Arizona mule deer can really be broken down into two categories - north of the Grand Canyon and everything else. You add 3A/3C to the group of northern units which is also managed under Alternative Deer Management for higher buck to doe ratios and this pretty much rounds out the best deer units for the state. The rest of the state is managed for opportunity, and they give out enough tags to keep quality at a minimum. They do offer a couple late season hunts in areas that have the potential to kick out a few great bucks, like 37B this year, but for the most part, if you are looking for an exceptional hunt, you are best served to stick to Northern Arizona.

2025 is most likely shaping up to be an off year for antler growth in the northern part of the state. Extreme drought over the last six to eight months will have deer in more of survival mode than thriving mode. The Arizona Strip region 13A and 13B will be hit the worst, but luckily, this area has the highest buck to doe ratio in the state and there will still be a fair amount of mature bucks, they just might be closer to 190” than 200”. The Kaibab will also be affected by the drought and lack of moisture as well, but this area could still produce if we get some good spring moisture. Still, this portion of Arizona is among the best in the world for genetics and buck to doe ratio. Anytime you can get a tag to hunt here, you should take it.

3A/3C has the same type of moisture woes that plague the state to the north, but antler growth is a little behind Northern Arizona, so with some good spring moisture, these bucks can still get some good antler growth. This drought is the main reason for the tag reduction in this area. The genetics in this area just aren’t as good as the Kaibab and Strip units. Even though the average age of harvested bucks is very similar, the average size is probably 20-30” less. There are a few bucks every year that could hit 180”+, but the vast majority of mature bucks will never exceed 160-170”. The great thing with this unit is that the low number of tags for all hunts makes it a great low pressure hunting experience.

Another hunt for mule deer worth mentioning this year that will be better than the average hunt is unit 37B. AZGFD swapped a late December 12-31 hunt from unit 37A in 2024 to 37B for 2025. There will only be 15 tags total for this hunt, so only 1 non-resident tag may be drawn and that tag will be issued in the random draw. This area is big desert country that has most of the deer spread out and can be tough to locate if you are unfamiliar with the terrain. This time of year will be pre-rut, but later on in the season, most bucks will be close or in with does. Realistically with the right outfitter, this could be a 170-180” type of hunt, but without any knowledge of the unit, this will be a tough hunt for much over an average 4-point.

If we talk about the “everywhere else” part of the state, hunting can be pretty tough for older age class bucks. Units like 8, 27, and 23 can have a few older age class bucks and good populations along with some higher elevation and wilderness terrain that can make for a fun hunting experience if you are solely looking for a legal buck. Once you drift into Southern Arizona, most of that hunting consists of desert type habitat and spread out, lower populations that can make for tough hunting conditions. Units 36C, 37A, and 37B can be better for mule deer populations, but deer can still be few and far between.

Arizona’s current drought conditions are the biggest factor this year in applying. Antler growth will be less than ideal, and applicants will need to determine if this is the right year to try and draw or if building points is the best practice. Remember that there will always be a few great bucks harvested, even during drought years, but there will not be as many high scoring bucks on average as normal years.

Archery hunters hunting in the fall August/September archery season may also purchase non-permit tags for bear, mountain lion, and turkey in some units. Bear and mountain lion permits are on a harvest quota system and will close when the objective is met. Archery hunters hunting the winter January season may want to look into applying for an archery javelina permit in the unit they plan to hunt. These javelina permits are available in the spring draw, which is generally held the first part of October. Check the leftover permit list following the spring draw for any leftover javelina permits.

2025 ARIZONA NON-RESIDENT FEES
365-Day Hunting/Fishing License (adult) — $160
365-Day Hunting/Fishing License (youth ages 10–17) — $5
Mule Deer/Coues Deer Permit (leftover tag) — $315
Mule Deer/Coues Deer OTC Permit (archery only) — $300

Beginning in 2022, harvest limits were put in place for each unit that can be hunted with an OTC non-permit archery deer tag. Non-permit tags for 2025 have already been sold out, but you can attempt to buy a 2026 archery-only non-permit tag on November 3, 2025. We have listed the 2025 season dates for each unit in the table. They can also be found on page 313-3 of the 2025-2026 Fall Hunting Regulations. Since there are harvest limits for each unit, there will be mandatory harvest reporting for any harvest within 48 hours of harvest. In units with a good diversity of both Coues whitetail and mule deer, harvest limits have been set for each species. Harvest reporting can be done online at www.azgfd.com/harvestreporter or by calling 623-236-7991.

Arizona also has over-the-counter archery deer hunts across most of the state. Most units will have three seasons, with one being in August and September and the other two being late in December and January. The archery-only non-permit tag is valid in those units with defined dates as specified on pages 313-3 of the 2025-2026 Hunting Regulations booklet. Arizona has gone to a harvest quota for each unit in the over-the-counter archery deer program. This change was made in an effort to continue providing the opportunity for archery hunters to get out in the field without increasing harvest numbers and reducing hunter opportunities within the field every year. With increasing tag demand came increased harvest success and units were beginning to be converted to a draw, thus removing them from the OTC program. This change removed some of the pressure on the general deer draw program, but this year saw units 1 and 27 mule deer put back into the draw. There are already closures for OTC non-permit archery deer tags issued for 2025. They will be listed on the AZGFD website when tags go on sale on November 3, 2025.

This new “application-based” hunting system is similar reporting to Arizona’s bear and mountain lion mandatory harvest reporting. Harvest limits for each unit are put in place for sustainable harvests. Successful hunters will have 48 hours to report their harvest. The easiest method for harvest reporting is to do so online. Tags for 2026 will be sold by mail-in only beginning on November 3, 2025. All OTC archery tags will be mailed to customers immediately after AZGFD has verified a PDF copy of their license and valid tag was submitted with the current harvest report.

Mule deer tags will typically fill very fast, especially in the northern portion of the state. In fact, units 1 and 27 were both moved back into the draw portion for 2025 because those units are typically closely aligned with elk rutting and could get them closed within the first couple weeks of the season. The further south you get, the longer it takes to fill in most units, mostly because the brutally hot temps keep some deer off the rut. Hunting is often better when early in the year. Most southern units will still have a quota available until December. Still, only a few Coues units filled their quotas in 2024, and those took all three seasons to fill.

The December hunts can be good for spot and stalk species. Mule deer are just starting to rut and Coues deer are still pre-rut, so some of these units for Coues deer will be open for 12 to 15 points to draw the early December rifle permit, and every year, archers can hunt the same season or hunt in January, which is better rut timing. They have limited tags that could be the best opportunities for bow deer.

If you haven’t taken advantage of those easy bow hunts in Arizona in lieu of a draw archery hunt, we strongly suggest giving it a favor and book out some time this fall. We have Hunt Advisors who go on these hunts every year and can give you some great advice on how to start your planning and research.

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