15 Counties · 114 Public Areas · 80 Towns · 65 RangesArizona hunting records
States
AlabamaArizonaArkansasColoradoGeorgiaKentuckyLouisianaMichiganMinnesotaMissouriNew YorkNorth CarolinaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaTennesseeTexasWisconsin
ArizonaState Hunting Spots

Home › Arizona › Public land › National forests

USDA Forest Service

Arizona National Forests for Hunters

Six national forests and 25 ranger districts, about 11,184,001 acres of National Forest System land, open to hunting under Arizona seasons.

ForestsDistrictsHunting gear
6Forests
25Districts
11,184,001NFS acres

Photo: Coconino National Forest (CC0 1.0)

Arizona national forests at a glance

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests2,015,451 acresCoconino National Forest1,844,955 acresCoronado National Forest1,652,265 acresKaibab National Forest1,543,570 acresPrescott National Forest1,260,897 acresTonto National Forest2,866,863 acres

The six Arizona national forests

Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Coronado, Kaibab, Prescott and Tonto national forests are open to hunting with Arizona licenses and tags; AZGFD sets the seasons and the Forest Service sets federal rules on top. The main one for hunters is 36 CFR 261.10(d): no firing within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area, and no shooting across or on a forest road or over a body of water. Motor Vehicle Use Maps show which forest roads and trails are open to vehicles.

The forest hunting and shooting pages carry alerts rather than hunting text, so the seasons are AZGFD's for the units each forest covers. By NFS acres the largest is Tonto National Forest (2,866,863) and the smallest Prescott National Forest (1,260,897). Apache-Sitgreaves is two proclaimed forests run as one: Apache National Forest (1,195,672 acres) and Sitgreaves National Forest (819,779 acres).

Homes, camps, sitesNo shots near
150 yardsBuffer
Across forest roadsNo shooting
Over waterNo shooting
Motor Vehicle Use MapRoad access
36 CFR 261.10(d)Rule
ForestNFS acresCountiesUnitsDistricts
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests2,015,451Greenlee, Apache, Navajo, Coconino1, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B +25
Coconino National Forest1,844,955Coconino, Yavapai, Gila5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7, 8 +13
Coronado National Forest1,652,265Cochise, Santa Cruz, Graham, Pima, Pinal29, 30A, 30B, 31, 32, 33 +55
Kaibab National Forest1,543,570Coconino, Yavapai, Mohave6B, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12A +33
Prescott National Forest1,260,897Yavapai, Coconino8, 17A, 17B, 19A, 19B, 20A +23
Tonto National Forest2,866,863Gila, Maricopa, Yavapai, Pinal, Coconino6A, 21, 22, 23, 24A, 24B +16

USFS EDW Lands Area Statistics and ranger district layers; 36 CFR 261.10; checked November 7, 2026.

Arizona ranger districts by forest

Draw hunt counts are hunt numbers whose open areas include the district's units; a hunt covers its whole unit, not only the forest.

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests

Ranger districtNFS acresCountiesUnitsDraw hunts in its units
Alpine Ranger District432,315Greenlee, Apache1, 2756
Black Mesa Ranger District595,146Navajo, Coconino3A, 3C, 4A, 4B44
Clifton Ranger District497,562Greenlee27, 2848
Lakeside Ranger District224,633Navajo, Apache1, 3B, 3C63
Springerville Ranger District265,795Apache131

Coconino National Forest

Ranger districtNFS acresCountiesUnitsDraw hunts in its units
Flagstaff Ranger District849,870Coconino, Yavapai5B, 6A, 6B, 7 +2114
Mogollon Rim Ranger District507,235Coconino, Gila, Yavapai5A, 5B, 6A68
Red Rock Ranger District487,850Yavapai, Coconino, Gila6A, 6B37

Coronado National Forest

Ranger districtNFS acresCountiesUnitsDraw hunts in its units
Douglas Ranger District354,412Cochise29, 30A, 30B51
Nogales Ranger District338,316Santa Cruz, Pima34A, 34B, 36B39
Safford Ranger District400,606Graham, Cochise31, 3242
Santa Catalina Ranger District260,726Pima, Pinal, Cochise3319
Sierra Vista Ranger District298,205Santa Cruz, Cochise, Pima34B, 35A, 35B40

Kaibab National Forest

Ranger districtNFS acresCountiesUnitsDraw hunts in its units
North Kaibab Ranger District655,593Coconino, Mohave12A, 12B, 13A33
Tusayan Ranger District327,307Coconino914
Williams Ranger District560,671Coconino, Yavapai6B, 7, 8, 10 +192

Prescott National Forest

Ranger districtNFS acresCountiesUnitsDraw hunts in its units
Bradshaw Ranger District409,103Yavapai17B, 20A, 20B33
Chino Valley Ranger District555,143Yavapai, Coconino8, 17A, 17B, 19A +157
Verde Ranger District296,650Yavapai19A, 2133

Tonto National Forest

Ranger districtNFS acresCountiesUnitsDraw hunts in its units
Cave Creek Ranger District581,657Yavapai, Maricopa, Gila21, 2247
Globe Ranger District446,122Gila, Pinal, Maricopa23, 24A, 24B, 37B58
Mesa Ranger District438,114Maricopa, Pinal, Gila22, 24B42
Payson Ranger District442,330Gila, Yavapai, Coconino6A, 21, 22, 2391
Pleasant Valley Ranger District427,428Gila22, 2352
Tonto Basin Ranger District531,212Gila, Maricopa, Yavapai22, 23, 24A, 24B76

District acres from USFS EDW statistics; hunt numbers from the 2026-27 AZGFD booklets (elk and pronghorn are 2026 hunts); checked November 7, 2026.

Other land guides besides Arizona national forests

BLM landFederal landTribal landsPublic land mapArizona countiesGame Management UnitsHunting seasons

Questions about Arizona national forests

Can I hunt anywhere on an Arizona national forest?

National Forest System land is open to hunting under Arizona seasons, except where a federal rule or closure applies, such as the 150-yard discharge buffer around occupied areas.

Which Arizona national forest is largest?

Tonto National Forest by NFS acres in the USFS statistics.

Where do I find which forest roads are open?

On the forest’s Motor Vehicle Use Map.

Do Gila National Forest districts count?

No. Gila NF districts near the state line hold no NFS acres in Arizona.

Other photos on this page: William Herron (CC BY-SA 2.0); John Fowler (CC BY 2.0); Coconino National Forest (CC0 1.0); Bureau of Land Management Arizona (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Bureau of Land Management (CC BY 2.0); Andy Blackledge (CC BY 2.0).