Overview: If you want to hunt a record-book antelope, this is the place. Antelope densities are actually somewhat low and fluctuate from year-to-year based on climatic conditions and the amount of predation exerted upon the herd by the plentiful numbers of coyotes. Between 85 and 95 percent of all fawns conceived are lost to various mortality factors each year. According to research, most fawn mortality is caused by coyote predation.

Scouting and heavy-duty glassing are the methods to find big bucks. The ability to crawl for long distances helps. The special auction tag holders and their guides always visit Unit 10 and generally find record-book bucks.

Antelope inhabit the wide-open grasslands all across Unit 10, but anywhere there is even a small grassy opening in the junipers should not be overlooked. Antelope are sometimes found in areas of relatively dense juniper cover. Just keep looking and don't pull the trigger too soon.

Areas: The Coconino Plateau, the north end of Unit 10, is a favorite location for big-buck hunters. This is flat to rolling country with a lot of roads and a lot of roadless areas. It is big country. Dedicated hunters who put in their time will locate "taker" bucks.

The Bishop Lake Plateau, the Aubrey Valley, Red Lake, and the Williams corner have all produced a number of big bucks. No single area in Unit 10 should be overlooked.

See the Unit 10 mule deer page for access information and closed ranches. Pay attention to where you are located and respect the wishes of private landholders.

Overview: An overview is exactly what you will have when you hunt desert bighorn sheep in Units 9 or 10. You will most likely be on the rim of Cataract Canyon looking down … a long ways down. Watch that first step.

There is a small permanent population of desert bighorn in the Cataract Canyon area. This is a naturally occurring population and not a transplant, although a supplemental transplant is being considered at this time.

Hunting sheep in Cataract Canyon is usually not a simple affair. A hunter should walk the rim of the canyon and look down. If sheep are above the rim the hunt could be over quickly. However, if they are below the rim, things get interesting. If they are on the middle bench, the hunt becomes more difficult, but they are still huntable. If the sheep are on the bottom talus slope or the bottom of the canyon, a lot of difficult hiking is in the hunter's future. This is "real" Grand Canyon sheep hunting.

Areas: Sheep are most commonly observed in the northern portion of the hunt area along Cataract Canyon. Driftwood Canyon, Disquiba Canyon, and the main stem of Cataract Canyon itself as far south as the area around the Carlson Pothole catchment are the best locations. Sheep do use the entire canyon area and have been observed all the way south to the Box K area. The Havasupai Reservation is off limits to sheep hunters.

Overview: Black bears are not common in Unit 10, but they do either live here or travel through on a regular basis. It is not terribly uncommon to find a bear track at or near water from late spring through the fall hunting seasons. More bear sign is observed during or immediately following severe drought periods.

Areas: The southeast corner of Unit 10 near Williams close to I-40 is usually the best area, although bear sign has been found around Mount Floyd, Trinity Mountain, Red Lake, and the Aubrey Cliffs.

Overview: Unit 10 is a great elk unit. Trophy quality elk are here and can be very impressive. There are usually a few 400-point bulls here in years of good precipitation and range conditions. All you have to do is draw a permit, work hard, and be lucky. Don't shoot the first bull you see, unless it is a real monster. Scouting is very important, as elk are not evenly distributed here. Respect other hunter's opportunities. Scouting for the early bull hunt during the archery hunt should be as unobtrusive as possible. Someone else's hunt of a lifetime hangs in the balance. Scouting and hunting from hilltop observation points with powerful optics is highly recommended. Unit 10 elk still respond to "calling" and this method of hunting can be as exciting as it gets. Pick out several different elk calls – cow calls and bugles – and practice until you sound like an elk. Instructional videos or cassettes can be helpful, but hearing real elk will also help. Vary your use of different calls and calling sounds to keep the elk on edge. Remember, elk don't usually sound as good as champion elk callers. When a bull is really worked up almost any call will get his attention. Waterhole hunting from blinds or good hiding places can be a good method of hunting elk in the warmer times of the year. Please respect other hunter's hunting blinds and just don't plan on using one that you didn't put up. "Blind jumping", similar to "claim jumping" with miners in the good old days, has become a problem in recent years.  Hunting antlerless elk can be very easy or very challenging depending on your luck and existing conditions during your hunt. Again, glassing from good vantage points and watching water can be good ways of locating elk. When elk are located at a distance, aggressive hunting tactics are likely in order. A herd of elk can feed along at a relatively fast rate and can easily out distance a stalking bow hunter. Rifle hunters have more of an advantage, but one still needs to get close enough for a good shot before the elk feed into cover.

Early-season hunting is usually done during warm weather. Make sure proper care is taken with meat.

Areas: See the Unit 10 mule deer page for access information and restrictions.

The Kaibab National Forest portion of Unit 10 is a good location to hunt elk. The central part of Unit 10 from Mount Floyd north to Long Point, the Bishop Lake Plateau, the Aubrey Cliffs, Robber's Roost, and Cataract Canyon all hold huntable populations and trophy bulls.  The Coconino Plateau now holds a good population of elk right out in the open ‘antelope’ country far from the trees. Find an area to your liking and put in your time.

Overview: Unit 10 is not a hot javelina unit, but the population has been growing. Archers report from 2-6 javelina harvested in any given year. Firearms hunters have reported improved hunt success. Most successful hunters have found and harvested javelina around the unit’s many waterholes. Several of the hunters checked scouted prior to the hunt by driving around and checking for tracks at as many of the waterholes as they could.

Areas: Javelina are not easy to locate in Unit 10. There are several herds that use the Aubrey Cliffs, mostly around Chino Point and Road Canyon. There are several herds in the Ash Fork area and along Welsh Road. Javelina have even been seen in the Ponderosa pine country near Williams. Other herds are scattered across the unit. Scouting would be very important for hunting javelina in this unit. Check for tracks at waterholes and look for signs of rooting.

Notice: The fall hunting season is now a limited weapon-shotgun shooting shot season only. There is still a fall archery-only over-the-counter permit hunt available in fall.

Overview: Units 8 and 10 are hunted on the same permit both spring and fall. There are also juniors-only limited weapon-shotgun shooting hunts for both seasons too. An archery-only hunt in the fall is available with an over-the-counter permit-tag. Calling, glassing, and sitting at water holes are the preferred methods of hunting turkey in this unit.

Areas: The best turkey hunting in Unit 10 usually takes place in the Ponderosa pine country on the Kaibab National Forest within 5-7 miles of Williams.

Overview: Unit 10 has a healthy mountain lion population. The mule deer population exhibits signs of a high level of predation by lions and coyotes.

The best time to hunt lions is on fresh snow, but hunters with good dogs can work lions on dry ground as well. Varmint callers have had luck calling in lions from time-to-time. You just have to be in the right place at the right time. Look for lion tracks around waterholes. If a concentration of tracks is found, it is likely there may be a kill nearby. Staking out a waterhole or calling near a kill may net a lion sighting. Never leave home without your lion tag; sooner or later you will run into one.

Areas: All of Unit 10 is worth hunting. The Williams corner and the Aubrey Cliffs areas hold the most mule deer and correspondingly the most lions on a year-round basis. Dedicated lion hunters should also check around Long Point, Black Tanks, Cataract Canyon, Paradise Ridge and many points in between.

Overview: Mule deer occur unit-wide with the exception of wide-open grassland areas. Population densities range from low-to-medium with the higher densities generally occurring in the Williams corner and the Aubrey Cliffs areas. The mule deer population has fluctuated in recent years, primarily due to precipitation amounts, range conditions, and predation. The present mule deer population is recovering from a historic low that occurred in 2003. Fawn survival has been above average for three straight years, which likely translates into an increase in population. Fawn survival observed during the 2005-06 winter survey was at the highest level ever noted for Unit 10 since records have been kept. There should be a large increase in the number of younger bucks available for harvest for the 2007 season.

Glassing, spotting and stalking, still hunting, and road hunting (using a vehicle to move from one spot to another and glassing along the way) are all popular and effective ways to pursue mule deer. Unit 10 is not a trophy unit per se, as is the Kaibab or the Strip, but decent bucks are taken here on a yearly basis. If looking for a larger buck, pass on the smaller ones. Most of the larger bucks checked come from rather dense Pinyon-Juniper country.

Unit 10 is approximately 51 percent private land, 30 percent state land, and 8 percent forest service, with the remainder being national park and indian reservation that is not open to hunting. Maintaining access is critical. Treat all land entered as if it were yours and you really cared about it. No cross-country travel, no littering, no leaving gates open, no camping too close to waters, and pay attention to, and respect, all private ranching operations. Several ranches in Unit 10 are already closed to public access. Additional access problems are increasing with the proliferation of remote real estate subdivisions. Pay attention to where you are and where development is occurring.

Habitat conditions are relatively stable across Unit 10.  Precipitation received during 2005 and 2006 has carried over into 2007. There is a good amount of carry-over feed as well.

Overview: Unit 10 is not a white-tailed deer hotspot. There are a few whitetails scattered across the unit and they are legal game during the general season as well as during archery hunts. Unit 10 is on the very fringe of whitetail habitat so I wouldn’t specifically plan a whitetail hunt here.

Areas: There are a few whitetails in the Aubrey Cliffs immediately north of Seligman in the Chino Point, Buck Tank, and Larson Tank areas. The later two are located just north of the "S" just outside of Seligman.

The mountains, hills, and canyons from Ash Fork Hill (Welsh Road exit I-40) east to Williams hold a few more whitetails, but not lots.