Arizona Elk Pronghorn

Unit 5B (Hopi) (Unit 5B Hopi Partitioned Lands Elk Hunt)

Arizona Hunting Guide — Elk, Pronghorn

The Unit 5B (Hopi) elk hunt is a special partitioned-lands hunt on Hopi Tribal lands within the GMU 5B footprint of northern Arizona. AZGFD coordinates a limited number of tags each year under a cooperative agreement with the Hopi Tribe, giving drawn hunters access to ponderosa and pinyon-juniper country that would otherwise be closed to non-tribal hunters. With about 55 tags over three years against 142 applicants, this is a moderate-difficulty draw for a rare tribal-lands elk opportunity.

View Draw Odds Arizona Hunting Guide

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Elk guide Pronghorn guide

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Elk Hunting in Unit 5B (Hopi)

Where the elk are: Anderson Mesa, the canyons off its edge, and the country below

The access note first. This is a cooperative hunt on Hopi Partitioned Lands inside the 5B footprint, so the terms come through a tribal agreement rather than the Forest Service. Confirm the current access procedure, any sign-in or escort requirement and the tribe's own rules with AZGFD and the tribe before you travel. Everything below is AZGFD's read on elk in GMU 5B, which is the herd this tag draws from.

The state of the herd

Elk were historically denser in 5B South than 5B North, but populations and bull-to-cow ratios now look fairly equal across both. More elk stay year-round at the low elevations below the mesa and south of I-40. Bigger bulls generally come out of 5B North, though some of those move south for the rut and become available to archers. The agency's line on the southern half is worth remembering: every inch of it is elk country, so there are no bad spots.

Early season on the mesa

Elk are found throughout Anderson Mesa, but they won't stay in the wide-open parks long after daylight. When water matters, expect elk within a mile of standing water early and late. Named places to check include Jaycox Mountain — 7,422 feet on our terrain layer — along with Kinnikinick Lake, Ashurst Lake and Marshall Lake.

The travel corridors, after opening morning

Once the opener has passed, elk use the grasslands mainly at night. Look for trails connecting a mountain or canyon bedding area to a feeding area. The country above and below the Anderson Mesa rim, from Chavez Pass to Walnut Canyon, carries numerous well-used corridors.

Below the mesa

Good numbers of elk hold below Anderson Mesa, concentrating around the canyons on its east side — anywhere from Walnut Canyon in the north to Diablo Canyon in the south, and south of I-40 between Winona and Padre Canyon.

Late season and mature bulls

It takes a lot of snow to move elk down; a couple of inches just makes them easier to track. After the rut many older bulls drop to lower elevations whether snow comes or not, and the canyons on the north and east sides of the mesa are the place to find them. Look for rugged country with few roads — the ground between the Sawmill Hills and Tremaine Lake is the named example, and the lowest elevation in 5B South.

Unit 5B (Hopi) terrain and land status

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

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Hutch Mountain (8,508 ft), Pine Mountain (7,986 ft), Sawmill Hills (7,642 ft), Cow Hill (7,581 ft)

Holding ground: Bargaman Park (7,403 ft), Diversion Park (7,341 ft), The Park (7,151 ft), Sawmill Springs, Elk Spring

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 it: sit the travel routes, let pressure work for you, and pack it out

Rifle success in this country runs around 25 percent and archery 18. The tactics AZGFD gives for 5B are specific enough to plan a week around.

Settle the tribal access first

Before scouting, confirm with AZGFD and the Hopi Tribe where you check in, whether a tribal permit or escort is required, which roads you may use and what ground is closed. Treat those rules as binding exactly as you would state regulations.

The retrieval rule that shapes everything

Motorized retrieval of wildlife is not permitted anywhere on national forest land in GMU 5B. The Hay Lake property is in public ownership and open to hunting, but it carries a vehicle closure with no vehicular retrieval of game either. Decide how far you're willing to carry quarters before you pull the trigger, not after.

Hunt the trail, not the park

After opening morning the open grassland is a night-time feed. The agency's advice is to be on a travel route between bedding and feeding ground at first and last light, and to find trails that link a canyon or mountain bed to a meadow. The Anderson Mesa rim from Chavez Pass to Walnut Canyon is where those trails stack up.

Let other hunters push them to you

In country with heavy pressure elk get moved around, and sitting on or near an escape trail lets others do the work. Where road density is high, elk stay away from roads in daylight — so walk in, and remember an elk hears an OHV from up to half a mile and avoids the sound.

Water early, security late

Early in the season, elk hold within a mile of standing water when it's dry; the mesa's lakes and tanks are the obvious sits. Late, switch to security cover — low road density, canyons and hills used for bedding, and the Sawmill Hills to Tremaine Lake staging ground.

Expect company in the bachelor groups

Late-season spikes and raghorns still run with the cows while mature bulls go off alone or in bachelor herds. If you want an older bull, hunt the quiet country rather than the cow herds.

Residences and shooting distance

5B South is mostly national forest with scattered residential pockets. Know where they are, don't trespass, and don't shoot within a quarter mile of an occupied structure.

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 5B (Hopi) elk success rates run strong — typically 45 to 60 percent for rifle hunters — driven by limited competition and the partitioned-lands access arrangement. Bull quality is solid with regular 270 to 310 bulls in the harvest. Check AZGFD hunt summaries for year-specific figures.

Elk Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Early Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool)	1	34	2.9%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Dec bull/buck only (combined pool)	25	30	46.7%	—
Rifle — Late Rifle Nov bull/buck only (combined pool)	28	55	36.4%	—

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

Arizona uses a weighted bonus-point draw: 20 percent of tags go to the maximum-point applicants and the remaining 80 percent go to a weighted random draw in which each applicant receives one chance plus one additional chance for each bonus point. A Hunter Education bonus point is available to hunters who complete Arizona's accredited Hunter Ed course, and a loyalty bonus rewards consecutive annual applications. Unit 5B (Hopi) with 55 tags against 142 three-year applicants draws as a mid-tier hunt — most successful applicants hold 2 to 5 bonus points.

Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 5B (Hopi)

The 5B (Hopi) hunts are cooperative tags on Hopi tribal land inside the GMU 5B footprint of northern Arizona, giving drawn hunters access to ponderosa and pinyon-juniper country that is otherwise closed to non-tribal hunters. Because the access runs through a tribal agreement rather than through the Forest Service, the terms are set by the tribe and by the tag rather than by the general regulations — confirm the current access procedure, check-in requirement and any closures before you travel. Pronghorn across GMU 5B occupy any open grassland and moderately forested country, with most of the population on Anderson Mesa during the hunting season and a lower-elevation group between the mesa and Interstate 40.

Where the pronghorn are in 5B: Anderson Mesa, and the grassland below it

First, the thing that makes this hunt different. This is a cooperative hunt on Hopi Partitioned Lands within the 5B footprint, and access comes through that agreement. Confirm the current access procedure, any sign-in or escort requirement, and the tribe's own rules with AZGFD and the tribe before you travel. Nothing below substitutes for that.

The 5B pronghorn picture

Pronghorn can be found in any open grassland area of GMU 5B and in moderately forested country. The population divides between Anderson Mesa and the lower ground between the mesa and I-40, and during the hunting season most of the population is on Anderson Mesa. The decline of the early 2000s has reversed over recent years and the population looks stable with good fawn recruitment.

On the mesa

Pronghorn use Anderson Mesa from Vail Lake south to Long Lake, Melatone Mesa and Duke Tank Mesa near Jack's Canyon. There are many openings large and small through there, and while animals aren't in every one at any given time, they use them all at some point.

The pressured spot, and the alternatives

The country between Kinnikinick Lake and Ashurst Lake is the best-known pronghorn habitat in the unit — and it takes the most pressure and often has the lowest buck-to-doe ratio on the mesa. The agency advises at least scouting three alternatives: south of the Sawmill Hills, the ground between Willow Valley Dam and Tremaine Lake, and south of Yaeger Lake. Harder hunting, better ratios.

The lower country

At lower elevations pronghorn are found through the grassland between the Winona and Meteor Crater roads, including the Hopi Hart, Flying M and Bar T Bar ranches. In recent years they have increased their use of the country burned by the Jacket Fire.

The terrain on the Hopi lands side

Inside this hunt area our terrain layer shows Hutch Mountain at 8,508 feet, Mahan Mountain at 8,253, Pine Mountain at 7,986 and the Sawmill Hills at 7,642, with open parks below — Mule Park at 7,565 feet, Coyote Basin at 7,441, Bargaman Park at 7,403, Diversion Park at 7,341 and The Park at 7,151. Those parks are the pronghorn ground.

Unit 5B (Hopi) terrain and land status

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

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Hutch Mountain (8,508 ft), Pine Mountain (7,986 ft), Sawmill Hills (7,642 ft), Cow Hill (7,581 ft)

Holding ground: Bargaman Park (7,403 ft), Diversion Park (7,341 ft), The Park (7,151 ft), Sawmill Springs, Elk Spring

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 it: confirm the access, then glass the parks and avoid the crowd

A cooperative tribal-lands tag on a stable pronghorn herd. The first job is administrative and the second is standard open-country work.

Sort the access first

This hunt exists because of an agreement with the Hopi Tribe. Before anything else, confirm with AZGFD and the tribe what the current access procedure is — where to check in, whether an escort or a tribal permit is needed, what roads you may use and what areas are closed. Treat tribal rules as binding in the same way as state regulations.

Glass the parks from their edges

Pronghorn here use grassland openings inside forested country, which is unusual and useful. Set up in the timber at the edge of a park before light with the binoculars on a tripad and work the grass. Mule Park, Coyote Basin, Bargaman Park, Diversion Park and The Park are the named openings in this country.

Skip the famous spot

Kinnikinick to Ashurst Lake is the best-known pronghorn ground in 5B and carries the most pressure and often the poorest buck ratio. The agency names three alternatives worth scouting instead — south of the Sawmill Hills, Willow Valley Dam to Tremaine Lake, and south of Yaeger Lake. Harder to hunt, better animals.

Use the trees to close

Forested-edge pronghorn can be stalked in a way plains pronghorn cannot. Pick a route through timber, keep the wind, and move when heads are down. That's the advantage this country gives you over the open mesa.

Water and burns

In dry years pronghorn concentrate near standing water — the mesa's lakes and tanks. And look at recent burns: animals have increased their use of the Jacket Fire country, because a burn opens grass they want.

Weather at 7,500 feet

This is high country. Expect cold mornings and the possibility of snow in later hunts, and carry layers even for an early-season tag.

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

5B (Hopi) pronghorn success is generally strong — 60-80% — given the limited tags and low pressure. Mature-buck opportunity is meaningful on tribal lands with minimal hunting disturbance.

Pronghorn Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Early Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool)	4	30	13.3%	—
Early Archery — bull/buck only (combined pool)	2	3	66.7%	—
General Archery — bull/buck only (combined pool)	2	4	50.0%	—

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Arizona's weighted bonus-point draw enters your name once per bonus point (plus loyalty and Hunter Education bonuses), not squared, with partial randomization. The 5B (Hopi) pronghorn hunt is competitive — roughly 12 tags over three years against 67 applicants. Several bonus points plus the Hunter Ed bonus measurably help.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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RV Sites

Limited developed RV camping inside the hunt zone. Winslow and Holbrook offer full RV parks along I-40 roughly 45 to 60 minutes north.

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Camp Sites

Dispersed camping is governed by tribal rules — confirm allowed sites with the Hopi Tribe Wildlife Office before arriving.

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Trailer Access

Highway 87 and Indian Route 2 handle all rig sizes to the hunt-zone perimeter. Interior two-tracks are rougher and favor short trailers and high-clearance tow rigs.

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Water

Haul all drinking water. Stock tanks on tribal lands are for wildlife and livestock only — do not rely on them for human supply.

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Road Conditions

Main paved routes are well-maintained. Interior roads are graded dirt and unmaintained two-track; 4WD recommended after rain or snow.

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Terrain Difficulty

Moderate. Rolling PJ and grassland country at 6,200 to 7,200 feet with some bench-to-draw relief. Walkable glassing country rather than steep canyon terrain.

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Hunting Pressure

Low to moderate. Limited tag allocation and tribal-lands access keep hunter density down.

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Weather

September temps 35 to 75 F. October 25 to 65 F with possible early snow. High-plateau winds can be severe — bring windproof layers.

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Cell Service

Spotty. Winslow and Holbrook corridor has coverage; interior tribal lands are mostly dead. Carry a satellite communicator.

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Nearest Town

Winslow and Holbrook for fuel, groceries, and lodging. Flagstaff (90 minutes west) for full services and gear shops.

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Permit Notes

Valid AZGFD tag PLUS any Hopi Tribe access permit or coordination required per the current cooperative agreement.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Hopi tribal permit in addition to the AZGFD tag?

Usually yes. The cooperative agreement between AZGFD and the Hopi Tribe typically requires drawn hunters to coordinate access, permits, or an escort with the Hopi Tribe Wildlife Office. Always confirm the current year's access rules before the hunt.

How many bonus points are typically needed for Unit 5B (Hopi) elk?

Most successful applicants hold 2 to 5 bonus points. With 55 tags issued against ~142 three-year applicants, Unit 5B (Hopi) is a mid-tier draw and not a max-point hunt.

What makes the 5B (Hopi) pronghorn hunt special?

It is a cooperative hunt opening tribal lands that are otherwise closed to non-tribal hunters. The lightly hunted terrain produces better mature-buck opportunity than many open-draw Arizona units.

Are there extra rules compared to regular AZGFD hunts?

Yes — drawn hunters must follow Hopi Tribe access rules in addition to AZGFD regulations, including designated-route travel and approved-access-only camping.

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Sources & Verification

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

2026 Arizona Pronghorn and Elk Regulations — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Unit 5B (Hopi) hunt structure, Tag quotas and season dates, Tribal-lands access conditions · accessed 2026-04-17
AZGFD Draw Portal — Hunt Drawing Information — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: 5B (Hopi) elk draw odds, Weighted bonus-point system, Applicant history · accessed 2026-04-17
GMU 5B — Unit Landing Page — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: GMU 5B habitat summary, Ponderosa and pinyon-juniper coverage, Adjacent landownership notes · accessed 2026-04-17
AZGFD Big Game — Species & Partitioned-Lands Hunts — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Hopi cooperative hunts, Access conditions, Reporting requirements · accessed 2026-04-17

Unit 5B (Hopi) (Unit 5B Hopi Partitioned Lands Elk Hunt)

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 5B (Hopi)

Elk Hunting in Unit 5B (Hopi)

Where the elk are: Anderson Mesa, the canyons off its edge, and the country below

The state of the herd

Early season on the mesa

The travel corridors, after opening morning

Below the mesa

Late season and mature bulls

Unit 5B (Hopi) terrain and land status

Named features inside the unit

How to hunt it: sit the travel routes, let pressure work for you, and pack it out

Elk Success Rates

Elk Draw Odds

Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 5B (Hopi)

Where the pronghorn are in 5B: Anderson Mesa, and the grassland below it

The 5B pronghorn picture

On the mesa

The pressured spot, and the alternatives

The lower country

The terrain on the Hopi lands side

Unit 5B (Hopi) terrain and land status

Named features inside the unit

How to hunt it: confirm the access, then glass the parks and avoid the crowd

Pronghorn Success Rates

Pronghorn Draw Odds

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Explore Related Units

Unit 5A — Elk

Unit 5B — Elk

Frequently Asked Questions

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Plan Your Hunt with ProHunt Pro

Sources & Verification