Arizona Elk — Unit 6A
Arizona Unit 6A covers 729,048 acres and lies 14 miles south-east of Sedona. 94% of it is public land, mostly national forest (93%) and state trust land (1%). In 2025, 2,476 people hunted elk here and took 1,036 — 42% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 550 tags here for 137 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 6A, 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-
2% Point builder 2% as 2nd choice
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3% Point builder 2% as 2nd choice
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3067 YOUTH-ONLY (GENERAL) ELK (Arizona Hunter Education course required for youth ages 10–13) | Antlerless elk | 5B South and 6A 450 tags · 186 applicants · needed 5 pts7% Point builder 2% as 2nd choice
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3% Point builder 6% as 2nd choice
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1% Point builder 1% as 2nd choice
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11% Point builder 8% as 2nd choice
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1% Point builder 2% as 2nd choice
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8% Point builder 5% as 2nd choice
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10% Point builder 10% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3017 ↗ GENERAL ELK | Bull elk | 6A Rifle | 2% Point builder | 2% | 8 +1 since 2023 | 82 / 746 | Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2026 |
| 3042 ↗ GENERAL ELK | Antlerless elk | 6A Rifle | 3% Point builder | 2% | 7 steady since 2023 | 550 / 137 | Oct 16–22, 2026 |
| 3067 ↗ YOUTH-ONLY (GENERAL) ELK (Arizona Hunter Education course required for youth ages 10–13) | Antlerless elk | 5B South and 6A Rifle | 7% Point builder | 2% | 5 +1 since 2023 | 450 / 186 | Oct 9–15, 2026 |
| 3097 ↗ CHAMP | Any elk | 6A Handgun | 3% Point builder | 6% | 10 steady since 2024 | 50 / 28 | Oct 23–29, 2026 |
| 3106 ↗ MUZZLELOADER ELK | Bull elk | 6A Muzzleloader | 1% Point builder | 1% | 11 | 32 / 271 | Nov 13–19, 2026 |
| 3110 ↗ MUZZLELOADER ELK | Antlerless elk | 6A Muzzleloader | 11% Point builder | 8% | 8 steady since 2025 | 50 / 10 | Nov 13–19, 2026 |
| 3134 ↗ ARCHERY-ONLY ELK | Bull elk | 6A Archery | 1% Point builder | 2% | 12 steady since 2025 | 70 / 713 | Sep 11–24, 2026 |
| 3156 ↗ ARCHERY-ONLY ELK | Bull elk | 6A Archery | 8% Point builder | 5% | 5 −2 since 2024 | 10 / 40 | Nov 20–26, 2026 |
| 3178 ↗ ARCHERY-ONLY ELK | Antlerless elk | 6A Archery | 10% Point builder | 10% | 8 steady since 2025 | 25 / 10 | 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.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest 681,475 ac · 93%
- Private 40,422 ac · 6%
- State trust land 4,792 ac · 1%
- National Park Service 995 ac · 0%
- Tribal 626 ac · 0%
- State land 502 ac · 0%
- County or city land 233 ac · 0%
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 | 2,476 | 1,036 | 42% |
| 2024 | 2,047 | 1,017 | 50% |
| 2023 | 2,441 | 1,069 | 44% |
| 2022 | 2,462 | 1,051 | 43% |
| 2021 | 2,257 | 953 | 42% |
| 2020 | 2,397 | 1,112 | 46% |
| 2019 | 2,410 | 922 | 38% |
| 2018 | 2,230 | 1,155 | 52% |
| 2017 | 2,078 | 927 | 45% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 341 · 33% · 998 hunters, 34% success
- Firearm 695 · 67% · 1,478 hunters, 47% success
What the agency says about the area
Unit 6A – Beginning at the junction of AZ Hwy 89A and FR 237; southwesterly on AZ Hwy 89A to the Verde River; southeasterly along the Verde River to the confluence with Fossil Creek; northeasterly along Fossil Creek to Fossil Springs; southeasterly on FS trail 18 (Fossil Spring Trail) to the top of the rim; northeasterly on the rim to Nash 125 ARIZONA GAME AND FISH RULES Point on the Tonto-Coconino National Forest…
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