Arizona Unit 40A Mule Deer Hunting Guide
Arizona Unit 40A sits in the desert lowlands of the state, spanning 693,128 acres of terrain ranging from just 730 feet to 4,375 feet in elevation. For hunters researching Arizona mule deer hunting opportunities, this unit stands out for one number above all others: 98% public land. That kind of access is rare anywhere in the West, and it puts Unit 40A squarely on the radar for DIY hunters who don't want to fight through private land negotiations or landowner permission issues to find huntable ground.
This is low-desert mule deer country — hot, wide-open, and demanding on both hunters and optics. The elevation band here is dramatically lower than the high-country mule deer units found in central and northern Arizona, which shapes everything from vegetation to deer behavior to hunting strategy. With zero percent wilderness designation, hunters also won't run into the access restrictions that come with wilderness boundaries, meaning vehicle access and mechanized scouting tools remain viable across nearly the entire unit.
This article breaks down what the data actually shows for Unit 40A — harvest trends, herd survey numbers, and the application process — so hunters can make an informed decision about whether to apply.
HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 40A Worth Applying For?
The honest answer depends heavily on what a hunter is looking for. Unit 40A's headline strength is undeniable: 98% public land across nearly 700,000 acres gives hunters enormous room to roam, glass, and hunt without worrying about trespass or locked gates. For a DIY-minded hunter, that access percentage alone makes this unit worth a look.
The harvest numbers, however, tell a more complicated story and deserve a careful read. In 2025, 369 hunters pursued deer in Unit 40A with 70 harvested, a 19% success rate. That's a massive jump in hunter numbers compared to prior years — in 2024, only 44 hunters hit the field with 21 harvested (48% success), and in 2023, 48 hunters saw 18 harvested (38% success). Going back to 2022, 47 hunters harvested 9 animals for a 19% success rate.
That swing from a 44-48 hunter unit type in 2023-2024 to 369 hunters in 2025 is significant and worth flagging. Whatever hunt structure or tag allocation changed heading into 2025, it clearly opened the unit to a much larger pool of hunters, and success rate compressed back down to 19% as a result — matching the 2022 figure. Hunters should treat the 2023 and 2024 success rates (48% and 38%) as reflecting a much smaller, likely more controlled hunter population, not necessarily what today's applicant should expect. The 2025 and 2022 data, both showing 19% success under higher hunter counts, may be more representative of the mainstream hunt experience in this unit going forward.
The wildlife survey data adds another layer of caution. The one available survey year (2023) shows a buck:doe ratio of 40:100 across just two surveys, with an average of only 44 animals observed per survey. That's a very small sample size, and a herd health picture built on 44 observed animals should not be treated as a statistically strong signal of unit-wide deer density or age structure. Hunters should view this ratio as a data point, not a definitive statement on herd quality.
Trophy data is not available for this unit. Without record-book entries or historical trophy data in the structured dataset, no qualitative claim can be made about buck size or trophy potential in Unit 40A. Hunters chasing a specific trophy caliber should not assume anything about antler quality here based on the numbers available — this unit should be evaluated primarily as an access and opportunity play, not a guaranteed trophy destination.
Bottom line: Unit 40A earns a look for its public land access and worth as a DIY option, but hunters should walk in with realistic expectations shaped by the 19% success rates seen in the higher-hunter-count years, and treat the herd survey data as thin. This is a unit to research further on HuntPilot's unit page before committing points or planning a trip around it.
Harvest Success Rates
Unit 40A's harvest data spans four recent years and shows real volatility:
- 2025: 369 hunters, 70 harvested, 19% success
- 2024: 44 hunters, 21 harvested, 48% success
- 2023: 48 hunters, 18 harvested, 38% success
- 2022: 47 hunters, 9 harvested, 19% success
The pattern here is clear once hunter counts are factored in. When hunter numbers stayed in the 44-48 range (2023-2024), success rates climbed to 38-48%. When hunter numbers spiked to 369 in 2025, success dropped back to 19% — identical to the 2022 rate under a similar hunter count of 47. This suggests that success rate in Unit 40A is closely tied to hunter density relative to available deer, and that recent structural changes (whatever drove the 2025 hunter surge) have shifted this unit toward a lower per-hunter success environment. Hunters applying today should anchor their expectations to the 19% figure rather than the smaller-sample years, unless they have specific reason to believe hunter numbers will return to the lower 2023-2024 range.
Herd Health & Population Trends
The only wildlife survey data available for Unit 40A comes from 2023, showing an average buck:doe ratio of 40:100 based on two surveys, with 44 animals observed per survey on average. A 40:100 ratio is within a biologically plausible range for mule deer and doesn't raise the same red flags as an inflated ratio would, but the sample size — just two surveys and 44 animals — is small enough that hunters shouldn't treat it as a precise or highly reliable measure of the unit's overall herd structure. With only one survey year in the dataset, there's no multi-year trend to compare against, so this figure should be treated as a single data point rather than evidence of a trajectory (improving or declining) in herd health.
Access & Terrain
Unit 40A's terrain profile is defined by its low elevation range of 730 to 4,375 feet, placing it firmly in desert lowland habitat rather than the higher-elevation mountain terrain found in many other Arizona mule deer units. This elevation band typically means hot conditions, sparse vegetation cover, and long sightlines — all factors that reward strong glassing skills and early-morning or late-evening movement patterns from both deer and hunters.
The standout access statistic is the 98% public land figure across the unit's 693,128 total acres. This is about as open as a hunting unit gets in the modern West, and it means DIY hunters can scout, access, and hunt the vast majority of the unit without needing landowner permission. With 0% wilderness designation, hunters also retain full access to vehicle-supported scouting and hunting methods across the unit — there are no wilderness-boundary restrictions on mechanized travel to navigate here, which simplifies logistics considerably compared to units with significant wilderness acreage.
Hunters planning a trip into Unit 40A should use mapping tools — including HuntPilot's own public land overlays — to identify specific access points, water sources, and elevation transition zones within the unit before heading out, since the terrain covers a wide elevation and habitat range across nearly 700,000 acres.
How to Apply
For 2026, Arizona's application system for Unit 40A deer follows the same structure whether hunters apply as residents or nonresidents, though costs differ substantially between the two.
Hunters should budget for the full cost stack — license fee, application fee, point fee, and tag fee — when planning to apply, not just the application fee alone. The license fee in particular is easy to overlook but is a mandatory prerequisite to submitting an application in Arizona.
For draw odds specific to point levels and residency categories, check HuntPilot's Arizona unit pages at /states/az for the most current data.
Application dates and fees change every draw cycle. For the current deadlines, fees, and draw odds, see HuntPilot's Arizona page at /states/az.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the terrain like in Arizona Unit 40A? Unit 40A covers low desert terrain ranging from 730 to 4,375 feet in elevation across 693,128 acres. This is lowland desert habitat rather than high-country mountain terrain, meaning hunters should expect hot conditions, open sightlines, and vegetation typical of desert lowlands. The wide elevation range within the unit suggests some habitat diversity worth scouting across different zones.
What is harvest success like in Unit 40A? Harvest success has varied significantly year to year. In 2025, success sat at 19% across 369 hunters (70 harvested). In 2024 and 2023, success rates were considerably higher — 48% and 38% respectively — but those years saw far fewer hunters afield (44 and 48). In 2022, with a similar hunter count to the 2023-2024 years (47 hunters), success dropped to 19%, matching the 2025 rate. Hunters should expect success in the high-teens percentage range under higher hunter participation.
How big are the mule deer in Unit 40A? Trophy data is not available for this unit. There's no record-book entry data in the available dataset to support a qualitative assessment of buck size or antler quality in Unit 40A. Hunters seeking trophy-caliber bucks should not assume above-average antler quality here without additional research, and should focus scouting efforts on verifying deer quality firsthand.
Is Arizona Unit 40A worth applying for? It depends on hunter priorities. The 98% public land figure makes this one of the more accessible DIY units available, and the lack of wilderness designation simplifies vehicle-based access and scouting. However, harvest success has run as low as 19% in higher-hunter-count years, and herd survey data is limited to a single year with a small sample size. Hunters prioritizing access and opportunity over guaranteed trophy potential or high success odds should consider this unit; those chasing a specific trophy class should look elsewhere or gather more field intelligence first.
What is the buck to doe ratio in Unit 40A? The only available survey data, from 2023, shows an average buck:doe ratio of 40:100 based on two surveys with 44 animals observed on average. This is a plausible ratio for mule deer but comes from a small sample size and a single survey year, so it should be treated as a limited data point rather than a definitive statement on herd composition.