City in Maricopa County
Mesa hunting: land, units and tags
Mesa sits in Unit 25M; BLM Lower Sonoran Field Office is 2.4 miles out and 6 listed public places lie inside 10 miles.
Photo: Alan Stark (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Hunting land closest to Mesa
Inside a 10-mile circle around the Mesa town point there are 6 places on this site, and 3 more between 10 and 25 miles. By polygon area, 16,836 acres of huntable public land lie inside 10 miles of Mesa and 369,998 inside 25; these are GIS figures, not official acreage.
Straight-line distance favours BLM Lower Sonoran Field Office at 2.4 mi; road miles from Mesa will run longer. Base town duty: Mesa is the closest place to Mesa Ranger District (Tonto National Forest), measured at 6.8 mi. The outermost place in the 25-mile ring is Tonto Basin Ranger District, 24 mi away, and the ring holds 6 kinds of land in all.
| Land | Manager type | How far | Ring | Units | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Sonoran | BLM field office | 2.4 mi | 10-mile ring | 24A, 24B, 25M + | Open unless posted |
| BLM lands statewide | BLM land (statewide) | 2.4 mi | 10-mile ring | 2A, 2B, 2C + | Open unless posted |
| Arizona State Trust Land | State Trust Land | 3.9 mi | 10-mile ring | 1, 2A, 2B + | Licensed hunters, in season |
| Reclamation lands | Reclamation land | 5.7 mi | 10-mile ring | 7, 15B, 15D + | Ask managing partner |
| Mesa Ranger District | Ranger district | 6.8 mi | 10-mile ring | 22, 24B | Open in season |
| Tonto National Forest | National forest | 6.8 mi | 10-mile ring | 6A, 21, 22 + | Open in season |
| BLM Hassayampa Field Office | BLM field office | 11 mi | 25-mile ring | 7, 9, 10 + | Open unless posted |
| Cave Creek Ranger District | Ranger district | 20 mi | 25-mile ring | 21, 22 | Open in season |
| Tonto Basin Ranger District | Ranger district | 24 mi | 25-mile ring | 22, 23, 24A + | Open in season |
Rings and distances from places.json (lands.json boundaries to the Census point of Mesa); 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.
Mesa close-in hunting places
Size, units and rules for the nearest three named places around Mesa:
Lower Sonoran
The record for BLM Lower Sonoran Field Office gives 1,400,000 acres over Unit 24A, Unit 24B, Unit 25M and Unit 26M. Check the field office for closures; otherwise the BLM land is open in season.
Mesa Ranger District
Size of Mesa Ranger District: 438,114 acres; units 22, 24B. Arizona tags and seasons apply on this forest ground (Tonto National Forest).
Tonto National Forest
Tonto National Forest is 2,866,863 acres and touches Unit 6A, Unit 21, Unit 22 and Unit 23, 6.8 mi from Mesa. Forest Service land here is open under Arizona seasons and licenses.
From lands.json (R12-4-802 via Cornell LII, USFS, BLM, USFWS and NPS pages). Checked November 7, 2026.
AZGFD units for Mesa hunters
Mesa falls in Unit 25M, and Unit 24B and Unit 26M also reach within 10 miles, so check which side of the line you are on. In Unit 25M the AZGFD layer shows BLM, Military, National Park, Other, Private, State Trust Land, Tribal ground. Unit 24B land, per AZGFD: BLM, National Forest, National Park, Private. Unit 26M covers 2,101 square miles and falls under the Mesa regional office.
| AZGFD unit | Sq mi | Counties | Forest land | Lion zone | Deer archery limit | Female bears |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 25M | 1,284 | Maricopa | – | J (54) | 30 | – |
| Unit 24B | 778 | Pinal, Maricopa + | Tonto NF | J (54) | 5 | 2 |
| Unit 26M | 2,101 | Pinal, Maricopa | Tonto NF | J (54) | 30 | – |
Because Unit 25M and Unit 26M is metro ground, check notes 15 to 18 and 25 in the regulations for weapon limits. Unit 25M and Unit 26M have no open 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.
Mesa hunt numbers and permits
Applicants from Mesa can pick from 12 hunt numbers that include Unit 25M, Unit 24B and Unit 26M, worth 1,539 permits. Bonus points build by genus, and up to 20% of each hunt's permits go first to applicants with the most points who list it as a first or second choice.
| Animal | Hunt count | Permits | Draw book | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | 5 | 860 | Fall 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Javelina | 4 | 675 | Spring 2027 | Jan 1, 2027 | Feb 25, 2027 |
| Desert bighorn | 3 | 4 | Fall 2026 | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 |
The deer draw here has 5 hunt numbers; the earliest begins October 23, 2026. Expect 4 javelina hunts with 675 tags, from January 1, 2027 on. 4 desert bighorn permits are split over 3 hunts, beginning December 1, 2026.
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.
Over-the-counter hunts near Mesa
OTC archery deer in Unit 25M share a harvest limit of 30 (Unit 25M); the unit closes at sundown on the Wednesday after it is reached. Unit 25M is in mountain lion zone J, which closes at a threshold of 54 lions.
| Species | Method | Animal | Where | From | To | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | Antlered mule deer | 24B | Dec 11, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 5 |
| Deer | Archery | Antlered mule deer | 24B | Jan 1, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | 5 |
| Deer | Archery | Antlered whitetail deer | 24B | Dec 11, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 75 |
| Deer | Archery | Antlered whitetail deer | 24B | Jan 1, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | 75 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Black bear | General | Any bear | 24B | Oct 2, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 2 |
| Javelina | Archery | Any javelina | 25M | Dec 11, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | – |
| Javelina | Archery | Any javelina | 26M | Dec 11, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | – |
| Javelina | Archery spring | Any javelina | 25M | Jan 1, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | – |
| Javelina | Archery spring | Any javelina | 25M | Dec 10, 2027 | Dec 31, 2027 | – |
| Javelina | Archery spring | Any javelina | 26M | Jan 1, 2027 | Feb 27, 2027 | – |
| Javelina | Archery spring | Any javelina | 26M | Dec 10, 2027 | Dec 31, 2027 | – |
| Mountain lion | Archery | Any lion | 25M, 26M | Aug 21, 2026 | May 31, 2027 | – |
| Mountain lion | General | Any lion | All units | Aug 21, 2026 | May 31, 2027 | – |
| Mountain lion | Pursuit | Pursuit of any | All units | 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 hunt results for the Mesa unit
Deer hunts that include Unit 25M accounted for 17 deer in 2025 (draw and OTC archery), counting multi-unit hunts in full.
| 2025 report | Rows | Hunters | Animals |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTC archery deer, 2025 | 1 | 269 | 17 |
| Lion (zone J), 2025 | 1 | – | 55 |
2025 AZGFD harvest summaries: otc archery deer, lion. Checked November 7, 2026.
Closed to state hunting near Mesa
Not every blank space on the map near Mesa is open: tribal land and national park units in Maricopa County are closed to state-licensed hunting. Tribal governments write their own hunting rules; trespass to hunt on Indian land without permission is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 1165.
| Name | Kind | Acres in county | State license |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tohono Indian Reservation | Reservation | 96,862 | Not state-licensed |
| Gila River Indian Reservation | Reservation | 95,003 | Not state-licensed |
| Salt River Indian Reservation | Reservation | 52,997 | Not state-licensed |
| Fort McDowell Indian Reservation | Reservation | 24,815 | Not state-licensed |
| Gila Bend Indian Reservation | Reservation | 420 | Not state-licensed |
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 Mesa
Mesa is a short trip (3 mi) from the Mesa office, which runs AZGFD Region VI. Its ground runs over the Tonto Basin, the Mazatzal and Superstition ranges, the Salt and Verde river country and the desert edge of the Phoenix valley.
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.
Mesa gun shops, taxidermists, processors
The 25-mile service count for Mesa is 97 sporting goods stores, 7 taxidermy shops, 1 processor and 0 guides.
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.
Coming up near Mesa
Kinds within 30 miles: Elk Society banquet, RMEF banquet, RMEF sponsor reception, bighorn sheep banquet, hunter education field day, pronghorn hunter clinic and youth outdoor skills day. In all 8 listings ahead; the next is Arizona Hunter Education Field Day. register-ed showed 1 of these as full or closed; the button opens the live page.
| Starts | Event | Miles off | Where held | Link | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2026 | Arizona Hunter Education Field Day Hunter education field day | 25 | Ben Avery Shooting Facility – HE Building Phoenix | Register | Source |
| Nov 14, 2026 | Wild In The City – AES Youth outdoor skills day | 25 | Ben Avery Shooting Facility Phoenix | Register | Source |
| Dec 5, 2026 | RMEF Superstitions Chapter Sponsor Event RMEF sponsor reception | 10 | Apache Junction | Buy tickets | Source |
| Feb 20, 2027 | Wild in the City (Arizona Elk Society youth outdoor skills day camp) Youth outdoor skills day | 25 | West Black Canyon Boulevard Phoenix | Event details | Source |
| Apr 3, 2027 | Arizona Elk Society 26th Annual Mesa Banquet Elk Society banquet | 0 | Mesa | Event details | Source |
| Apr 17, 2027 | RMEF Phoenix Banquet RMEF banquet | 25 | Phoenix | Buy tickets | Source |
| May 8, 2027 | ADBSS 44th Annual Fundraising Banquet & 60th Anniversary Celebration 2027 Bighorn sheep banquet | 21 | The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa Scottsdale | Event details | Source |
| Jun 19, 2027 | Arizona Antelope Foundation 35th Annual Hunter Clinic Pronghorn hunter clinic | 25 | Ben Avery Clay Target Center Pavilion Phoenix | Event details | Source |
Mesa hunting light by date
Raccoon hunting runs around the clock statewide outside metro units and refuges, and coyote does in listed units from December 1; other game around Mesa stops at sunset.
| Date | Season marker | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight hunting | Migratory birds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2026 | Archery deer | 5:53 a.m. | 7:08 p.m. | 5:53 a.m. to 7:08 p.m. | 5:23 a.m. to 7:08 p.m. |
| Sep 1, 2026 | Dove opener | 6:00 a.m. | 6:54 p.m. | 6:00 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. | 5:30 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. |
| Oct 16, 2026 | Quail opener | 6:31 a.m. | 5:53 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 5:53 p.m. | 6:01 a.m. to 5:53 p.m. |
| Oct 23, 2026 | General deer and waterfowl opener | 6:37 a.m. | 5:45 p.m. | 6:37 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:27 a.m. | 5:23 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 5:23 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 5:23 p.m. |
| Jan 1, 2027 | Spring javelina | 7:30 a.m. | 5:29 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. to 5:29 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. to 5:29 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.
Practice benches handy to Mesa
Each card spells out who may shoot there, so Mesa hunters know before the drive.
For a public bench, Mesa shooters can head 8 miles to Usery Mountain Shooting Range. Hours
Straight-line miles from the town centre; ranges checked November 7, 2026.
Mesa hunting questions
How far is Mesa from an Arizona Game and Fish office?
About 3 straight-line miles to AZGFD Region VI, Mesa in Mesa.
Can I hunt tribal land near Mesa with an Arizona license?
No. Tribal land is closed to state-licensed hunting; each tribe sets its own rules and permits. In Maricopa County that includes Tohono Indian Reservation, Gila River Indian Reservation and Salt River Indian Reservation.
How early can I hunt quail near Mesa?
Quail and other game are hunted in daylight hours; sunrise at Mesa on December 21, 2026 is 7:27 a.m.
What rules apply on State Trust Land around Mesa?
Licensed hunters in season are exempt from the recreation permit (R12-4-110 protects road access for lawful hunting). Parcels begin 3.9 mi away.
Do I need hunter education to hunt near Mesa?
Only youth under 14 hunting big game must finish hunter education in Arizona; adults are not required to.
What is the lion zone for Mesa?
Zone J, which closes at 54 lions.
Which public place is closest to Mesa for a quick hunt?
BLM Lower Sonoran Field Office, 2.4 mi away, with the status “open unless posted”. 9 places lie within 25 miles.
Are there hunting guides near Mesa?
The closest guide listing is Duane ott DBA Elkventures (Surprise, 48 mi); listings were not checked against AZGFD guide licenses.
Is archery deer hunting OTC around Mesa?
Yes in Unit 25M, Unit 24B and Unit 26M: buy a nonpermit-tag, report a kill online within 48 hours, and watch the unit limit.
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: Broderick Delaney (CC BY 2.0); Xander Ashburn (CC BY 2.0); Alan Levine (CC BY 2.0); Kevin Rutherford (CC BY-SA 2.0).