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Wildlife refuge · AZGFD seasons
Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge Hunter Guide, 2026-27
National wildlife refuge in Mohave County and La Paz County, 5,994 acres in 4 game units.
Photo: Matt Kieffer (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
Parking, trailheads and gates near Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
- Parking areaParking · 3.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 5.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 5.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Takeoff Point Parking AreaParking · 5.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Takeoff Point Boat RampBoat ramp · 5.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 6.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 6.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 7.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 7.1 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
The lay of the land at Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge is one of nine Arizona refuges listed in 50 CFR 32.22, where the refuge may be stricter than the state. It covers 5,994 acres by the FWS refuge GIS, spread over Mohave County and La Paz County. It crosses AZGFD region lines: Region IV (Yuma) and Region III (Kingman).
The refuge hunting page says: Cottonwoods and willows provide important habitat for game in desert environments, offering a ribbon of lush cover in an otherwise arid environment. Along the lower Colorado River, Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge has one of the last stands of natural cottonwood-willow forest that is part of a rich blend of varying habitats. There are places on the refuge where a cattail marsh sits next to a stand of saguaro cactus. This changing habitat supports a wide variety of species, including birds and upland game.
From lands.json (primary source; acres: USFWS Interest layer (INTTYPE1 O = fee, S = secondary) inside Arizona (GIS)), checked November 7, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
Dos and don'ts on Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
50 CFR 32.22(a) opens Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge to upland game hunting and big game hunting, each with its own conditions.
Upland game hunting
We allow hunting of Gambel's quail, Eurasian collared-dove, cottontail rabbit, coyote, gray fox, and kit fox on designated areas of the refuge.
- We allow hunting of Gambel's quail in alignment with the State quail season.
- We allow hunting of cottontail rabbit from September through February aligning with the beginning of the State dove season and the end of the State quail season.
- We allow hunting of Eurasian collared-dove during the State mourning and white-winged dove season.
- We prohibit night hunting from 1/2 hour after legal sunset until 1/2 hour before legal sunrise the following day.
Big game hunting
We allow hunting of desert bighorn sheep and javelina on designated areas of the refuge.
- We allow the use of rifles, muzzleloaders, and archery for desert bighorn sheep hunting.
- We allow shotguns shooting slugs and archery equipment for javelina hunting.
FWS zone list for Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
| Refuge unit | Status | Acres | Permit needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Unit | Special rules | 1,142 | No |
| North Unit | Special rules | 1,769 | No |
| No Hunting Area | No | 3,082 | No |
Overnight use: Help us protect the refuge Camping is not allowed on the refuge, but visit nearby Bureau of Land Management areas or State parks for excellent camping opportunities.
50 CFR 32.22; refuge hunting page; FWS Public Hunt Units layer; checked November 7, 2026.
Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge draw options
What hunters here are after.
Drawn hunts covering these units add up to 14: 7 desert bighorn and 7 javelina. Together they offer 767 permit-tags. The tag is for the open area as a whole; Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge is one place to use it. Unit hunts for species Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge does not allow are omitted. The spring 2027 draw closed on October 6, 2026; the fall 2026 draw closed June 2 and the 2026 pronghorn and elk draw on February 3.
| Game | Hunts | Permits | Season starts | Season ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert bighorn | 7 | 12 | Nov 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Javelina | 7 | 755 | Nov 20, 2026 | Feb 25, 2027 |
| No. | Game | Hunt type | Dates | Legal animal | Tags | Open area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6801 | Desert bighorn | Pioneer one-horned bighorn sheep (pioneer license required, see r12-4-318) | Nov 1–Dec 31, 2026 | One-horned ram | 1 | 16A |
| 6013 | Desert bighorn | General | Dec 1–31, 2026 | Any ram | 2 | 16A |
| 6014 | Desert bighorn | General | Dec 1–31, 2026 | Any ram | 2 | 16A |
| 6041 | Desert bighorn | General | Dec 1–31, 2026 | Any ram | 3 | 43A |
| 6040 | Desert bighorn | General | Dec 1–31, 2026 | Any ram | 2 | 44A |
| 6044 | Desert bighorn | General | Dec 1–31, 2026 | Any ram | 1 | 44A |
| 6045 | Desert bighorn | General | Dec 1–31, 2026 | Any ram | 1 | 44A |
| 5502 | Javelina | Youth-only | Nov 20–29, 2026 | Any javelina | 30 | 16A |
| 5084 | Javelina | Archery-only | Jan 1–21, 2027 | Any javelina | 275 | 16A |
| 5105 | Javelina | Archery-only | Jan 1–21, 2027 | Any javelina | 150 | 44A |
| 5036 | Javelina | Youth-only | Jan 22–31, 2027 | Any javelina | 50 | 16A |
| 5053 | Javelina | HAM | Feb 5–15, 2027 | Any javelina | 50 | 16A |
| 5003 | Javelina | General | Feb 19–25, 2027 | Any javelina | 150 | 16A |
| 5033 | Javelina | General | Feb 19–25, 2027 | Any javelina | 50 | 44A |
Hunt numbers, dates, legal wildlife and permits from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations, the 2027 spring booklet and the 2026 pronghorn and elk booklet; deadlines from the draw section; checked November 7, 2026.
Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge: nonpermit-tag seasons
Over-the-counter hunting near Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge includes javelina; buy the nonpermit-tag and go.
| Game | Hunt | What you may take | Dates | Units | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javelina | General OTC tag javelina | Any javelina | Jan 1–Dec 31, 2026 | 43A | – |
| Javelina | General OTC tag spring javelina | Any javelina | Jan 1–Dec 31, 2027 | 43A | – |
Nonpermit-tag rows from the 2026-27 regulations and the 2027 spring booklet; reporting rules from the harvest reporting section; checked November 7, 2026.
Game units that cover Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
For tags, Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge falls in Units 16A, 16B, 43A and 44A. A hunt number is valid across its whole unit; where two units meet, the boundary follows roads and drainages on the AZGFD map. For the units here, the AZGFD layer shows bighorn sheep, elk, javelina, mountain lion, mule deer, dove, quail and waterfowl (a unit-wide list). The source for Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge lists dove, quail, rabbit, coyote, fox, bighorn sheep and javelina.
| Unit | Region | Sq mi | County overlap | Forest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 16A | Kingman | 2,472 | Mohave, Yavapai, La Paz | – |
| Unit 16B | Yuma | 129 | Mohave | – |
| Unit 43A | Yuma | 944 | La Paz, Yuma | – |
| Unit 44A | Yuma | 2,360 | La Paz, Yavapai, Maricopa | – |
| Unit | Mountain lion zone | Bear limit 2026 | Archery buck cap | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 16A | E (14) | 3 (16A) | 15 | – |
| Unit 16B | E (14) | – | – | – |
| Unit 43A | L (1) | – | 40 | – |
| Unit 44A | I (5) | – | 40 | – |
Units from the AZGFD Game Management Unit layer overlay in lands.json; unit facts, lion zones, bear limits and archery deer limits from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations (zones section, unit maps); checked November 7, 2026.
How the 2025 hunts went around Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
The 2025 numbers below are single-unit hunts in the units here, not a Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge count. Only hunts limited to one unit are summed per row; multi-unit hunts are left out to avoid double counting, and elk figures are preliminary.
| Unit | 2025 hunts | Hunters | Taken | Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 16A | Spring javelina, 3 hunts | 169 | 78 | 46% |
| Unit 16A | Bighorn sheep, 1 hunt | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Unit 43A | Bighorn sheep, 1 hunt | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Unit 44A | Bighorn sheep, 1 hunt | 1 | 1 | 100% |
2025 AZGFD harvest summaries: OTC archery deer, deer, elk (preliminary), pronghorn, spring javelina, spring turkey, bighorn sheep; checked November 7, 2026.
Dates that name Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
These 4 seasons carry Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge in the open-area column. The general rows exclude refuges, which is why the refuge has its own lines.
| Game | Hunt | Dates | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottontail rabbit | Shotgun shot cottontail rabbit – Any cottontail… | Sep 1–Feb 7, 2027 | License only |
| Coyote | Shotgun shot predators – Coyote and foxes | Sep 1–Feb 7, 2027 | License only |
| Foxes | Shotgun shot predators – Coyote and foxes | Sep 1–Feb 7, 2027 | License only |
| Gambel's, scaled and California quail | General quail – Gambel's, Scaled and California… | Oct 16–Feb 7, 2027 | License only |
Season rows from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations, waterfowl and dove leaflets; checked November 7, 2026.
Within driving range of Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
Next nearest on the map: Planet Ranch Conservation Area, 7 miles east. Pinned close by: 3 BLM field offices, 2 wildlife areas and 1 national wildlife refuge.
| Area | Kind | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planet Ranch Conservation Area | Wildlife area | 3,414 | Mohave | 7 miles | east |
| BLM Lake Havasu FO | BLM field office | 1,300,000 | La Paz | 16 miles | southeast |
| Alamo Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 17,563 | Mohave | 29 miles | east |
| Havasu NWR | Wildlife refuge | 33,021 | Mohave | 33 miles | northwest |
| BLM Kingman FO | BLM field office | 2,400,000 | Mohave | 53 miles | north |
| BLM Yuma FO | BLM field office | 1,200,000 | La Paz | 66 miles | southeast |
Point: USFWS Interest layer (fee and secondary-jurisdiction refuge land inside Arizona) (polygon centroid). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Off-limits land around Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
Tribal land near Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, such as Colorado River Indian Reservation, is closed to state-licensed hunting; each tribe sets its own rules and permits. The federal statute 18 USC 1165 applies to hunting tribal land without authority.
| Name | Status | Counties | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado River Indian Reservation | tribal land | La Paz | 32 miles |
Closed rows from lands.json: tribal land (18 USC 1165, Census TIGERweb), NPS units (36 CFR 2.2); checked November 7, 2026.
When the light is legal on Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
Big game, quail and predator hunters near Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge work from sunrise to sunset; migratory bird hunters may start thirty minutes earlier.
| Day | Why | Sun up | Sun down | Most game | Ducks and doves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2026 | Archery deer | 6:01 a.m. | 7:18 p.m. | 6:01 a.m. to 7:18 p.m. | 5:31 a.m. to 7:18 p.m. |
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:09 a.m. | 7:04 p.m. | 6:09 a.m. to 7:04 p.m. | 5:39 a.m. to 7:04 p.m. |
| Oct 16, 2026 | Quail opener | 6:41 a.m. | 6:02 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. |
| Oct 23, 2026 | General deer and waterfowl opener | 6:47 a.m. | 5:54 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:38 a.m. | 5:30 p.m. | 7:38 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 7:08 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
| Jan 22, 2027 | Spring javelina | 7:40 a.m. | 5:54 p.m. | 7:40 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. | 7:10 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. |
Hours rules from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations (A.R.S. 17-301); sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Mountain Standard Time); the AZGFD Phoenix sunrise-sunset chart; checked November 7, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Fuel, food and processing near Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
Measured straight, Parker Strip sits 5 miles from Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge. For a bigger store run, try Lake Havasu City (59,037 people). For a Game and Fish office, Kingman is the shortest trip at 69 miles.
| Town | County | 2024 population | Away | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parker Strip | La Paz | – | 5 miles | west |
| Parker | La Paz | 3,456 | 20 miles | southwest |
| Lake Havasu City | Mohave | 59,037 | 22 miles | northwest |
| Crystal Beach | Mohave | – | 28 miles | northwest |
| Alamo Lake | La Paz | – | 31 miles | east |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); AZGFD offices from the AZGFD offices page; businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 7, 2026.
Public and club benches before Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
Tri-State Shooting Park, 55 miles from Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, is the nearest bench on AZGFD’s public list. Beside the department range sit the closest clubs, none past 30 miles.
From AZGFD’s Shooting Range Facilities page, operators’ own sites and directory listings, checked November 7, 2026.
Straight answers for Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
Is there CWD in the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge units?
Not detected in Arizona; free testing is available.
Does a hunting license get me onto Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge?
Yes, but only where the refuge allows it, with the conditions in 50 CFR 32.22(a).
What should be in my pocket on Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge?
Arizona licenses apply: $37 resident hunting, $57 resident combination, $160 nonresident combination, plus tags. Some refuge hunts also need a refuge permit or signed brochure.
What unit is Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge in?
It lies in Units 16A, 16B, 43A, 44A; check the AZGFD unit maps for exact lines.
How many acres does Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge hold?
5,994 acres by the FWS refuge GIS.
Are there permit-tag hunts on Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge?
14 hunt numbers in the 2026-27 booklets cover its units (desert bighorn and javelina); elk and pronghorn are 2026 hunts.
Can I hunt Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge without the draw?
Javelina can be hunted on nonpermit-tags.
Are there camping rules on Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge?
Help us protect the refuge Camping is not allowed on the refuge, but visit nearby Bureau of Land Management areas or State parks for excellent camping opportunities.
Can I drive off road on Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge?
(ii) We prohibit hunting within 50 yards (45 meters) of any road or trail open to public use and within 1/4 mile (402 meters) of any building.
Is blaze clothing required on Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge?
Not required by Arizona law.
What Game and Fish office serves Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge?
AZGFD Region IV (Yuma); 928-342-0091.
Are there tribal or park lands near Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge?
Keep out of Colorado River Indian Reservation; it is tribal land, closed to state-licensed hunting without the tribe’s permission.
Pack up for Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
Rules, closures and permits for Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge can change during the season; posted signs and the managing agency have the last word.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4 · source 5 · source 6; seasons from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations. Checked November 7, 2026.
Other photos on this page: ksblack99 (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Marshal Hedin (CC BY-SA 2.0).