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Public hunting ground · Wildlife area
Hunt Planning for Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
Wildlife area in Pinal County with 2,001 acres across Units 32 and 37B.
Photo: Coronado National Forest (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Getting to Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
First facts about Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area sits on the Commission's wildlife area list at R12-4-802(A)(20), which is the text that decides access. AZGFD GIS polygon puts it at 2,001 acres; the land lies in Pinal County. The Tucson regional office of AZGFD (Region V) covers it. The AZGFD layer names Mammoth as the nearby town.
From lands.json (primary source; acres: GIS area (equal-area) of the AZGFD Wildlife Areas layer (Wildlife_Areas, 2019) polygon), checked November 7, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
Which units Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area sits in
Hunts valid on Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area are those for Units 32 and 37B. Unit boundaries run along roads, rivers and ridgelines; know which unit you stand in. AZGFD tags the units with pronghorn, black bear, javelina, mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, cottontail rabbit and dove and 1 more; treat it as a guide to the wider area. Note for Unit 32: Crane zone.
| Unit | Office | Size | Counties | NF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 32 | Tucson | 1,534 | Cochise, Graham, Pinal | Coronado NF |
| Unit 37B | Tucson, Mesa | 1,181 | Pinal, Gila | Tonto NF |
| Unit | Lion zone | Bear female limit 2026 | OTC archery deer cap | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 32 | M (46) | 6 (32) | 25 | Crane zone |
| Unit 37B | M (46) | – | 45 | – |
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.
Rule book for Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
Rule R12-4-802 gives Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area 9 lines of restrictions. Check every gate sign, since posted parts are off limits to hunters. Driving is limited, though the rule leaves room for retrieving big game under R12-4-110(H). There is a specific camping rule here.
| Rule | Short form | Full text |
|---|---|---|
| Fires | Designated fire sites | Open fires allowed in designated areas only. The following acts are prohibited: i. Building, attending, maintaining, or using a fire without removing all flammable material from around the fire to adequately prevent the fire from spreading from the fire pit. ii. Carelessly or negligently throwing or placing any ignited substance or other substance that may cause a fire. iii. Building, attending, maintaining, or using a fire in any area that is closed to fires. iv. Leaving a fire without completely extinguishing it. |
| Firewood | Dead and down only | Wood collecting limited to dead and down material, for onsite noncommercial use only. |
| Camping | 14 of 30 days | Overnight public camping allowed in designated areas only, for no more than 14 days within a 30-day period. |
| Vehicles | Designated routes only | Motorized vehicle travel permitted on designated roads, trails, or areas only, except for big game retrieval as permitted under R12-4-110 (H). |
| Closures | Posted areas closed | Posted portions closed to all public entry. |
| Hunting | Open except posted areas | Open to all hunting in season as permitted under R12-4-304 and R12-4-318, except posted portions closed to hunting. |
| Other | Parking rules | Parking allowed within 300 feet of designated open roads and in designated areas only. |
| Shooting | No firing near buildings | Discharge of a firearm or pre-charged pneumatic weapon prohibited within 1/4 mile of buildings. |
| Other | No metal detectors | A person shall not use a metal detector or similar device except as authorized by the Department. |
The general wildlife area rule, R12-4-801, adds short-term postings of up to 90 days.
Rule text: A.A.C. R12-4-802 (Cornell LII copy) and R12-4-801; checked November 7, 2026.
OTC tags valid on Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
No application is needed for the deer, black bear, mountain lion and elk hunts below. When an archery deer unit hits its limit, it shuts at sundown the next Wednesday; report your deer online within 48 hours. Female harvest limits close bear units, and each bear is reported within 48 hours. The statewide lion season, August 21, 2026 to May 31, 2027, is managed by zone thresholds.
| Animal | Hunt | Legal wildlife | Open | Units here | Harvest cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | General OTC tag elk | Any elk | Nov 20–Dec 31, 2026 | 32 | – |
| Deer | Archery-only OTC tag deer | Antlered mule deer | Aug 21–Jan 31, 2027 | 32 | 25 |
| Deer | Archery-only OTC tag deer | Antlered whitetail deer | Aug 21–Jan 31, 2027 | 32 | 85 |
| Deer | Archery-only OTC tag deer | Any antlered deer | Dec 11–Jan 31, 2027 | 37B | 45 |
| Black bear | Archery-only bear | Any bear except cubs with sows and sows… | Aug 21–Oct 1, 2026 | 32 | 2 |
| Black bear | General bear | Any bear except cubs with sows and sows… | Oct 2–Dec 31, 2026 | 32 | 2 |
| Black bear | General OTC tag spring bear | Any bear except cubs with sows and sows… | Mar 19–Apr 22, 2027 | 32 | 1 |
| Mountain lion | General mountain lion | Any lion except spotted kittens or… | Aug 21–May 31, 2027 | 32, 37B | – |
| Mountain lion | Pursuit-only mountain lion | Pursuit of any lion except spotted… | Aug 21–May 31, 2027 | 32, 37B | – |
Nonpermit-tag rows from the 2026-27 regulations and the 2027 spring booklet; reporting rules from the harvest reporting section; checked November 7, 2026.
Draw hunts that include Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
Game in the units around Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area.
Counting every booklet, 41 hunt numbers apply in the units here: 2 elk, 10 deer, 2 pronghorn, 2 desert bighorn, 11 javelina and 3 turkey. That is 6,072 permit-tags in all. A hunt covers its whole unit or open area, not just Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area, so a tag drawn here is good elsewhere in the unit too. For elk and pronghorn, this is the 2026 list; the next one is due in January 2027. AZGFD closed the fall draw June 2, 2026, the spring draw October 6, 2026 and the 2026 elk and pronghorn draw February 3, 2026.
| Game | Hunt numbers | Tags | Earliest start | Latest end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk (2026) | 2 | 15 | Sep 11, 2026 | Oct 29, 2026 |
| Deer | 10 | 1,700 | Oct 9, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Pronghorn (2026) | 2 | 5 | Aug 21, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 |
| Desert bighorn | 2 | 3 | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Javelina | 11 | 3,450 | Oct 9, 2026 | Feb 25, 2027 |
| Turkey | 3 | 5 | Apr 30, 2027 | May 27, 2027 |
| Sandhill crane | 11 | 894 | Nov 13, 2026 | Jan 25, 2027 |
| No. | Game | Hunt type | Dates | Legal animal | Tags | Open area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3192 | Elk (2026) | Limited opp. (archery-only) | Sep 11–24, 2026 | Any elk | 5 | 32 |
| 3095 | Elk (2026) | Limited opp. | Oct 2–29, 2026 | Any elk | 10 | 32 |
| 1168 | Deer | Youth-only | Oct 9–18, 2026 | Any antlered deer | 25 | 32 |
| 1176 | Deer | Youth-only | Oct 9–15, 2026 | Any antlered deer | 100 | 37B |
| 1116 | Deer | General | Oct 23–29, 2026 | Antlered whitetail deer | 250 | 32 |
| 1052 | Deer | General | Oct 30–Nov 5, 2026 | Antlered mule deer | 150 | 32 |
| 1066 | Deer | General | Oct 30–Nov 5, 2026 | Any antlered deer | 250 | 37B |
| 2059 | Pronghorn (2026) | Archery-only | Aug 21–Sep 3, 2026 | Buck pronghorn | 2 | 32 |
| 2027 | Pronghorn (2026) | General | Sep 4–13, 2026 | Buck pronghorn | 3 | 32 |
| 6022 | Desert bighorn | General | Dec 1–31, 2026 | Any ram | 2 | 32 |
| 6029 | Desert bighorn | General | Dec 1–31, 2026 | Any ram | 1 | 37B |
| 5511 | Javelina | Youth-only | Oct 9–15, 2026 | Any javelina | 100 | 37B |
| 5506 | Javelina | Youth-only | Nov 20–26, 2026 | Any javelina | 25 | 32 |
| 5512 | Javelina | Youth-only | Nov 20–26, 2026 | Any javelina | 100 | 37B |
| 5098 | Javelina | Archery-only | Jan 1–21, 2027 | Any javelina | 200 | 32 |
| 5104 | Javelina | Archery-only | Jan 1–21, 2027 | Any javelina | 1,200 | 37B |
| 4051 | Turkey | Shotgun-shot | Apr 30–May 27, 2027 | Bearded turkey | 1 | 32 |
| 4052 | Turkey | Shotgun-shot | Apr 30–May 6, 2027 +1 | Bearded turkey | 2 | 32 |
| 4053 | Turkey | Shotgun-shot | May 7–27, 2027 | Bearded turkey | 2 | 32 |
| 9018 | Sandhill crane | Archery-only | Nov 13–15, 2026 | Any sandhill crane | 12 | 32 |
| 9011 | Sandhill crane | General | Nov 20–22, 2026 | Any sandhill crane | 120 | 32 |
| 9012 | Sandhill crane | General | Nov 24–26, 2026 | Any sandhill crane | 120 | 32 |
| 9013 | Sandhill crane | General | Nov 28–30, 2026 | Any sandhill crane | 120 | 32 |
| 9017 | Sandhill crane | Youth-only | Dec 5–7, 2026 | Any sandhill crane | 42 | 32 |
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.
Birds and small game near Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
No draw is needed for cottontail rabbit, dove and quail; a hunting license and the statewide dates are enough. Ducks and geese call for the state migratory bird stamp plus the federal duck stamp; shooting starts 30 minutes before sunrise.
| Species | Statewide season | When |
|---|---|---|
| Gambel's, scaled and California quail | General quail | Oct 16–Feb 7, 2027 |
| Mearns' quail | General quail | Dec 4–Feb 7, 2027 |
| Doves | Statewide early dove season | Sep 1–15, 2026 |
| Doves | Statewide late dove season | Nov 20–Jan 3, 2027 |
| Ducks and mergansers | General waterfowl | Oct 23–Jan 31, 2027 |
| Ducks and mergansers | Youth-only waterfowl | Feb 6–7, 2027 |
| Cottontail rabbit | General cottontail rabbit | Jul 1–Jun 30, 2027 |
Statewide season rows from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations and the waterfowl and dove leaflets; checked November 7, 2026.
2025 harvest in the Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area units
Unit-level 2025 harvest gives a feel for hunting near Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area. Multi-unit hunts are excluded so no hunter is counted twice; elk results remain preliminary.
| Unit | Hunt (2025) | Hunters afield | Harvest | % success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 32 | OTC archery deer | 537 | 39 | 16% |
| Unit 37B | OTC archery deer | 1,153 | 45 | 4% |
| Unit 32 | Draw deer, 7 hunts | 1,034 | 343 | 33% |
| Unit 37B | Draw deer, 4 hunts | 461 | 176 | 38% |
| Unit 32 | Spring javelina, 2 hunts | 395 | 166 | 42% |
| Unit 37B | Spring javelina, 2 hunts | 692 | 287 | 41% |
| Unit 32 | Spring turkey, 2 hunts | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Unit 37B | 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.
Services for hunters at Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
Dudleyville is the nearest town with a page here, 4 miles from Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area in a straight line. Marana is the largest of the five, with 62,380 residents in 2024. Closest Game and Fish counter: Tucson, roughly 44 miles off.
| Town | County | Pop. 2024 | Miles off | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dudleyville | Pinal | – | 4 miles | north |
| Oro Valley | Pima | 48,855 | 31 miles | southwest |
| Marana | Pima | 62,380 | 35 miles | southwest |
| Globe | Gila | 7,176 | 41 miles | north |
| Tucson Mountains | Pima | – | 43 miles | southwest |
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.
Next public land from Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
Next nearest on the map: Aravaipa Canyon, 14 miles northeast. By type the six neighbours break down as 3 ranger districts, 2 wildlife areas and 1 BLM field office.
| Area | Kind | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aravaipa Canyon | Wildlife area | 750 | Pinal | 14 miles | northeast |
| Santa Catalina Ranger District | Ranger district | 260,726 | Pima | 32 miles | south |
| BLM Tucson FO | BLM field office | 600,000 | Pinal | 34 miles | northwest |
| Tucson Mountain | Wildlife area | 84,181 | Pima | 45 miles | southwest |
| Globe Ranger District | Ranger district | 446,122 | Gila | 48 miles | north |
| Safford Ranger District | Ranger district | 400,606 | Graham | 48 miles | east |
Point: AZGFD Wildlife Areas layer (Wildlife_Areas, 2019) (polygon centroid of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Clock times on Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area by season date
Arizona allows hunting in daylight hours, which the AZGFD booklet ties to its sunrise and sunset chart; ducks, geese, doves, pigeons and cranes may be shot from half an hour before sunrise.
| When | Marker | First light | Last light | Big and small game | Waterfowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2026 | Archery deer | 5:50 a.m. | 7:03 p.m. | 5:50 a.m. to 7:03 p.m. | 5:20 a.m. to 7:03 p.m. |
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 5:57 a.m. | 6:49 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 6:49 p.m. | 5:27 a.m. to 6:49 p.m. |
| Oct 16, 2026 | Quail opener | 6:26 a.m. | 5:50 p.m. | 6:26 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. | 5:56 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. |
| Oct 23, 2026 | General deer and waterfowl opener | 6:32 a.m. | 5:42 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 5:42 p.m. | 6:02 a.m. to 5:42 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:21 a.m. | 5:20 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. |
| Jan 1, 2027 | Spring javelina | 7:25 a.m. | 5:26 p.m. | 7:25 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 5:26 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.
Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area hunters: an AZGFD range plus clubs
Three Points Public Shooting Range, 63 miles from Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area, is the nearest bench on AZGFD’s public list. The other cards are clubs or private benches inside a 30-mile radius.
From AZGFD’s Shooting Range Facilities page, operators’ own sites and directory listings, checked November 7, 2026.
FAQ for hunting Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
What unit is Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area in?
Units 32, 37B, per the AZGFD unit layer.
Acres on Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area?
2,001 acres, per the AZGFD GIS polygon.
How many hunt numbers cover Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area?
The booklets list 41 hunts for elk, deer, pronghorn, desert bighorn, javelina and turkey whose open areas include it.
Are there OTC hunts on Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area?
For elk, deer, black bear and mountain lion, yes.
What does Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area allow for overnight stays?
Overnight public camping allowed in designated areas only, for no more than 14 days within a 30-day period.
Where can I drive on Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area?
Motorized vehicle travel permitted on designated roads, trails, or areas only, except for big game retrieval as permitted under R12-4-110 (H) .
Hunter orange on Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area?
No. Arizona has no hunter orange rule; wearing it is up to you.
What Game and Fish office serves Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area?
AZGFD Region V (Tucson); 520-628-5376.
Is chronic wasting disease found around Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area?
No detection in Arizona to date.
Does the law allow hunting on Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area?
It is open under R12-4-802(A)(20). The hunting line says: “Open to all hunting in season as permitted under R12-4-304 and R12-4-318, except posted portions closed to hunting.”
Which license and tags does Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area take?
Carry an Arizona hunting or combination license and the tag for your hunt; youth 10 to 17 pay $5 for a combination license.
Loose ends before driving to Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area
Tag your animal as soon as it is down and keep your license and tags on you while hunting Lower San Pedro River Wildlife Area.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4 · source 5; seasons from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations. Checked November 7, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Alan Stark (CC BY-SA 2.0); Henry (CC BY 2.0).