Arizona Hunting Seasons – Updated

Welcome to the Arizona Hunting Seasons page. Updated US Hunting Seasons for 2024-2023.

As part of our comprehensive guide to US Hunting Seasons By State on this page you will find out “When Is Hunting Season for Arizona?”

There is also general information on the different hunting seasons for a wide range of wild game species. You will find links to the relevant State Authority so you can make sure you have all the correct legal obligations in place before you start your hunt.

The Arizona hunting season website describes the hunting in this State as follows:

“Arizona offers some of the best hunting in the nation. If you have hunted in Arizona before, you know of the diversity of wildlife and habitat that provide extraordinary hunting opportunities. If this is your first time hunting in Arizona, you are in for a memorable experience.”

IMPORTANT. All care has been taking in preparing this hunting season information for you. Please check the relevant State Authority’s Website for further information and any changes to current US Hunting Season Regulations. We have provided a link to each States hunting season website for your convenience.

Arizona Deer Hunting Season

Arizona offers some great opportunities for various deer during hunting season. Many of the Arizona Deer Hunting season is subject to a lottery type permit only. A very comprehensive Arizona Hunting Regulations booklet is available for free download from their website.

According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department:-

“The most numerous, widespread and popular of Arizona’s big-game animals are deer. The state has two distinct species, the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

The most abundant deer in Arizona is the Rocky Mountain mule deer. Mule deer are not limited to any one type of terrain, being found from sparse, low deserts to high forested mountains. Generally they prefer the more rugged country.”

Hunting Category

Hunting Season 2024-2023*

General Firearm Season Oct 25-Dec 31
Muzzleloader Oct 25-Dec 31
Bow Aug 23-Sept 12 & Dec 13-Dec 31
Challenged Mobility Hunter Sept 20-26 & Oct 25-31
Youth Only General Season Nov 8-Dec 1
Youth Only Muzzleloader Oct 4-13 & Nov 22-Dec 1

* Season dates may vary by zone. Please check the relevant State Authority Website.

Arizona Bear & Mountain Lion Hunting

Black Bears and Mountain Lion can both be hunted in Arizona. According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department:-

“In Arizona, the black bear is found in most woodland habitats, including pinyon-juniper, oak woodland, coniferous forest, and chaparral. An interesting footnote to black bear distribution in Arizona is the absence of any sizeable population of black bears north of the Colorado River.”

“In Arizona, mountain lions are widely distributed and are expanding into regions where they were once rare. In general, the distribution of mountain lions in Arizona corresponds with the distribution of its major prey species, deer.”

Hunting Category

Hunting Season 2024-2023*

Black Bear Aug 9-Dec 31
Mountain Lion Daylight Firearms Aug 23-May 31
Mountain Lion Bow Aug 23-May 31

* Season dates may vary by zone. Please check the relevant State Authority Website.

Arizona Javelina & Bison Hunting Season

Javelina and Bison can both be hunted in Arizona. Both of these species have a Limited Opportunity hunting season. According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department:-

“The collared peccary, or javelina, evolved in South America and migrated north, only recently arriving in Arizona. The range of the peccary is still expanding, primarily northwestward. In the United States, the collared peccary only occurs in Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico.”

“In Arizona, two bison herds are managed by the Game and Fish Department; the Raymond herd on Raymond Wildlife Area, located east of Flagstaff, and the House Rock herd, located on the North Kaibab and House Rock Wildlife Area.”

Hunting Category

Hunting Season 2024-2023*

Javelina (Bow Only) Aug 23-Dec 31
Javelina (Youth Only) Oct 11-Dec1
Bison General firearms Dec 6-8 & Dec 13-15
Bison Limited Opportunity General Sept 27-Dec 31
Bison Limited Opportunity muzzleloader Sept 13-25
Bison Limited Opportunity Bow Aug 23-Sept 11

* Season dates may vary by zone. Please check the relevant State Authority Website.

Arizona Turkey Hunting Season

Arizona is home to three species of Turkey that can be taken during the hunting season. The Merriam’s Turkey, Gould’s Turkey and the Rio Grande turkey can all be found in Arizona. Great news if you are chasing after the Grand Slam of turkey hunting.

Hunting Category

Hunting Season 2024-2023*

Turkey General Firearms Oct 4-10
Turkey Bow Hunting Aug 23-Sept 1
Turkey Youth Only Oct 4-10

* Season dates may vary by zone. Please check the relevant State Authority Website.

Arizona Game Bird Hunting Season

Hunting Category

Hunting Season 2024-2023*

Blue Grouse Sept 1-Nov 10
Ducks Oct 4-Jan 26
Geese Oct 4-Jan 26
Pheasant (Shotgun) Sept 1-15
Pheasant (Bow) Oct 18-Feb 9
Quail (General Firearms) Oct 18-Feb 8

* Season dates may vary by zone. Please check the relevant State Authority Website.

Arizona Small Game & Bighorn Sheep Hunting Season

Arizona has a range of small game hunting opportunities during hunting season. Falconry hunting can also be undertaken when hunting Pheasant.

According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department:-

“Small game hunters in Arizona are very fortunate. Few places in North America offer such a diversity of hunts with lengthy seasons as does Arizona. The astute and successful small game hunter keeps a watchful eye on rainfall patterns and increases hunt success by targeting the spe-cies or portion of the state where small game populations are most favorable.”

Hunting Category

Hunting Season 2024-2023*

Bighorn sheep Oct 1-Dec 31
Cottontail Rabbit July 1-June 30
Jackrabbit Sept 1-Mar 31
Gunnison’s Prairie Dog July 1-Mar 31

* Season dates may vary by zone. Please check the relevant State Authority Website.

I hope you have found this State hunting season information helpful in planning your next great hunting adventure. Please feel free to share this page with your hunting buddies. In addition to these US Hunting Seasons by State pages, you may be interested in these posts.

11 Of The Best States For Hog Hunting​​

Good Luck!!