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Hunt Planning for White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
Wildlife area in Apache County with 2,861 acres across Unit 1.
Photo: Alan Schmierer (CC0 1.0)
Getting to White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
First facts about White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area sits on the Commission's wildlife area list at R12-4-802(A)(38), which is the text that decides access. AZGFD GIS polygon puts it at 2,861 acres; the land lies in Apache County. The Pinetop regional office of AZGFD (Region I) covers it. The AZGFD layer names Eagar as the nearby town.
How AZGFD introduces the property: On June 25, 1999, the Cross L Ranch, consisting of 1,713 deeded acres, was purchased by the Arizona Game and Fish Department (Department). On August 8, 2000, purchase of the adjacent Ocote Ranch added another 1,137 acres to the White Mountain Grasslands
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 White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
Unit-by-unit facts for White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
Hunts valid on White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area are those for Unit 1. AZGFD tags the units with black bear, elk, mule deer, Merriam's Turkey, pronghorn, tree squirrel and waterfowl; treat it as a guide to the wider area. Unit 1 status: CWD priority, Mexican wolf area. Hunters in the wolf area must avoid shooting a protected Mexican wolf.
| Unit | Office | Size | Counties | NF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Pinetop | 844 | Apache | Apache-Sitgreaves NF |
| Unit | Lion zone | Bear female limit 2026 | OTC archery deer cap | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | K (24) | 62 (1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 27) | – | CWD priority, Mexican wolf area |
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 White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
Rule R12-4-802 gives White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area 7 lines of restrictions. No special weapon restriction appears in the hunting line. 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 | No open fires | No open fires. |
| Firewood | No wood gathering | No firewood cutting or gathering. |
| 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 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. |
| Shooting | Event shooting only | If conducted during an event approved under R12-4-125, target or clay bird shooting is permitted in designated areas only. |
| Hunting | Open in season | Open to all hunting in season as permitted under R12-4-304 and R12-4-318. |
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 White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
No application is needed for the turkey, javelina, black bear and mountain lion hunts below. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javelina | HAM OTC tag javelina | Any javelina | Jan 1–Dec 31, 2026 | 1 | – |
| Javelina | HAM OTC tag spring javelina | Any javelina | Jan 1–Dec 31, 2027 | 1 | – |
| Turkey | Archery-only OTC tag turkey | Any turkey | Aug 21–Sep 10, 2026 | 1 | – |
| Turkey | Youth-only OTC tag (Shotgun shot) turkey | Any turkey | Oct 2–8, 2026 | 1 | – |
| Turkey | Youth-only OTC tag (Shotgun shot)… | Bearded turkey | Apr 16–May 20, 2027 | 1 | – |
| Turkey | Archery-only OTC tag spring turkey | Bearded turkey | May 7–20, 2027 | 1 | – |
| Black bear | Archery-only bear | Any bear except cubs with sows and sows… | Aug 14–20, 2026 | 1 | 10 |
| Black bear | Archery-only bear | Any bear except cubs with sows and sows… | Aug 21–Sep 10, 2026 | 1 | 10 |
| Black bear | General bear | Any bear except cubs with sows and sows… | Oct 2–29, 2026 | 1 | 20 |
| Black bear | General bear | Any bear except cubs with sows and sows… | Oct 30–Dec 31, 2026 | 1 | 10 |
| Black bear | General OTC tag spring bear | Any bear except cubs with sows and sows… | Mar 19–Apr 22, 2027 | 1 | 4 |
| Black bear | General OTC tag spring bear | Any bear except cubs with sows and sows… | May 7–Aug 13, 2027 | 1 | 4 |
| Mountain lion | General mountain lion | Any lion except spotted kittens or… | Aug 21–May 31, 2027 | 1 | – |
| Mountain lion | Pursuit-only mountain lion | Pursuit of any lion except spotted… | Aug 21–May 31, 2027 | 1 | – |
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 White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
Game in the units around White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area.
Counting every booklet, 31 hunt numbers apply in the units here: 20 elk, 2 deer, 2 pronghorn, 4 rocky mountain bighorn and 3 turkey. That is 4,037 permit-tags in all. A hunt covers its whole unit or open area, not just White Mountain Grasslands 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) | 20 | 1,810 | Jul 31, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Deer | 2 | 560 | Aug 21, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 |
| Pronghorn (2026) | 2 | 62 | Aug 21, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 |
| Rocky Mountain bighorn | 4 | 5 | Oct 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Turkey | 3 | 1,600 | Oct 2, 2026 | May 20, 2027 |
| # | Species | Hunt | Dates | Legal wildlife | Permit-tags | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3169 | Elk (2026) | Archery-only | Jul 31–Aug 6, 2026 | Antlerless elk | 25 | 1 |
| 3170 | Elk (2026) | Archery-only | Aug 7–13, 2026 | Antlerless elk | 25 | 1 |
| 3126 | Elk (2026) | Archery-only | Sep 11–24, 2026 | Bull elk | 225 | 1 |
| 3168 | Elk (2026) | Archery-only | Sep 11–24, 2026 | Antlerless elk | 75 | 1 |
| 3100 | Elk (2026) | Muzzleloader | Sep 25–Oct 1, 2026 | Bull elk | 35 | 1 |
| 3113 | Elk (2026) | Limited opp. (HAM) | Oct 2–15, 2026 | Antlerless elk | 5 | 1 |
| 3063 | Elk (2026) | Youth-only elk (arizona hunter education course required for youth ages 10–13) | Oct 9–15, 2026 | Antlerless elk | 200 | 1 |
| 3074 | Elk (2026) | Limited opp. | Oct 16–29, 2026 | Antlerless elk | 5 | 1 |
| 1199 | Deer | Archery-only | Aug 21–Sep 10, 2026 | Any antlered deer | 160 | 1 |
| 1001 | Deer | General | Oct 23–Nov 1, 2026 | Any antlered deer | 400 | 1 |
| 2038 | Pronghorn (2026) | Archery-only | Aug 21–Sep 3, 2026 | Buck pronghorn | 30 | 1 |
| 2001 | Pronghorn (2026) | General | Sep 4–13, 2026 | Buck pronghorn | 32 | 1 |
| 6502 | Rocky Mountain bighorn | General | Oct 1–31, 2026 | Any ram | 1 | 1 |
| 6501 | Rocky Mountain bighorn | General | Nov 1–30, 2026 | Any ram | 2 | 1 |
| 6503 | Rocky Mountain bighorn | General | Nov 1–30, 2026 | Any ram | 1 | 1 |
| 6901 | Rocky Mountain bighorn | Pioneer one-horned bighorn sheep (pioneer license required, see r12-4-318) | Nov 1–Dec 31, 2026 | One-horned ram | 1 | 1 |
| 4501 | Turkey | Shotgun-shot | Oct 2–8, 2026 | Any turkey | 500 | 1 |
| 4001 | Turkey | Shotgun-shot | Apr 23–29, 2027 +1 | Bearded turkey | 550 | 1 |
| 4002 | Turkey | Shotgun-shot | Apr 30–May 20, 2027 | Bearded turkey | 550 | 1 |
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 White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
No draw is needed for tree squirrel and waterfowl; 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ducks and mergansers | General waterfowl | Oct 23–Jan 31, 2027 |
| Ducks and mergansers | Youth-only waterfowl | Feb 6–7, 2027 |
| Tree squirrels | General tree squirrel | Oct 2–Jan 31, 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 White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area units
Unit-level 2025 harvest gives a feel for hunting near White Mountain Grasslands 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 1 | Draw deer, 2 hunts | 426 | 254 | 60% |
| Unit 1 | Elk (prelim.), 10 hunts | 139 | 74 | 53% |
| Unit 1 | Pronghorn, 2 hunts | 58 | 38 | 66% |
| Unit 1 | Spring turkey, 2 hunts | 784 | 346 | 44% |
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 White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
Springerville is the nearest town with a page here, 7 miles from White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area in a straight line. Pinetop-Lakeside is the largest of the five, with 4,148 residents in 2024. Closest Game and Fish counter: Pinetop, roughly 29 miles off.
| Town | County | Pop. 2024 | Miles off | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springerville | Apache | 1,723 | 7 miles | east |
| Nutrioso | Apache | – | 18 miles | southeast |
| St. Johns | Apache | 3,352 | 25 miles | north |
| Alpine | Apache | – | 26 miles | southeast |
| Pinetop-Lakeside | Navajo | 4,148 | 31 miles | west |
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 White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
Head east about 7 miles for Becker Lake. By type the six neighbours break down as 4 wildlife areas, 1 ranger district and 1 national forest.
| Name | Kind | Size (ac) | County | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Becker Lake | Wildlife area | 635 | Apache | 7 miles | east |
| Wenima Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 354 | Apache | 7 miles | northeast |
| Springerville Ranger District | Ranger district | 265,795 | Apache | 8 miles | south |
| Springerville Marsh | Wildlife area | 161 | Apache | 9 miles | east |
| Sipe White Mountain | Wildlife area | 1,366 | Apache | 14 miles | southeast |
| Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests | National forest | 2,015,451 | Greenlee | 21 miles | southeast |
Point: AZGFD Wildlife Areas layer (Wildlife_Areas, 2019) (polygon centroid of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Listings near White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
A 10-mile ring drawn on November 6, 2026 took in 1 listing ahead, spanning youth turkey camp.
| Day | What | How far | Place | Next step | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 2027 | Unit 1 & 27 Youth Spring Turkey Hunt Camp – Marvin Robbins Memorial – YOU Youth turkey camp | 10 | Hidden Meadows / Fish Creek Greer | Sign up | Source |
Clock times on White Mountain Grasslands 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 | 5:43 a.m. | 7:00 p.m. | 5:43 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. | 5:13 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 5:50 a.m. | 6:46 p.m. | 5:50 a.m. to 6:46 p.m. | 5:20 a.m. to 6:46 p.m. |
| Oct 16, 2026 | Quail opener | 6:22 a.m. | 5:44 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 5:44 p.m. | 5:52 a.m. to 5:44 p.m. |
| Oct 23, 2026 | General deer and waterfowl opener | 6:28 a.m. | 5:35 p.m. | 6:28 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. | 5:58 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:19 a.m. | 5:12 p.m. | 7:19 a.m. to 5:12 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 5:12 p.m. |
| Jan 22, 2027 | Spring javelina | 7:21 a.m. | 5:36 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 5:36 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.
White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area hunters: an AZGFD range plus clubs
St. Johns Shooting Range, 29 miles from White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area, is the nearest bench on AZGFD’s public list.
From AZGFD’s Shooting Range Facilities page, operators’ own sites and directory listings, checked November 7, 2026.
FAQ for hunting White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
Which Game and Fish region is White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area part of?
Region I, Pinetop; phone 928-367-4281.
Is chronic wasting disease found around White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area?
No detection in Arizona to date. Unit 1 is among AZGFD’s 16 priority surveillance units.
Does the law allow hunting on White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area?
It is open under R12-4-802(A)(38). The hunting line says: “Open to all hunting in season as permitted under R12-4-304 and R12-4-318.”
Which license and tags does White Mountain Grasslands 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.
Which game units cover White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area?
Unit 1, per the AZGFD unit layer.
Acres on White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area?
2,861 acres, per the AZGFD GIS polygon.
How many hunt numbers cover White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area?
The booklets list 31 hunts for elk, deer, pronghorn, rocky mountain bighorn and turkey whose open areas include it.
Are there OTC hunts on White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area?
For javelina, turkey, black bear and mountain lion, yes.
What does White Mountain Grasslands 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 White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area?
Motorized vehicle travel permitted on designated roads or areas only, except for big game retrieval as permitted under R12-4-110 (H) .
Hunter orange on White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area?
No. Arizona has no hunter orange rule; wearing it is up to you.
Loose ends before driving to White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area
Tag your animal as soon as it is down and keep your license and tags on you while hunting White Mountain Grasslands 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: Cecelia Alexander (CC0 1.0); Mike's Birds (CC BY-SA 2.0).