top the unit's own 7,158-foot maximum, so they lie outside the boundary. Don't burn scouting days on them.

Unit 5A terrain and land status

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

The lay of it

5,095–7,158 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 6,051 ft ; peaks can run higher.
692.4 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

372 tanks
53 springs
793 stream segments
7 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: Baker Butte (8,069 ft), Dane Ridge (7,902 ft), Dick Hart Ridge (7,814 ft), Hospital Ridge (7,741 ft)

Holding ground: Limestone Pasture (7,360 ft), Bill McClintock Draw (7,324 ft), Cienega Draw (7,311 ft)

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 5A pronghorn: green-up, water and checkerboard rules

Find the green-up, then glass it

AZGFD's advice is blunt: locate the areas of green-up, and you'll find pronghorn. We'd build the whole hunt on that. The hunt falls in the rut, when bucks are active, cover lots of ground and are easy to see. So glass early and glass long.

Set up on a rise near Meteor Crater Road, or on East or West Sunset Mountain, and work the flats methodically. Look for movement first, then for white rump patches. Keep the optics on a tripod. Bucks that are covering ground will often cross a few miles of open country before you've finished your coffee.

Water is the pressure point

The agency calls this country sparsely watered and says the animals depend on, and are vulnerable at, reliable water. The packet counts 372 tanks and 53 springs across the unit, but most of that sits in forest country, not the northern grassland. A mapped tank isn't a wet tank.

Confirm water on foot or by glass before you commit to a sit. Once you've found a source with fresh tracks, it's your best ambush spot, especially with a bow.

Checkerboard rules and access

A valid Arizona hunting license gets you onto state land. No off-road vehicle travel is allowed there.
Bar T Bar Ranch and Hopi Three Canyon Ranch need access permission through the AZGFD Landowner Compact/Access Agreement.
Some private parcels are posted against trespass. Respect them.
It's unlawful to discharge a bow within a quarter mile of a residence without permission. That matters when you're following herds through drainages and canyons near residential communities.
Motorized retrieval of big game isn't permitted on national forest land in 5A. Plan to pack your animal out if you're in the forest.

Get the free MVUM from the Coconino National Forest before you go.

Rifle versus bow, and a realistic day

The success figures in our data are 82 percent for rifle and 48 percent for archery. The gap isn't a surprise. On open ground a rifle hunter can cover the distance, while a bowhunter has to close to bow range on animals that see everything. We'd put archery hunters at water, or on a travelling buck's line from a good vantage.

A rifle day is simple. Be on your glassing point at first light and sort out the herds. Pick the buck you want, plan a stalk across public or permitted ground, and take him. If nothing shows by midday, move to the next green patch or water source. Don't sit still on dry country.

Getting in and staying out: unit 5A

Named routes and what they need

AZ 87 — 30.4 mi · Paved (all rigs)
FR 300 — 16.1 mi · High-clearance
FR 751 — 6.1 mi · High-clearance
I 40;US 180 — 5.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
FR 631 — 4.6 mi · High-clearance
AZ 99 — 3.3 mi · Paved (all rigs)

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

Winslow — 24.8 mi · groceries, lodging
Beaver Valley Estates — 34.3 mi · no services listed
Pine — 36.9 mi · no services listed
Strawberry — 37.4 mi · no services listed
Mesa Del Caballo — 37.4 mi · fuel, groceries

Developed camps

Jack's Canyon Camping and Climbing Area · Free
Kehl Springs Campground
Knoll Lake Campground
Long Valley Work Center Group Campground
Unnamed camp site · Free

Season weather and signal

Jan45° / 20° · 2.1" precip
Aug82° / 55° · 3" precip
Sep77° / 48° · 1.9" precip
Oct67° / 37° · 1.3" precip
Nov54° / 27° · 1.2" precip
Dec45° / 19° · 1.8" 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.

Pronghorn: where to put the shot

Broadside, straight up the front leg, a third of the way into the body. Pronghorn are shallow-chested and the lungs sit forward.

Shots to refuse

Range it, then range it again. Open country makes 400 yards look like 250.
Wait for the buck to stop. Nobody kills a running pronghorn cleanly on purpose.
Mind the backdrop. A miss carries a long way across a flat.

Plan the carry: roughly 30– 45 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — one large cooler with ice already in it. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Pronghorn Success Rates

Pronghorn rifle success in Unit 5A ranges from 55-75%. The open terrain and limited tags combine to produce good encounter rates. Archery success is lower at 15-25% due to the difficulty of closing distance on open ground. Buck quality is above average for Arizona.

Pronghorn Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Early Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool)	3	9	11.1%	—
Early Archery — bull/buck only (combined pool)	2	68	1.5%	—
General Archery — bull/buck only (combined pool)	2	1	100.0%	—

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Unit 5A pronghorn tags are competitive. Rifle tags typically require 6-12 bonus points. The unit's convenient location near Flagstaff makes it a popular application choice. Apply consistently and build bonus points for a realistic shot at drawing within a decade.

Turkey Hunting in Unit 5A

Unit 5A covers the Coconino National Forest country north of Flagstaff including Kendrick Peak and the San Francisco Peaks foothills. The unit offers excellent Merriam's turkey habitat with mature ponderosa pine roosts, aspen-oak benches, and meadow parks. Bird numbers are strong and tags are relatively accessible. Spring and fall seasons produce consistent gobbler opportunity, and the scenic country around Kendrick and the Peaks makes it a favorite with Arizona turkey hunters.

Where the Birds Are in 5A: Rim Drainages, East Clear Creek and the Pine-to-Juniper Edge

Drainages north of the Mogollon Rim and East Clear Creek

AZGFD's own unit guide doesn't break 5A down much. It names two places for spring turkeys: the drainages just north of the Mogollon Rim, and the East Clear Creek drainage. We'd start with both. Nothing else in the packet is as specific, and we won't pretend it is.

The guide also says the population improves with moisture from wet winters. A dry winter means fewer birds, so scout for sign before you commit to a spot.

Following the snow line in spring

This is the pattern that matters most. Before heavy snow, birds sit in ponderosa pine and mixed conifer. Through winter they drop to the band between ponderosa and pinyon-juniper. In spring, the guide says, they're often still in that transition country, then follow the snow line back up as it melts.

The unit runs from 5,095 to 7,158 feet and averages 6,051. The guide doesn't give elevations for the transition band, so we'd expect it in the lower to middle part of that range. Early season, hunt low where pine meets juniper. Later, move up the drainages behind the melting snow. Birds roost in big ponderosas on steep slopes, so look for those slopes above water and feed.

Feed is forbs, insects, mast and pinyon seeds. Pinyon-juniper edges with open pine above them hold more of it than solid timber.

Ridges and buttes for locating birds

The landform data lists a lot of ridges and summits. Several sit inside the unit's elevation range: Cave Ridge (6,986 feet), Cart Ridge (7,093), Hart Point (7,096), Chavez Mountain (6,903), East Sunset Mountain (6,836), West Sunset Mountain (6,603), Mesita Knoll (6,601) and Red Hill (6,564). Those are good places to climb at first light and listen.

A caution. Baker Butte (8,069) and Dane Ridge (7,902) top the unit's stated maximum of 7,158, and Dane Ridge is listed in Gila County. They're likely outside 5A or on its edge. Check the boundary on your map before you plan around anything over about 7,150 feet.

Roads, ownership and country to skip

About 60 percent of 5A is national forest, 8 percent is State Trust and 32 percent is private or other. The guide says most turkey habitat is Coconino National Forest and open to licensed hunters. Treat that 32 percent as off limits unless you've got permission.

The named roads are AZ 87, AZ 99 and I-40/US 180 (all paved), plus three high-clearance forest roads: FR 300 (16.1 miles), FR 751 (6.1) and FR 631 (4.6). The packet doesn't say where each one goes, so check them against the Motor Vehicle Use Map. The map also shows the tanks (372 in the data), springs (53) and streams, which are your fall targets.

Skip anything close to homes, especially the canyons and drainages near residential communities. You can't discharge a bow within a quarter mile of a residence without permission.

Unit 5A terrain and land status

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

The lay of it

5,095–7,158 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 6,051 ft ; peaks can run higher.
692.4 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

372 tanks
53 springs
793 stream segments
7 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: Baker Butte (8,069 ft), Dane Ridge (7,902 ft), Dick Hart Ridge (7,814 ft), Hospital Ridge (7,741 ft)

Holding ground: Limestone Pasture (7,360 ft), Bill McClintock Draw (7,324 ft), Cienega Draw (7,311 ft)

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 5A Turkeys: Hen Calls, Walk-Ins and Tank Blinds

Spring: hen calls and a walk-in

AZGFD calls hen calling the most effective spring technique in 5A, and we'd go along with that. Skip the gobbler-style calling. The guide is blunt on safety: never make noises that could pass for a gobbler, and never wear turkey-colored clothing. In timber this thick, other hunters are listening too.

Pressure is the other problem. The packet's 35 percent shotgun success rate says birds are killable, but that's no free pass. The guide's advice for beating the crowd is to use spring road closures. Park, walk in, and find undisturbed birds. Walk-ins pay off in places like the Rim-side drainages and East Clear Creek, where a closed gate keeps most hunters off the ground.

Working the snow line

Early in the season, hunt the pine and pinyon-juniper transition. Climb a ridge or summit before dawn and listen for birds coming off big ponderosas on steep slopes. Cave Ridge, Cart Ridge and Hart Point are inside the unit's elevation range, and the sunset peaks are lower. As the snow melts, move up with it. A bird you pattern at one elevation one week may be a few hundred feet higher the next.

Heavy snow years shut roads and can make spring access hard. The guide says to call the Coconino National Forest before you go. Carry the Motor Vehicle Use Map (free at Forest Service offices) and stay on designated routes.

Fall: tanks, roosts and a natural blind

For fall, AZGFD's advice is to look for sign around water tanks and likely roost sites. With 372 tanks in the unit data, that's a long list, so use the map to narrow it to tanks near big ponderosas on slopes. The guide says a ground blind built from natural materials, with you sitting in it all day, can work. We'd pick one tank with fresh sign over bouncing between five.

Rules that shape the hunt

No motorized retrieval. It isn't permitted on national forest land in 5A for any big game species. Plan to carry out what you shoot, and that's one more reason to hunt close to the road.
Bow limits. It's unlawful to discharge a bow within a quarter mile of a residence without permission. That matters in drainages and canyons near communities.
Designated routes only. Motorized use is limited to roads, trails and areas on the MVUM.

A realistic day

Be at your walk-in trailhead before first light and climb to a listening point. Work toward any gobble with soft hen calls. If nothing answers by mid-morning, drop to the next drainage or edge. In fall, settle into a blind at a tank and give it the day.

Getting in and staying out: unit 5A

Named routes and what they need

AZ 87 — 30.4 mi · Paved (all rigs)
FR 300 — 16.1 mi · High-clearance
FR 751 — 6.1 mi · High-clearance
I 40;US 180 — 5.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
FR 631 — 4.6 mi · High-clearance
AZ 99 — 3.3 mi · Paved (all rigs)

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

Winslow — 24.8 mi · groceries, lodging
Beaver Valley Estates — 34.3 mi · no services listed
Pine — 36.9 mi · no services listed
Strawberry — 37.4 mi · no services listed
Mesa Del Caballo — 37.4 mi · fuel, groceries

Developed camps

Jack's Canyon Camping and Climbing Area · Free
Kehl Springs Campground
Knoll Lake Campground
Long Valley Work Center Group Campground
Unnamed camp site · Free

Season weather and signal

Jan45° / 20° · 2.1" precip
Aug82° / 55° · 3" precip
Sep77° / 48° · 1.9" precip
Oct67° / 37° · 1.3" precip
Nov54° / 27° · 1.2" precip
Dec45° / 19° · 1.8" 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.

Turkey: where to put the shot

Head and neck with shot, at 40 yards or less. On an archery bird, the wing butt broadside or the base of the neck.

Shots to refuse

Know the limit of your pattern. Pattern the gun on paper at 40 yards with the load you are carrying.
Never shoot at movement or sound in cover. Spring woods are full of other hunters stalking the same gobble.
In spring, legal is a bearded bird. Look for the beard, not the gobble.

Plan the carry: roughly 5– 9 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — a small cooler is enough. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Turkey Success Rates

Unit 5A turkey success typically runs 25–45% spring and similar fall. Merriam's gobblers commonly sport 9–11 inch beards. Review the Success chart for current data.

Turkey Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Shotgun — Spring bearded turkey (combined pool)	175	128	55.5%	—
Shotgun — Fall either sex (combined pool)	100	396	24.5%	—
Rifle — Fall either sex (combined pool)	100	435	23.0%	—
Rifle — Spring either sex (combined pool)	175	606	22.6%	—

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Unit 5A turkey tags are generally accessible under AZGFD's weighted bonus-point system with Hunter Education bonus. Spring tags typically draw within 1–2 years of consistent application; fall even easier. A great entry-point turkey unit.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

🚐

RV Sites

Multiple RV parks and campgrounds in the Flagstaff area. Bonito Campground near Sunset Crater and dispersed camping on Coconino NF land.

⛺

Camp Sites

Extensive dispersed camping throughout the Coconino NF. Forest roads provide access to numerous pulloff camping spots.

🛻

Trailer Access

Paved highways surround the unit. Forest roads vary but many are suitable for short trailers.

💧

Water

Flagstaff provides convenient water access. Carry water for backcountry camps.

🛣️

Road Conditions

Excellent paved access from Flagstaff. Forest roads range from maintained gravel to rough two-track. Early snow can close higher-elevation roads.

🥾

Terrain Difficulty

Moderate. Rolling ponderosa terrain with some steep mixed-conifer slopes at higher elevations.

👥

Hunting Pressure

Moderate. Proximity to Flagstaff means higher pressure near roads but much lower pressure away from them.

🌦️

Weather

Monsoon storms possible in September. October brings crisp fall weather with freezing nights. Snow can arrive by late October. Flagstaff sits at 7,000 feet — expect mountain weather.

📱

Cell Service

Good service near Flagstaff and along highways. Drops off quickly in the forest.

🏘️

Nearest Town

Flagstaff (full services including hotels, restaurants, gear shops, and hospitals).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Unit 5A a good elk unit for non-residents?

Yes. Unit 5A offers above-average elk hunting with convenient logistics thanks to Flagstaff's services. Non-residents can fly into Flagstaff Pulliam Airport and be hunting within an hour. Draw odds are moderate at 8-15 bonus points for most weapon types.

Does the monsoon affect elk hunting in Unit 5A?

Yes. The Arizona monsoon season typically runs July through mid-September. Early archery hunts may encounter afternoon thunderstorms. These storms actually benefit hunters by cooling temperatures and making elk more active, but lightning safety is a real concern at elevation.

Where is the best mule deer habitat in Unit 5A?

The PJ-to-ponderosa transition zones between 6,500 and 7,500 feet hold the highest deer density. Focus on areas where vegetation types change — these edges concentrate deer feeding activity.

Is Unit 5A a good option for a first Arizona mule deer hunt?

Yes. The convenient access from Flagstaff, diverse terrain, and moderate draw odds make Unit 5A an excellent introduction to Arizona mule deer hunting. The unit produces solid bucks without requiring decades of bonus point accumulation.

How far are pronghorn shots in Unit 5A?

Typical rifle shots range from 200 to 400+ yards depending on terrain and stalk success. Bring a flat-shooting rifle and practice at extended ranges. Archery hunters need to close within 60 yards, which requires exceptional use of terrain features or water-source setups.

What is the best approach for archery pronghorn in Unit 5A?

Water-source ambush setups are the most reliable archery tactic. Locate an active stock tank, set up a ground blind downwind within 30-40 yards, and wait for pronghorn to come to water in the afternoon. Decoys can also be effective on territorial bucks.

Is Unit 5A a good first Arizona turkey hunt?

Yes. Tags are accessible under the weighted bonus-point system with Hunter Education bonus, Merriam's populations are strong, and the forest road network makes it easy to scout and hunt.

Can I hunt Unit 5A turkey with a rifle?

Arizona allows rifle turkey hunting in fall. Spring seasons are typically shotgun or archery. Check the current AZGFD Hunt Regulations for weapon rules by hunt code.

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 2026-04-17.

GMU 5A — Expanded Hunt Information (April 2025) — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Unit boundaries and land ownership categories, Species present in the unit, Seasonal distribution and hunt areas, Habitat and access notes · accessed 2026-04-16
GMU 5A — Unit Landing Page — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Canonical unit info page · accessed 2026-04-16
2026 Arizona Pronghorn and Elk Regulations — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Season structure, Tag quotas, Hunt area boundaries · accessed 2026-04-16
2025-26 Arizona Hunting Regulations — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Season structure, Bag limits, Legal equipment · accessed 2026-04-16
AZGFD Draw Portal — Hunt Drawing Information — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Bonus point system, Draw application portal, Historical draw data · accessed 2026-04-16
AZGFD Turkey Species Page — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Merriam's turkey populations, Coconino Plateau habitat, Season framework · accessed 2026-04-17
2026 Arizona Hunt Regulations — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Unit 5A turkey hunt codes, Spring and fall seasons, Tag quotas · accessed 2026-04-17
Coconino National Forest — Flagstaff Ranger District — USDA Forest Service · supports: Forest road access, Kendrick Mountain Wilderness, Dispersed camping rules · accessed 2026-04-17

Unit 5A (Flagstaff)

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 5A

Elk Hunting in Unit 5A

Where the 5A elk live: Rim ridges, transition country and the Sunset flats

The high country: Baker Butte to Buck Springs Ridge

The transition band: Turkey Pen Ridge down to Cave Ridge

Red Hill and the Sunset Mountains: the resident elk

Water won't pin them down

Unit 5A terrain and land status

The lay of it

Who owns the ground

Water on the ground

Named features inside the unit

How to hunt 5A: snow, oaks, glass-and-stalk and a retrieval rule that matters

Elk Success Rates

Elk Draw Odds

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 5A

Where to find mule deer in 5A: the Rim burns, the Sunset Mountains and the pinyon-juniper between

The burns on top of the Mogollon Rim

Pinyon-juniper north of Highway 87 milepost 312, out to the Sunset Mountains

Jacks Canyon and the east side of 87

What to skip, and what to know about ownership

Getting there

Unit 5A terrain and land status

The lay of it

Who owns the ground

Water on the ground

Named features inside the unit

How to hunt 5A mule deer: glass the openings, stay legal on the roads, pack it out on foot

Mule Deer Success Rates

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 5A

Where the pronghorn are: west of Highway 87 and around the Sunset Mountains

West of Highway 87, off Meteor Crater Road

The Sunset Mountains and Moonlight Bay

South of the forest boundary

Country to skip

Unit 5A terrain and land status

The lay of it

Who owns the ground

Water on the ground

Named features inside the unit

How to hunt 5A pronghorn: green-up, water and checkerboard rules

Pronghorn Success Rates

Pronghorn Draw Odds

Turkey Hunting in Unit 5A

Where the Birds Are in 5A: Rim Drainages, East Clear Creek and the Pine-to-Juniper Edge

Drainages north of the Mogollon Rim and East Clear Creek

Following the snow line in spring

Ridges and buttes for locating birds

Roads, ownership and country to skip

Unit 5A terrain and land status

The lay of it

Who owns the ground

Water on the ground

Named features inside the unit

How to Hunt 5A Turkeys: Hen Calls, Walk-Ins and Tank Blinds

Turkey Success Rates

Turkey Draw Odds

Unit Logistics & Expectations

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