Arizona Elk — Unit 5A
Arizona Unit 5A covers 442,912 acres and lies 24 miles south-west of Winslow and 41 miles north-east of Payson. 69% of it is public land, mostly national forest (41%) and state trust land (28%). A further 14% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2025, 869 people hunted elk here and took 369 — 42% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 194 tags here for 30 first-choice applicants, and the last tag went to someone with 7 points.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Unit 5A, 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-
3% Point builder 1% as 2nd choice
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6% Point builder 2% as 2nd choice
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3066 YOUTH-ONLY (GENERAL) ELK (Arizona Hunter Education course required for youth ages 10–13) | Antlerless elk | 5A 121 tags · 25 applicants21% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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3102 MUZZLELOADER ELK | Bull elk | 5A Kachina Peaks Wilderness Hunt Area (Special Restrictions Apply 2 tags · 149 applicants · needed 28 pts<1% Point builder <1% as 2nd choice
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<1% Point builder 1% as 2nd choice
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12% Point builder 8% as 2nd choice
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22% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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42% No first-choice applicants
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60% No first-choice applicants
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100% Likely draw
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— Cut level
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— Not open to nonresidents
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39% No first-choice applicants
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100% Likely draw
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3015 ↗ GENERAL ELK | Bull elk | 5A Rifle | 3% Point builder | 1% | 8 +1 since 2023 | 33 / 185 | Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2026 |
| 3039 ↗ GENERAL ELK | Antlerless elk | 5A Rifle | 6% Point builder | 2% | 7 steady since 2025 | 194 / 30 | Oct 16–22, 2026 |
| 3066 ↗ YOUTH-ONLY (GENERAL) ELK (Arizona Hunter Education course required for youth ages 10–13) | Antlerless elk | 5A Rifle | 21% Long shot | 0% | — | 121 / 25 | Oct 9–15, 2026 |
| 3102 ↗ MUZZLELOADER ELK | Bull elk | 5A Kachina Peaks Wilderness Hunt Area (Special Restrictions Apply Muzzleloader | <1% Point builder | <1% | 28 | 2 / 149 | Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2026 |
| 3131 ↗ ARCHERY-ONLY ELK | Bull elk | 5A Archery | <1% Point builder | 1% | 16 +1 since 2025 | 14 / 182 | Sep 11–24, 2026 |
| 3153 ↗ ARCHERY-ONLY ELK | Bull elk | 5A Archery | 12% Point builder | 8% | 6 steady since 2024 | 4 / 11 | Nov 13–26, 2026 |
| 3175 ↗ ARCHERY-ONLY ELK | Antlerless elk | 5A Archery | 22% Long shot | 0% | — | 48 / 7 | Sep 11–24, 2026 |
| 3802 ↗ General | Bull elk | 05A Rifle | 42% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 1 / 0 | Nov 28 – Dec 4, 2025 |
| 3807 ↗ Youth-Only (General) | Antlerless elk | 05A Rifle | 60% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 3 / 0 | Oct 10–16, 2025 |
| 3809 ↗ Limited Opportunity (General) | Antlerless elk | 05A Rifle | 100% Likely draw | — | — | 25 / — | Oct 17–23, 2025 |
| 3810 ↗ Limited Opportunity (General) | Antlerless elk | 05A Rifle | — Cut level | — | — | 25 / — | Oct 24–30, 2025 |
| 3814 ↗ Archery-Only | Early Bull elk | 05A Archery | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Sep 12–25, 2025 |
| 3817 ↗ Archery-Only | Bull elk | 05A Archery | 39% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 1 / 0 | Nov 14–27, 2025 |
| 3820 ↗ Archery-Only | Antlerless elk | 05A Archery | 100% Likely draw | — | — | 1 / — | Sep 12–25, 2025 |
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 | 869 | 369 | 42% |
| 2024 | 657 | 308 | 47% |
| 2023 | 767 | 292 | 38% |
| 2022 | 758 | 329 | 43% |
| 2021 | 622 | 275 | 44% |
| 2020 | 719 | 343 | 48% |
| 2019 | 686 | 255 | 37% |
| 2018 | 774 | 383 | 49% |
| 2017 | 813 | 335 | 41% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 54 · 15% · 222 hunters, 24% success
- Firearm 315 · 85% · 647 hunters, 49% success
What the agency says about the area
Unit 5A – Beginning at the junction of the Sitgreaves National Forest boundary with the Coconino National Forest boundary at the Mogollon Rim; northerly along this boundary (Leonard Canyon) to East Clear Creek; northeasterly along East Clear Creek to AZ Hwy 99; north on AZ Hwy 99 to AZ Hwy 87; north on AZ Hwy 87 to Business I-40 (3rd St.); west on Business I-40 (3rd St.) to Hipkoe Dr.; north on Hipkoe Dr. to I-40;…
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