ARIZONA'S 2023 DEER, BIGHORN SHEEP AND BISON APPLICATION OVERVIEW

Note: The online application deadline for Arizona deer, bighorn sheep and bison is June 6, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ARIZONA time. You can apply online here.

New for 2023

How to Apply

To apply, visit www.azgfd.com/hunting/draw and login to your AZGFD portal account. If you have not created a portal you will need to take the necessary steps to do so. Once inside your portal click on “Apply For A Draw.”

Applicants must possess a valid Arizona hunting license to apply for a hunting tag. That license must be valid on the last day of the application period (June 6, 2023). Check your AZGFD portal account.

State Information

Below you can find important information and an overview of Arizona’s rules/regulations, the draw system, bonus points, tag and license fees and an interactive boundary line map on our State Profile. Once at the State Profile, you can find even more information on applying in Arizona. You can also view the Arizona mule deer, Coues deer, bighorn sheep, and bison profiles to access historical and statistical data to help you find trophy units.

IMPORTANT DATES AND INFORMATION

Note: The cost of the permit will only be charged if you are successful in the draw. If you are successful, AZGFD will attempt to charge the card used when you applied. If the card is declined, they will not attempt to contact you. They will move past your application to the next applicant in the queue. Make sure the card you use is current and has the room to accommodate the permit(s) you applied for!

Drought in Arizona

2023

2022

2021

It’s been many years since Arizona has had range conditions this good. The only portion of the state that is experiencing drought conditions is the western edge of the state. The rest of the state is currently completely free of drought. Overall, Arizona is in a great position for antler growth this year and I anticipate a record breaking year for both mule deer and Coues deer. Bucks will have come out of winter in great body condition and the early green growth is excellent. Provided Arizona continues to get a few mid summer monsoon rains, 2023 would be a great year to cash in your bonus points and hunt deer!

BORDER ACTIVITY

We regularly get questions about the potential danger of hunting units occurring along the US/Mexico border. If you are hunting north of Interstate 10 there is little to worry about in this regard illegal immigrants or issues related to trafficking.

If you choose to hunt south of Interstate 10, the odds of having any type of interaction with illegal immigrants is low but not nonexistent. Immigrants and traffickers are very aware of the hunting seasons, and the influx of hunters in the mountains at these times and do what they can to curb the number of potential interactions they have with people of any kind.

The bulk of the illegal immigrant movement happens at night. In the daytime, these groups of people are often in the bottom of a canyon or shaded up during the day and trying to remain undetected. They often travel all night and sleep and seek cover during the day. The most common time to have interaction is right at sun up or right at sundown. When hunting early in the morning and just prior to dark, you should be more vigilant of your surroundings. Water sources, wash bottoms, and canyons are potential points of travel and contact. Water sources can offer great ambush deer hunting opportunities but the chance of an encounter with immigrants goes up. When you are hiking, stay on the ridgebacks and, if you cross a canyon, don’t travel down it or up it for long distances if you can avoid it. Always have a satellite messaging device and be aware of your surroundings. If you are truck camping and day hunting from a vehicle it may pay to leave some water and food outside the vehicle to deter break ins. Also, cover or remove any gear left inside your vehicle. The odds of having an interaction are low, but be prepared and be aware of your surroundings at all times. Should you have an encounter, keep a cool head, remain calm, and alert border patrol as soon as you can safely do so.

The Arizona Draw System

Arizona has a bonus point hybrid draw system where 20% of the deer permits are allocated to the applicants that apply with the most points for any given hunt and the remaining 80% of the permits are randomly allocated with weight given to the number of bonus points you have. In essence, the more bonus points you have, the more chances you get in the draw. For example, if I have 9 bonus points I have 10 chances in the random draw (one for each bonus point I have plus one for this years application) Nonresidents are limited to no more than 10% of the total permits for each hunt code for antlered deer. Out of that 10%, up to 5% can be allocated to hunters in the bonus pass. [Bonus pass is the process that awards permits to maximum point holders.] After that, the remaining 5% can be allocated to nonresidents in the random pass (second pass).

For bighorn sheep and bison, 20% of the total number of permits statewide are reserved for maximum point applicants. Nonresidents are issued up to 10% of the total statewide bighorn sheep and bison permits and no more than 50% per hunt code. Up to one nonresident permit can be awarded if a hunt offers two or three permits. If a hunt has four or more permits, two can be awarded to nonresidents. Be aware that nonresidents can apply for hunts that only have one permit, but are not eligible to draw. For nonresidents, make sure you apply for hunts that have more than one permit available. Hunters may only harvest one desert bighorn sheep, one Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and one bison in their lifetime in Arizona.

Bonus Points

Bonus points are species specific. Applicants gain one bonus point for any species they apply for and are unsuccessful in the draw. You can also apply for points only, but Arizona allocates a portion of the permits randomly in the draw, so we highly recommend applicants apply for hunts. The only reason that an applicant should apply for points only is if they cannot afford the time off to hunt or the money for the permit.

Arizona also offers two more options to gain extra bonus points. One is to apply for five consecutive years. In this case, you will be awarded a “loyalty bonus point” which is an extra bonus point. This point will remain as long as you continue to apply. If you miss a year of applying, that loyalty point will be purged. The other is the “hunter’s education point”. Applicants can complete an AZGF approved hunter’s education course in person in Arizona or they can pay to take the online course. The online course fee for nonresidents is $300 and $150 for residents. Applicants must be 18 or older to take the class. In this case, a permanent bonus point will be awarded for every species for life.

If an applicant does not apply for five consecutive years for any given species, the bonus points for that species will be purged. If an applicant draws any of their hunt choices, all points will be purged, except for the loyalty and hunter education point (if the applicant had those).

Hunt Choices

Applicants can apply for up to five hunt choices on their application. Only your first and second choice are considered before moving to the next application. This means an applicant's third, fourth and fifth choice will only be considered if there are leftover permits after every applicant has had their 1st/2nd choices on their application considered. Be aware that if you draw any of your choices, your points will be purged. For that reason, we advise applicants to only include first and second choices unless they are willing to burn points on the types of hunts that make it to the leftover list. Bonus points will not be impacted if you obtain a leftover deer permit in the first come, first served process.

Group Applications

Up to four applicants can apply as a group for deer. Nonresidents and residents can apply together on a group application. Bonus points for the group will be averaged and rounded to the nearest whole number (rounded up if equal to 0.5 or greater). If a group application is successful in the draw, all members of the group will receive a permit provided there are enough permits to cover the group. Nonresident permits come out of the nonresident quota. Arizona will not over-allocate the permit quota to accommodate a group application. This means if a group of two applicants was selected and there was only one permit remaining in the draw, that application would be unsuccessful and they would move to the next single applicant.

Youth and Mentoring Opportunities

Youth can apply for and hunt big game in Arizona at 10 years old. They must have completed a hunter’s education course and purchased an Arizona hunting license. That license is only $5 for youth (10 to 17). We highly recommend that you begin to apply and build points for your youth beginning at age 10.

Arizona has a unique program that will allow a parent, grandparent or legal guardian to transfer a permit they have drawn to their youth (10 to 17). The youth must have a valid hunting license and completed hunter’s education if they are younger than 14.

Arizona also offers Youth Only deer permits. The Youth Only permits are good opportunities to get your kids in the field. You can explore the hunt odds for these hunts within the stand alone draw odds in your Insider Research Platform.

Left-over First Come-First Served Permits

After the drawing is completed all remaining permits for deer are available on a first-come-first-served basis. The left-over permit will be listed online at www.azgfd.gov/hunting under the big game draw section. The process to obtain a left-over permit is different than it is in other western states. Applicants will need to print and fill out an application with their choices from the left-over list and send that in by mail on or after July 10, 2023.

Arizona's 2023 Mule Deer Breakdown

Arizona is home to arguably the most well known mule deer areas in the world, the Arizona strip and the Kaibab. These units occur north of the Grand Canyon where feed and genetics are much better than those that exist throughout the central and southern portion of the state. The biggest issue with the famed 13A, 13B, 12A, 12B units is that licenses are extremely sought after and difficult to draw. For the lucky applicants that do apply for and draw a license 2023 will likely be a banner year for antler growth. The Kaibab had one the best years in decades in 2022 for producing trophy caliber bucks, and I expect that to continue going into 2023. The best hunts are the late rifle hunts.

South of the Grand Canyon, the rest of the state is managed more for opportunity than trophy potential. The one exception is perhaps units 3A/3C which are managed for a quality hunt and there are increasingly better bucks being taken. Beyond that, Arizona is an opportunity state for mule deer and there are many muzzleloader and rifle hunts that offer great odds with a few bonus points. For reference, out of the 89 draw hunts for nonresidents in 2022, 40 of them had 30% plus odds with 3 bonus points. If you want to draw a mule deer permit in Arizona you can likely do so every few years, just have reasonable expectations of the size of bucks that are available in those units.

Overall, Arizona offers both opportunity types of hunts and trophy hunts and 2023 is a year I would highly suggest you apply for a permit and try to hunt. The winter moisture is off the charts and antler growth is expected to be as good as it’s been in many years throughout the state. Even if you take a swing for the fences approach and apply for the Arizona strip or the Kaibab hunts, you should apply and not purchase bonus points only. You never know when you might have some luck in the draw!

CURRENT MULE DEER HERD CONDITION

The statewide mule deer population is estimated to be between 85,000 to 100,000 deer. Previous years have been tough with drought conditions impacting fawn survival and even adults, but better moisture and monsoons in the summer and fall of 2022 will offer good feed and populations will stabilize and improve. The winter of 2022/2023 has been great, and range conditions going into the growing season have improved significantly. Trophy quality was below average in 2021, 2022 was much better, and we are expecting a fantastic antler growth year in 2023. In addition to better moisture, the lack of trail cameras scattered throughout the field should result in a some record book bucks popping up for hunters that may not have significant time to put into preseason scouting.

How to Uncover Hidden Gem Deer Units

Use Filtering so you can search for exactly the type of hunt you are looking for. Sort success rates, percentage of public land and trophy quality to find a quality hunt that most hunters may not be keying into.

TO GET STARTED WITH FILTERING 2.0

The Points System

MANAGING POINTS AND EXPECTATIONS

Coues deer and mule deer use the same bonus points pool.

2023 maximum bonus points for deer: 28

I HAVE 0 TO 3 MULE DEER BONUS POINTS. WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

Residents with 0 points had four hunts with 30% plus odds, including muzzleloader hunts in (15A, 15BE, 15BW, 15C, 15D), 20B, and (35A, 35B). The two November rifle hunts in unit 30B also have good odds with no points. With 3 points, there were 40 hunts with 30% plus draw odds, 15 of which had 100% odds. A few worth researching within those might be the late Oct. rifle hunt in 18A which had 24% harvest success and a trophy potential of 170”+. Other options would be units 28, 29, 30A and 34A.

Nonresidents had only one hunt that had 100% odds for mule deer with no points in 2022. That hunt was a muzzleloader hunt in unit 20B. Moving to 3 bonus points, nonresidents had 10 hunts that had 100% draw odds. Of those, the muzzleloader hunt in 35A/35B, and the rifle hunts in 18A, 28, and 20B are worth considering.

Note: For hunters who aspire to hunt the Arizona Strip, consider that one archery tag is typically allocated to a nonresident in 13A and two are allocated in 13B. The odds for those archery hunts are less than 1% from zero to 24 points. The rifle odds are worse. If you want to try to draw the Strip and are just starting, you are unlikely to ever draw those hunts.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH 4 TO 10 MULE DEER BONUS POINTS?

Residents

Within this range, the best hunt options for residents are the archery hunts for 3A/3C and 12AE/12AW/12B. Those hunts could have both been drawn with 8 bonus points. The 12AE muzzleloader hunt was also an option with 10 points. Another intriguing muzzleloader hunt is the late December hunt in 39/40A/40B/41/42. Rifle hunters should consider the 12AE late Oct to early Nov. hunt which was drawn with 10 points. The 12B late Oct-Nov hunt also was available with 9-10 points. Another good option may be the Nov 3-9 rifle hunt in unit 27 which was drawn with 6 points. There are other options as well worth some research including the rifle hunt in unit 1, 2A/2B/2C, 4A/4B, 5A/5BN/5BS, 6A, and the late Oct hunt in unit 10.

Nonresidents

If you have waited for 10 years to draw your Arizona permit, chances are that you are likely not looking for just a chance to go hunting. The issue is that the best hunts continue to climb in the number of points it takes to draw. For example, the archery hunt in 3A/3C may have required 13 points last year and the 12AE/12AW/12B archery hunt had 83% odds with 10 points.

Rifle hunters have fewer good options, but you may consider unit 1, 5A/5BN/5BS, 6A, 6B, 8, 10, and 27. All of those required points in the bottom end of this range.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT WITH 11 OR MORE MULE DEER BONUS POINTS?

Residents

Last year, residents were able to draw the archery hunts in the maximum point pool in Unit 13A with 15 points and Unit 13B with 16 points. If you are waiting it out for the late Kaibab or Strip rifle hunts you will need to wait a bit longer. Currently, the number of points that it took last year to draw these permits were:

Nonresidents

For nonresidents, unfortunately if your goal is to wait it out for one of the elite tags in the state, it's going to be a while. Currently, your odds in the hardest hunts in the state are as follows

See your Draw Odds here

Arizona's 2023 Coues Deer Breakdown

Coues deer hunting is very good in Arizona and more and more applicants are considering the odds for the few trophy mule deer areas and are applying for Coues deer hunts instead. The odds and points required to draw good Coues deer hunts are much better. Hunting the small desert gray ghosts isn’t for everyone, but for some, the terrain and challenge of hunting trophy Coues deer is as good as it gets. Arizona is the epicenter of Coues deer hunting opportunity and trophy potential.

Coues deer populations are very good and almost every unit offers three or four rifle seasons. As you look at the odds for the rifle hunts, the late hunts are the hardest to draw. The reasoning is that Coues deer rut in January and the December hunt dates offer cooler weather and bucks are generally more active with the rut looming. The earliest hunts also offer slightly worse odds typically, when hunters have had the opportunity to scout and attempt to get first crack at some of the best bucks. The late October and mid November hunts are the toughest in terms of hunting pressure and harvest success. During those time frames, bucks are generally not as active and given their small size and color are extremely hard to find. Coues bucks are notorious for maintaining very tight ranges and being almost entirely nocturnal during the mid month hunts.They also inhabit thick, rough terrain. There is a reason they are referred to as the gray ghost.

Coues hunting in Arizona is challenging, and for most people, an adventure style hunt in new terrain, hunting a unique species. If you are not dead set on mule deer, I would highly suggest taking advantage of the good draw odds, deer numbers, and trophy potential to draw a Coues deer permit and hunt Arizona in 2023. Every unit in the state can and will regularly produce bucks that meet or exceed the 100” mark..

CURRENT COUES DEER HERD CONDITION

The further south you go, the stronger the populations are. The statewide population is likely between 60,0000 and 85,000 although populations are difficult to measure. Coues deer populations are up about 10 percent over the last decade and with the good moisture in 2022/2023 we expect that populations will continue to improve.

HOW TO UNCOVER HIDDEN GEM UNITS

Using Filtering and Draw Odds, you will be able to study additional information like trophy potential and success rates to narrow down where you would like to hunt. If you want to hunt Coues deer every year, you can. In the table below, we offer hunts that were drawn with no points and have harvest success rates greater than 30%. In addition, there are many hunts that can be drawn that have slightly lower harvest success rates.

Explore your draw odds here

Arizona's 2023 Bighorn Sheep Breakdown

Arizona continues to offer a significant number of desert bighorn sheep permits and once again in 2023 will have an increase in permits. There will be an additional sixteen permits, one of which can be offered to a nonresident in the draw. There are also new units that nonresidents can apply for and potentially draw a permit. Those units are 43A, 15B West, and, 15C North which all have two permits available, meaning one could be drawn by a nonresident.

Harvest success and trophy potential are also very good throughout the state. If you are lucky enough to draw a desert bighorn permit, you have a very good opportunity to look over a good number of rams and harvest a mature animal. The most difficult part of desert sheep hunting in Arizona is drawing a permit. As noted in the draw system portion of this article, 20% of the total number of permits statewide are reserved for maximum point applicants and nonresidents are issued up to 10% of the total statewide bighorn sheep permits. Knowing that, it’s imperative that applicants with less than max points are aware of the hunts where random permits are regularly drawn. Since 20% of the permits are allocated to applicants with the highest number of bonus points in the bonus pass the bulk of those bonus pass permits are going to be drawn by residents (there are more residents with more bonus points than nonresidents) in the best trophy units. This means that nearly 90% plus of the sheep tags that will be drawn by nonresidents will be in the random pass for units that are not top tier trophy units. If you have less than 33 or 34 bonus points as a nonresident, review the table below for good and best option hunts to apply for. The hunts listed as worst, are hunts that regularly do not allocate a random permit because the permits are allocated in the bonus draw.

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep populations are much lower than desert sheep, as such the permit numbers are much lower. On the other hand trophy potential is phenomenal, with every unit offering the opportunity at a ram north of 170” plus. Many units produce rams in the 180” class. As is the case with desert bighorn sheep, applicants with less than max bonus points should pay attention to the table below that indicates the best hunt options to apply for that historically drawn random permits

THE GOHUNT HIT LIST UNITS FOR ARIZONA DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP

As previously noted, the best odds of drawing a permit are in areas where the trophy potential is not quite as good. The top-tier units in the state will produce 170” to 180” class rams most years. Those units are also the ones that will require maximum points or all the luck in the world to draw a permit.

Managing Bighorn Sheep Points and Expectations

THE BIGHORN SHEEP POINT SYSTEM

Arizona desert bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep use the same bonus points pool.

2023 maximum bonus points for Arizona bighorn sheep: 34

See your Draw Odds here

Arizona's 2023 Bison Breakdown

Arizona has two separate bison application periods. The upcoming draw is for the hunts listed in the table below and will occur during the fall of 2023. The hunts available are for cow bison only The draw for mature bull bison occurs in September-October application timeframe. One thing to consider is that applicants can apply in both this draw and the Sept/Oct draw and build bison bonus points in both draws. This is the reason why when you look at the number of bonus points there are applicants with as many as 56 bonus points. The odds of drawing a bison permits are low and the cost of the permit for nonresidents is expensive even for cow bison at $3,265. If you can afford the permit and want an opportunity to hunt free range bison I suggest you apply.

The 5A/5B Raymond Herd hunts have been 100% harvest success for the past few years and applicants that draw will almost certainly have an opportunity to take a cow bison. The 12A House Rock Wildlife Area hunts also have 100% harvest success. The hunts available in 12A/12B/13A are much more hit and miss and harvest opportunities are far from guaranteed. The herd mostly lives within the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park and rarely crosses out of the boundary unless range conditions are such that they are required to do so. One a wet year, water and range conditions mostly keep bison within the park. In years where water is more scarce, bison do slip in and out of the park to hit water holes and take advantage of salt licks on public lands just outside the park. Harvest success was 0% for the two hunts within these units in 2022. There is a new hunt for 2023 which is earlier, running from September 15 to October 4th. If you plan to apply for and draw a permit for one of these hunts, hiring an outfitter that knows the water sources and herd movements well is highly recommended.

*12A (excluding the closed northeast portion of House Rock Wildlife Area

Managing Points and Expectations

There is currently not a mature bull bison hunt available in this application period. If you are looking for a chance to hunt a trophy bull, you will need to apply for a point in this application period and wait until the fall application period to submit your application for an actual hunt.

If your goal is to simply draw a bison hunt and a cow or a yearling bull sounds like exactly what you are looking for, then this is the draw period for you. The odds are steep even for the cows, but you don’t want to miss any chance to draw whether it's this deadline or the fall deadline.

See your Draw Odds here