Arizona Elk — Unit 23S
Arizona Unit 23S covers 758,159 acres and lies 26 miles south-east of Payson and 43 miles north of Globe. 98% of it is public land, mostly national forest (98%). In 2025, 19 people hunted elk here and took 11 — 58% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1 tag here for 436 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Unit 23S, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
<1% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
-
<1% Point builder <1% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3009 ↗ GENERAL ELK | Bull elk | 23 South Rifle | <1% Point builder | 0% | — | 1 / 436 | Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2026 |
| 3149 ↗ ARCHERY-ONLY ELK | Bull elk | 23 South Archery | <1% Point builder | <1% | — | 1 / 221 | Sep 11–24, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- As 2nd choice —
- Arizona lets you name more than one hunt on the application. Miss on your first choice and you go into the pot for whatever tags are left, alongside everyone else's second choices. Points never help a lower choice, so this number is the same whatever you have banked — it is usually worth naming a hunt that goes undersubscribed.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per application | $175 | $175 | $825 |
Application window: opens Jan 13, closes Feb 3, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
How the hunting has gone
What Arizona Game & Fish Department publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Arizona Game & Fish Department publishes these per hunt rather than per unit; the rows below add its own figures together, since a hunter holds one tag for the species in a season. Arizona's figures come from AZGFD's post-season hunter questionnaire - survey estimates carrying a 90% confidence interval and a return count, not a census of animals checked in.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19 | 11 | 58% |
| 2024 | 20 | 13 | 65% |
| 2023 | 24 | 15 | 63% |
| 2022 | 23 | 11 | 48% |
| 2021 | 10 | 5 | 50% |
| 2020 | 20 | 12 | 60% |
| 2019 | 18 | 9 | 50% |
| 2018 | 13 | 7 | 54% |
| 2017 | 20 | 15 | 75% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 5 · 45% · 11 hunters, 45% success
- Firearm 6 · 55% · 8 hunters, 75% success
What the agency says about the area
AZGFD publishes no separate boundary for this hunt unit: the map, acreage and land ownership shown are for the whole of Unit 23, of which this unit is a part. 23 South Hunt Unit - That portion of Unit 23 located south of the following: Beginning at the junction of Tonto Creek and Spring Creek; easterly along Spring Creek to FR 134; easterly on FR 134 to FR 129; easterly on FR 129 to AZ Hwy 288; easterly on AZ Hwy…
Source: 2026 Pronghorn and Elk Hunt Draw Information (regulations booklet)
Boundary: AZ Game and Fish Hunt Units (AZGFD ArcGIS feature service, layer 0)
Harvest: 2025 AZ Elk Harvest Summary
Harvest: 2024 AZ Elk Harvest Summary
Harvest: 2023 AZ Elk Harvest Summary