NEWS RELEASE
Aug. 18, 2025
PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) advises hunters who will be heading north to the Kaibab Plateau for Friday’s opening of the archery deer hunt to check the latest forest road closures.
The Game Management Units (GMUs) impacted by the Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires include 12AW and 12AE (excluding Grand Canyon National Park), and 12B. A total of 275 hunt permit-tags were issued for any antlered deer in these GMUs through the 2025 fall draw. The hunt closes Sept. 11.
For the latest updates on forest road closures and other alerts, including a detailed map, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/kaibab/alerts.
While the Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires have burned about 200,000 total acres, hunting opportunities should not be significantly impacted. The Kaibab Plateau spans almost 740,000 acres — or more than 1,150 square miles — within the Kaibab National Forest.
As a reminder, AZGFD typically does not refund hunt permit-tag fees or license fees once an online application has been submitted and deemed valid (A.R.S. 17-332). This applies to circumstances that include emergency area closures due to fires, severe weather, or other natural disasters.
AZGFD does offer optional programs, PointGuard and PointGuard Plus. Both allow for the surrender of a hunt permit-tag and possible reinstatement of bonus points if a person is unable to participate in a hunt. PointGuard must be purchased at the time of completing the online application, or prior to the application period deadline, however. The fee is non-refundable.
The department also has a tag transfer program that allows for the transferring of a hunt permit-tag to another qualified individual or a nonprofit organization (A.R.S. 17-332).
The department reminds hunters to respect forest road closures. Driving around locked gates or barricades is a violation of the law and punishable by fines and possible imprisonment.