Unit 5BN
Arizona Hunting Guide — Elk
Unit 05BN is an Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) elk unit in north-central Arizona. Elk tags are awarded through AZGFD's weighted-random bonus-point draw. Applicants accumulate bonus points that add additional random entries each unsuccessful year. Review AZGFD hunt guidelines, regulations, and the draw results page for current season dates, legal weapons, unit boundaries, and historical odds before applying.
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Elk Hunting in Unit 5BN
Unit 05BN is an Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) elk unit in north-central Arizona. Elk tags are awarded through AZGFD's weighted-random bonus-point draw. Applicants accumulate bonus points that add additional random entries each unsuccessful year. Review AZGFD hunt guidelines, regulations, and the draw results page for current season dates, legal weapons, unit boundaries, and historical odds before applying.
Where the elk are in 5B North: Anderson Mesa, the rim trails, and the canyons below
5B North is Anderson Mesa, and the mesa is the whole story. AZGFD's 5B guide says the bull-to-cow ratio across 5B North and South has evened out, but the bigger bulls are still more likely to be on the north side — with the caveat that some of them slide into 5B South for the rut.
Opening morning on the mesa, then the travel corridors
Elk are spread throughout Anderson Mesa, but the guide is specific that after opening morning you won't find them standing in the open country for long. They'll keep using the grasslands, mostly at night. What you want after day one is a travel route between a bedding area and a feeding area. Look for trails that connect a mountain or a canyon to open feed. The agency points at one stretch in particular: above and below the Anderson Mesa rim from Chavez Pass to Walnut Canyon, where there are numerous well-used corridors.
Early season, and where water changes the plan
For the early hunts the guide names Jaycox Mountain, Kinnikinick Lake, Ashurst Lake and Marshall Lake. Jaycox is the high point we hold inside the unit at 7,422 feet, with the mesa itself at 7,240. If water is a limiting factor that year, expect elk within about a mile of standing water at both ends of the day. Elk Spring and Ashurst Spring sit inside the boundary, and the unit carries roughly 290 stock tanks and 37 lakes.
Below the rim and south of I-40
There are good numbers of elk under Anderson Mesa too, concentrated around the canyons on the mesa's east side. That country runs from Walnut Canyon at the north end down to Diablo Canyon in the south. Elk also hold south of Interstate 40 between Winona and Padre Canyon. The named drainages inside the unit give you a working list: Anderson Draw at 6,927 feet, Broomy Valley at 6,804, Lockwood Park at 6,340, Billy Back Draw at 6,320, Kinnikinick Canyon at 6,212, Cabin Draw at 6,105, then Mormon, Elliott, Grapevine, Yaeger and Wallace Canyons stepping down to 5,427.
Late season: snow, or no snow
Elk locations here don't shift much through the season unless the mesa gets real snow. With a good covering, most elk drop to lower elevations. Without it, every area above still holds. Mature bulls are the exception — after the rut many of the older ones move lower whether it snows or not, and the canyons on the north and east sides of the mesa are where to look for them. Late season you'll find spikes and raghorns still with the cows while the mature bulls are alone or in bachelor groups.
Unit 5BN terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 5,605–7,204 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 6,387 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 526.8 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
- 290 tanks
- 11 springs
- 894 stream segments
- 37 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: Jaycox Mountain (7,422 ft), Anderson Mesa (7,240 ft)
Holding ground: Anderson Draw (6,927 ft), Broomy Valley (6,804 ft), Morton Canyon Wash (6,511 ft), Elk Spring, Ashurst 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 5B North: no motorized retrieval, so hunt where you can carry an elk out
Elk Success Rates
AZGFD publishes annual elk harvest data by hunt number. Consult hunt reports for the most recent Unit 05BN success rates.
Elk Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts (n/p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle — General Rifle Oct antlerless (combined pool) | 25 | 1 | 100.0% | — |
| Rifle — Early Rifle bull/buck only (combined pool) | 7 | 18 | 33.3% | — |
| Rifle — Late Rifle Nov bull/buck only (combined pool) | 2 | 2 | 50.0% | — |
| Rifle — Early Rifle antlerless (combined pool) | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — |
| Rifle — General Rifle Oct antlerless (combined pool) | 50 | 41 | 53.7% | — |
| Rifle — Late Rifle Nov antlerless (combined pool) | 300 | 45 | 95.6% | — |
| Early Archery — bull/buck only (combined pool) | 168 | 946 | 12.8% | — |
| Late Archery Nov — bull/buck only (combined pool) | 48 | 32 | 50.0% | — |
| Early Archery — antlerless (combined pool) | 24 | 28 | 39.3% | — |
Data from 2025 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number. This agency publishes no point thresholds, so the Pts column stays blank and these are pool odds, not what a point total draws.
Open in Draw Odds EngineArizona's weighted-random bonus-point draw rewards accumulated points with more random entries. Check AZGFD's draw results page for current elk odds by hunt number.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply for a Unit 05BN elk tag?
How does Arizona's bonus-point system work?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & Verification
Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-17.
- AZGFD Hunt Guidelines — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Hunt guidelines, Elk management objectives, Unit boundaries · accessed 2026-04-17
- AZGFD Hunt Regulations — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Season dates, Legal weapons, Bag limits · accessed 2026-04-17
- AZGFD Draw Results & Bonus Points — Arizona Game and Fish Department · supports: Draw results, Bonus point totals, Elk draw odds · accessed 2026-04-17