This unit is part of the region known as the Kaibab among serious trophy deer hunters. The western part of the parent Unit 12A, this unit has long been a top destination for hunters seeking trophy-class mule deer.

12AW has high densities of mule deer that have great genetics for growing world-class antlers and many of them grow old enough to reach their potential. Record book bucks live in this unit and late season rifle hunters take the vast majority of top-end bucks that are harvested each year.

This unit is part of the Kaibab Plateau and the famed Kaibab mule deer area, famous worldwide for tremendous bucks and is in the Kaibab National Forest. The unit is nearly all public land.

Higher elevations on the east are covered with stands of ponderosa pine, aspen, blue spruce and Douglas fir. Large parks in the higher elevations have grasses and provide summer habitat for wildlife. Burns have numerous aspen, forbs, and grasses attracting wildlife. At lower elevations stands of Gambel oak give way to pinyon/juniper forests with cliffrose, bitterbrush and sagebrush. The western reaches of the unit along Kanab Creek and Snake Gulch are rocky desert terrain with sagebrush and cliffrose.

Forest Service roads crisscross the unit and access almost every ridge.

Camping is permitted on Forest Service lands. Designated campgrounds offer limited facilities. Lodging can be found at Jacob Lake in the northern half of the unit, Kaibab Lodge along Highway 67 in the southeast and in Fredonia, which is about 15 miles north of the unit.