Mesa region · Maricopa County
Hunting around Chandler, AZ
Unit 26M holds Chandler. About 178 GIS acres of public land fall within 10 miles; the closest open ground is Arizona State Trust Land.
Photo: Matrixupgrade (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Public land within 25 miles of Chandler
The 10-mile list for Chandler holds 1 State Trust Land; the 25-mile list adds 6 more. The GIS count for Chandler is 178 acres at 10 miles and 161,013 at 25, which leaves out reservations, national parks and military ranges.
Arizona State Trust Land is the closest ground without a caution flag, 1.4 mi from Chandler. At the far edge of the 25-mile list sits Mesa Ranger District (18 mi), one of 6 land categories near Chandler.
| Hunting ground | Kind | Straight line | Ring | Units | Can you hunt? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State Trust Land | State Trust Land | 1.4 mi | Under 10 mi | 1, 2A, 2B + | Licensed hunters, in season |
| Lower Sonoran | BLM field office | 10 mi | 10 to 25 mi | 24A, 24B, 25M + | Open unless posted |
| BLM lands statewide | BLM land (statewide) | 10 mi | 10 to 25 mi | 2A, 2B, 2C + | Open unless posted |
| BLM Hassayampa Field Office | BLM field office | 13 mi | 10 to 25 mi | 7, 9, 10 + | Open unless posted |
| Reclamation lands | Reclamation land | 15 mi | 10 to 25 mi | 7, 15B, 15D + | Ask managing partner |
| Mesa Ranger District | Ranger district | 18 mi | 10 to 25 mi | 22, 24B | Open in season |
| Tonto National Forest | National forest | 18 mi | 10 to 25 mi | 6A, 21, 22 + | Open in season |
| Base and Meridian | Wildlife area | 29 mi | Past 25 mi | 26M, 39 | No centerfire rifles |
Rings and distances from places.json (lands.json boundaries to the Census point of Chandler); access cells from each record’s rule text (A.A.C. R12-4-802 for wildlife areas, USFS, BLM, NPS and 50 CFR 32.22 pages for federal land, the State Land Department FAQ for State Trust Land). GIS acres are not official acreage. Checked November 7, 2026.
What the closest land to Chandler allows
Program records such as State Trust Land are set aside here; these are the closest named places to Chandler.
Lower Sonoran
At roughly 1,400,000 acres, BLM Lower Sonoran Field Office reaches into Unit 24A, Unit 24B, Unit 25M and Unit 26M. This is BLM land: Arizona seasons apply unless a sign says otherwise.
BLM Hassayampa Field Office
BLM Hassayampa Field Office spans about 1,000,000 acres across Unit 7, Unit 9, Unit 10 and Unit 12B. BLM land like this stays open to licensed hunters unless specifically closed.
Mesa Ranger District
The record for Mesa Ranger District gives 438,114 acres over Unit 22 and Unit 24B. No separate forest permit is needed to hunt in season here; the parent forest is Tonto National Forest.
From lands.json (R12-4-802 via Cornell LII, USFS, BLM, USFWS and NPS pages). Checked November 7, 2026.
Chandler game management units
Unit 26M (2,101 sq mi) is the home unit for Chandler; 1 more unit comes within 10 miles. Ownership in Unit 26M, per the AZGFD layer: BLM, Game & Fish, Military, Other, Private, State Trust Land, Tribal. Unit 25M runs to 1,284 square miles, 100.0% of it in Maricopa County.
| Unit | Sq mi | Counties | Forest | Lion zone (limit) | Archery deer limit | Bear female limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 26M | 2,101 | Pinal, Maricopa | Tonto NF | J (54) | 30 | – |
| Unit 25M | 1,284 | Maricopa | – | J (54) | 30 | – |
Metro rules apply in Unit 26M and Unit 25M: expect archery or limited-weapon hunts and special notes rather than general rifle seasons. Unit 26M and Unit 25M are closed to trapping.
Units from the AZGFD Game Management Unit layer and places.json; archery deer limits, bear female limits (2026), lion thresholds and unit notes from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations (bear, lion, wolf, CWD). Unit lines follow roads, rivers and ridges. Checked November 7, 2026.
Which draw hunts cover Chandler
Nothing in the draw is valid in Unit 26M and Unit 25M, so this table switches to Unit 22 and Unit 24B, under the wildlife areas and forest districts near Chandler.
42 draw hunt numbers for 6 species are valid somewhere in Unit 22 and Unit 24B, with 5,778 permits between them. Each application lists up to five hunt numbers in order of choice. All 13 elk and pronghorn rows here are 2026 hunts; the 2027 booklet comes out in January 2027.
| Game | Hunt numbers | Tags offered | Booklet | Earliest start | Latest end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 11 | 2,095 | Fall 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Elk | 13 | 1,325 | 2026 draw | Sep 11, 2026 | Dec 10, 2026 |
| Javelina | 8 | 2,325 | Spring 2027 | Jan 1, 2027 | Feb 25, 2027 |
| Turkey | 2 | 20 | Spring 2027 | Apr 23, 2027 | May 20, 2027 |
| Desert bighorn | 6 | 9 | Fall 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Rocky Mountain bighorn | 2 | 4 | Fall 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 |
Expect 13 elk hunts (2026 hunts) with 1,325 tags, from September 11, 2026 on. For deer, 11 hunt numbers offer 2,095 permits, the first opening October 9, 2026. Javelina hunters choose among 8 hunt numbers (2,325 permits); the first opens January 1, 2027.
Hunt numbers from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations, the 2027 spring booklet and the 2026 pronghorn and elk booklet (Arizona Game and Fish Department); draw rules from pages 24-25. Checked November 7, 2026.
No-draw tags around Chandler
The archery deer cap for Unit 26M is 30 deer across Unit 26M, and kills must be reported online within 48 hours. Zone J covers lions in Unit 26M; 54 reported lions close it.
| Game | Weapon | Take | Units | Start | End | Harvest cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | Any antlered deer | 26M | Dec 11, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 30 |
| Deer | Archery | Any antlered deer | 26M | Jan 1, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | 30 |
| Deer | Archery | Any antlered deer | 25M | Dec 11, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 30 |
| Deer | Archery | Any antlered deer | 25M | Jan 1, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | 30 |
| Javelina | Archery | Any javelina | 26M | Dec 11, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | – |
| Javelina | Archery | Any javelina | 25M | Dec 11, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | – |
| Javelina | Archery spring | Any javelina | 26M | Jan 1, 2027 | Feb 27, 2027 | – |
| Javelina | Archery spring | Any javelina | 26M | Dec 10, 2027 | Dec 31, 2027 | – |
| Javelina | Archery spring | Any javelina | 25M | Jan 1, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | – |
| Javelina | Archery spring | Any javelina | 25M | Dec 10, 2027 | Dec 31, 2027 | – |
| Mountain lion | Archery | Any lion | 26M, 25M | Aug 21, 2026 | May 31, 2027 | – |
OTC rows from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations and the 2027 spring booklet; limits close a unit or zone when reached. Checked November 7, 2026.
2025 harvest in Unit 26M near Chandler
Read each figure as "2025 hunts that include Unit 26M", not a count for Chandler: AZGFD keeps no harvest by place name.
| Report | Entries | Hunters | Kills |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTC archery deer, 2025 | 1 | 148 | 15 |
| Lion (zone J), 2025 | 1 | – | 55 |
2025 AZGFD harvest summaries: otc archery deer, lion. Checked November 7, 2026.
Where a state license does not work near Chandler
Hunters from Chandler should keep off the tribal and Park Service land below unless they hold the tribe's own permit (tribal land only). Reservation hunting, where a tribe allows it, runs on tribal permits alone (R12-4-117); without one it is a federal offense.
| Name | Type | Acres (GIS) | Hunting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tohono Indian Reservation | Tribal land | 96,862 | Closed (state license) |
| Gila River Indian Reservation | Tribal land | 95,003 | Closed (state license) |
| Salt River Indian Reservation | Tribal land | 52,997 | Closed (state license) |
| Fort McDowell Indian Reservation | Tribal land | 24,815 | Closed (state license) |
| Gila Bend Indian Reservation | Tribal land | 420 | Closed (state license) |
Tribal land GIS acres from counties.json (AZGFD Land Ownership layer); NPS units from lands.json closed rows; tribal rule from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations. Checked November 7, 2026.
Wildlife offices that serve Chandler
Chandler lies in AZGFD Region VI, and the regional office in Mesa is also the closest AZGFD office, about 14 miles away. The Tonto Basin, the Mazatzal and Superstition ranges, the Salt and Verde river country and the desert edge of the Phoenix valley make up the rest of the region.
AZGFD offices from the AZGFD Contact Information page (services.json); ranger district and BLM office towns from the USFS and BLM office layers (places.json); straight-line distances. Checked November 7, 2026.
Gear, taxidermy and processing near Chandler
Listings inside 25 miles of Chandler: 100 for gear, 7 for mounts, 1 for meat and 0 for guiding.
Listings from Yellow Pages, store locators and the AZGFD Contact Information page (services.json); chain stores left out, not every listing was checked as open: call first. Checked November 7, 2026.
The hunting calendar around Chandler
Within about 30 miles, soonest first: 8 listings ahead (Elk Society banquet, RMEF banquet, RMEF sponsor reception, bighorn sheep banquet, hunter education field day, pronghorn hunter clinic and youth outdoor skills day). First up is Arizona Hunter Education Field Day on Nov 7, 2026. Expect a wait list on 1: no seats were left when checked.
| On | Listing | Miles | Venue and county | Button | Read at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2026 | Arizona Hunter Education Field Day Hunter education field day | 24 | Ben Avery Shooting Facility – HE Building Phoenix | Register | Source |
| Nov 14, 2026 | Wild In The City – AES Youth outdoor skills day | 24 | Ben Avery Shooting Facility Phoenix | Register | Source |
| Dec 5, 2026 | RMEF Superstitions Chapter Sponsor Event RMEF sponsor reception | 19 | Apache Junction | Buy tickets | Source |
| Feb 20, 2027 | Wild in the City (Arizona Elk Society youth outdoor skills day camp) Youth outdoor skills day | 24 | West Black Canyon Boulevard Phoenix | Event details | Source |
| Apr 3, 2027 | Arizona Elk Society 26th Annual Mesa Banquet Elk Society banquet | 11 | Mesa | Event details | Source |
| Apr 17, 2027 | RMEF Phoenix Banquet RMEF banquet | 24 | Phoenix | Buy tickets | Source |
| May 8, 2027 | ADBSS 44th Annual Fundraising Banquet & 60th Anniversary Celebration 2027 Bighorn sheep banquet | 28 | The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa Scottsdale | Event details | Source |
| Jun 19, 2027 | Arizona Antelope Foundation 35th Annual Hunter Clinic Pronghorn hunter clinic | 24 | Ben Avery Clay Target Center Pavilion Phoenix | Event details | Source |
Chandler sunrise and legal light
Big game, quail and predator hunters near Chandler work from sunrise to sunset; migratory bird hunters may start thirty minutes earlier.
| Date | Event | Rise | Set | General hours | Bird hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2026 | Archery deer | 5:54 a.m. | 7:08 p.m. | 5:54 a.m. to 7:08 p.m. | 5:24 a.m. to 7:08 p.m. |
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:01 a.m. | 6:55 p.m. | 6:01 a.m. to 6:55 p.m. | 5:31 a.m. to 6:55 p.m. |
| Oct 16, 2026 | Quail opener | 6:32 a.m. | 5:54 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. | 6:02 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. |
| Oct 23, 2026 | General deer and waterfowl opener | 6:37 a.m. | 5:46 p.m. | 6:37 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:27 a.m. | 5:24 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. |
| Jan 1, 2027 | Spring javelina | 7:31 a.m. | 5:30 p.m. | 7:31 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. to 5:30 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.
Chandler: where to zero before the hunt
From central Chandler, the first pin on the map is Archery Headquarters at 6 miles.
No dues at Usery Mountain Shooting Range, 19 miles from Chandler, a range on AZGFD’s list. Open
Straight-line miles from the town centre; ranges checked November 7, 2026.
Hunting around Chandler, answered
What are legal hunting hours in Chandler in late December?
On December 21, 2026 the sun rises at 7:27 a.m. and sets at 5:24 p.m. at Chandler (NOAA solar formula, Mountain Standard Time). Most game is hunted in daylight; migratory birds from 6:57 a.m.
What rules apply on State Trust Land around Chandler?
Licensed hunters in season are exempt from the recreation permit (R12-4-110 protects road access for lawful hunting). Parcels begin 1.4 mi away.
Is there a CWD zone near Chandler?
No. Chronic wasting disease has not been detected in Arizona, and there is no CWD zone; testing is free.
What is the lion zone for Chandler?
Zone J, which closes at 54 lions.
How close is public hunting land to Chandler?
Arizona State Trust Land is the nearest place without an access caution, 1.4 miles out. 1 place lie within 10 miles and 7 within 25.
Where can I buy hunting gear in Chandler?
Arizona Firearms in Chandler is the closest listed gear shop (0.5 mi); 100 sit within 25 miles.
Where do Chandler hunters find deer tags?
In the draw (11 deer hunt numbers near town) or over the counter for archery in Unit 26M and Unit 25M.
What unit number goes on an application for Chandler?
Use Unit 26M for the ground around town, or Unit 25M for nearby country.
How far is Chandler from an Arizona Game and Fish office?
About 14 straight-line miles to AZGFD Region VI, Mesa in Mesa.
Do I need a tribal permit near Chandler?
On tribal land, yes; a state license is not required there (R12-4-117), but the tribe’s permit is. Nearby: Tohono Indian Reservation, Gila River Indian Reservation and Salt River Indian Reservation.
From places.json, lands.json, regs.json (the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations, page 23), counties.json and services.json. Checked November 7, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Domenico Convertini (CC BY-SA 2.0); Deborah Lee Soltesz (CC0 1.0); Deborah Lee Soltesz (CC0 1.0); Domenico Convertini (CC BY-SA 2.0).