Can You Hunt in Arizona? Licenses, Tags, and Hunter Education

To hunt legally in Arizona, anyone 10 or older needs a valid hunting license from the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), and the core Arizona hunting license requirements extend further depending on what you plan to pursue: hunter education for younger big game hunters, a separate hunt permit-tag drawn by lottery for most big game, and extra stamps plus a federal registration for migratory birds. A general license by itself does not cover deer, elk, bear, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, bison, or turkey.

Who Needs a License

Anyone 10 or older must hold a valid hunting license to take wildlife in Arizona, resident or visitor. Children under 10 can hunt small game, furbearers, predators, and upland birds without a license, but only when accompanied by a licensed adult at least 18 years old, and no single license holder may bring more than two unlicensed children along. No one under 10 is allowed to hunt big game under any circumstances.1Arizona Game and Fish Department. Hunting Licenses

Residency decides what you pay and sometimes what you can buy. Arizona treats you as a resident if you’ve lived in the state for at least six consecutive months before applying. Service members stationed in Arizona for at least 30 days immediately before applying also qualify.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 17-301 – Times When Wildlife May Be Taken; Exceptions; Methods of Taking Everyone else is a non-resident, with higher fees and, in some cases, fewer tag options.

Hunter Education

Hunter education is required for anyone under 14 who wants to hunt big game. The course covers firearm safety, wildlife identification, and ethical hunting practices. You can begin the online portion at age nine, but your completion card isn’t valid until your 10th birthday. After the online portion you have to attend a field day with hands-on exercises and a written exam, and you need at least an 80 percent score to pass. Hunters 14 and older don’t have to take hunter education, though AZGFD recommends it for anyone new to hunting.

AZGFD also runs an “Ethically Hunting Arizona” course for hunters who want a permanent education bonus point for the big game draw without going through the full field day. It works like any other bonus point, adding one random-number entry each time you apply.

License Types and Fees

Arizona sells several license types through the AZGFD portal, at AZGFD offices, and at license dealers around the state.1Arizona Game and Fish Department. Hunting Licenses

Important limit: a general or combination license alone does not authorize big game hunting. For deer, elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, bear, or bison, you need a separate hunt permit-tag from the big game draw.

Big Game Tags and the Draw

Arizona hands out most big game tags through a computerized lottery, and demand far outstrips supply for species like elk and bighorn sheep. The pronghorn and elk application deadline falls in February.4Arizona Game & Fish Department. Hunting Regulations The spring hunt draw, covering javelina, bison, bear, turkey, and raptor capture, typically has an October deadline.5Arizona Game & Fish Department. Big Game Hunt Draw Deer and other fall-hunt deadlines move around, so verify current dates on the AZGFD website well before the season you want.

Each application costs $13 for residents or $15 for non-residents, non-refundable. If you don’t already hold a valid hunting license, you add the license fee to the application. If you draw, AZGFD charges the hunt permit-tag fee at that point. A resident deer tag runs $58, elk $148, bighorn sheep $313. Non-residents pay $315 for deer, $665 for elk, and $1,815 for bighorn sheep. A bison bull tag is the most expensive: $1,113 resident, $5,415 non-resident.

Apply and miss, and you automatically earn a bonus point for that species, which adds one extra random-number entry next time. The system covers bear, bighorn sheep, bison, deer, elk, javelina, pronghorn, sandhill crane, and turkey.6Legal Information Institute. Arizona Admin Code R12-4-107 – Bonus Point System

Not every big game opportunity goes through the draw. Some archery deer tags are sold as over-the-counter nonpermit-tags, with harvest limits set by unit and species. They sell out, so buy early if that’s your plan.

Stamps and Registration for Birds

Hunting ducks, geese, doves, or other migratory birds takes more than the standard license, and the add-ons split by what you’re after.

For waterfowl — ducks, geese, and swans — you need both an Arizona state waterfowl stamp and a current federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly called the duck stamp.7Legal Information Institute. Arizona Admin Code R12-4-203 – National Harvest Information Program The federal duck stamp is $25 and runs July 1 through June 30 of the following year.8United States Postal Service. Spectacled Eiders 2025-2026 Federal Duck Stamps Post offices, some sporting goods stores, and online outlets all sell it.

For other migratory birds — doves, band-tailed pigeons, snipe, coots, and common moorhens — you need an Arizona state migratory bird stamp instead of the waterfowl stamp.7Legal Information Institute. Arizona Admin Code R12-4-203 – National Harvest Information Program Both stamp types also require Harvest Information Program (HIP) registration, where you report past and expected hunting activity. A license dealer or AZGFD office can issue the stamp and complete HIP registration in one visit.

Rules That Still Apply Once You’re Licensed

A license gets you into the field. It doesn’t change the conduct rules.

Hunting is limited to daylight hours unless the Game and Fish Commission has authorized nighttime take for a specific species, and using artificial lights to spot or take game is illegal. You can’t shoot from a motor vehicle, aircraft, powerboat, sailboat, or towed floating object unless the Commission has expressly allowed it.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 17-301 – Times When Wildlife May Be Taken; Exceptions; Methods of Taking You also can’t discharge a firearm while hunting within a quarter mile of an occupied farmhouse, residence, cabin, lodge, or other building without the owner’s or occupant’s permission.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 17-309 – Violations; Classification

Wasting edible portions of game birds, game mammals, or game fish is a criminal offense.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 17-309 – Violations; Classification If you harvest an animal, you’re expected to take the usable meat, and waste violations routinely draw citations.

After a big game kill, attach the appropriate tag to the animal immediately. For bear and mountain lion specifically, you have to present the skull, hide, and attached proof of sex to AZGFD for inspection within 10 days. If you freeze the skull or hide before inspection, prop the jaw open so teeth are accessible and keep the proof of sex identifiable.10Legal Information Institute. Arizona Admin Code R12-4-308 – Wildlife Inspections; Check Stations; Roadblocks; Harvest Reporting; Hunt Surveys

If you hunt deer or elk out of state and bring the animal home, Arizona restricts what you can import to limit Chronic Wasting Disease. Boneless or packaged meat, antlers, cleaned hides and capes, cleaned skulls or skull plates free of tissue, finished taxidermy mounts, and upper canine teeth free of tissue are allowed. Whole carcasses with brain or spinal tissue attached are not. Shipping remains directly to a licensed taxidermist or processor is an option; scraps and nervous tissue have to be double-bagged and disposed of in a state-regulated landfill.

One thing Arizona does not require: blaze orange. The state has no legal requirement for it in any season. AZGFD still recommends it when you’re near other hunters, and rifle seasons on popular public-land units are exactly that situation.

Penalties for Hunting Without the Right Paperwork

The consequences for violating Arizona wildlife law stack: criminal charge, civil penalty, and license revocation can all land on the same incident.

The baseline criminal penalty for violating Arizona’s wildlife laws is a class 2 misdemeanor. Taking big game during a closed season, or possessing or transporting unlawfully taken big game, is a class 1 misdemeanor. The most serious violations are class 6 felonies, including selling unlawfully taken big game, assisting someone poaching big game for money, and hunting while under a permanent license revocation.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 17-309 – Violations; Classification

On top of criminal charges, the Game and Fish Commission can impose civil penalties for unlawfully taking, wounding, or killing wildlife. Minimum amounts start at $50 per small game animal and climb to $1,500 for a deer, $2,500 for an elk, and $8,000 for a bighorn sheep, bison, or endangered species. These minimums double for a second violation and triple for a third.11Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 17-314 – Illegally Taking, Wounding, Killing or Possessing Wildlife Unpaid civil penalties block you from getting a new license until the balance is settled.

The Commission can also revoke or suspend your hunting license and refuse to issue a new one. A first conviction for unlawful taking or wounding can bring up to a five-year suspension. A second conviction, up to 10 years. A third conviction, permanent revocation. Arizona is part of the Wildlife Violator Compact, so a hunting violation in another member state can trigger a suspension here, and ignoring a wildlife citation from a compact state can get your Arizona license suspended until you resolve it.12Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 17-340 – Revocation, Suspension and Denial of Privilege of Taking Wildlife