Overview: Antelope are primarily found in the open grassland areas of Unit 5B. The majority of the population, except during winter, will be found on Anderson Mesa. However, year-round resident animals can be found below Anderson Mesa as well. The antelope population decline since the early 90’s appears to have reversed itself in the last couple years. Fawn survival has been good for most of the last 10 years. The 5A and 5B pronghorn herds were previously managed under alternative management guidelines that called for higher than normal buck to doe ratios until 2008. Unit 5B will now be managed under statewide guidelines and should see an increase in hunting opportunity for at least a couple of years.

Areas: Antelope can be found on Anderson Mesa from Vail Lake south to Long Lake, Melatone Mesa and Duke Tank Mesa. Setting up early in the morning where one can glass a significant amount of open country should locate animals. The highest density can typically be found between Pine Hill and Ashurst Lake. At lower elevations, antelope are found throughout much of the grassland between the Winona and Meteor Crater roads (including the Hopi Three Canyon, Raymond, Flying M and Bar T Bar Ranches). In recent years pronghorn have been seen increasingly in the area burned by the Jacket Fire.

Overview: The bear hunt in Unit 5B is held in late October. This late opener is to shift the harvest toward the males and away from the females. Normally by early November, female bears, especially those with cubs, will start denning. Male bears normally remain active into late November and December and thus available for harvest. Additionally, this later opener provides bear hunting opportunities when many other units in the state have closed. Unit 5B is considered to have a moderate bear population.

Areas: In the fall, bears are frequently found in or near Gambel Oak thickets when acorns are available. Other areas to look at include the canyons coming off of the northern and eastern rim of Anderson Mesa Grapevine, Young's, Padre, Cherry and Mormon Canyons. Bear are also found in the higher terrain of 5B-S such as Hutch, Pine and Turkey Mountains and the upper end of Jack’s Canyon.

Special Regulations: Remember a bear hunt can close on each Wednesday. Sows with cubs are protected. All successful hunters must report the kill to the AGFD within 48 hours must physically check their bear with the Department.  Check the hunt regulations for details.

Overview: Elk can be found throughout the unit. The majority of the elk now spend most of the year on forest service land. However, a small number of resident elk persist in traditional winter range, which is mostly on state trust and private lands. These lands are not public land, but they are open to hunting. Concern over the forage base (from elk residing year-round) and hunter distribution, led to the creation of the Two Guns, Twin Arrows and Grapevine subunits in 2001. This has allowed us to increase hunting pressure on the resident elk population in this area. Hunters need to pay close attention and be knowledgeable of their hunt unit boundary during each hunt. Three large private ranches occur on the winter range: the Flying M, Bar T Bar and Hopi Three Canyon Ranches. Please be respectful of these landowners. Close gates, stay on roads and pack out all of your trash.   

The elk population in 5B is strong but hunts over the past few years have been designed to reduce the population from its high of the 1990’s. The elk population is now being managed for the current drought conditions to prevent damage to habitat and to minimize competition with other species.
 
Areas: 5BN

After opening morning of a rifle season it is unlikely to catch any elk out on Anderson Mesa during daylight hours. If you are not lucky enough to fill your tag first thing then it is time to look a little harder. Travel corridors to and from feeding areas are a good start. Elk will still use the open grasslands but primarily at night. Being on a travel route to or from a bedding area in the morning or evening is a good bet. Look for trails that connect a mountain or canyon bedding area to a feeding area. The area above and below the Anderson Mesa rim from Chavez Pass to Walnut Canyon has numerous well used travel corridors.

Early Seasons: Elk will be found throughout Anderson Mesa. As noted below they will not likely be in the wide open areas after opening day. Look around the rim of Anderson Mesa. If water is a critical factor elk will likely be found within a mile of standing water both early and late in the day. Some areas to check out include the stretch from Jaycox Mountain to Kinnikinick Lake, Ashurst Run, and the area between Ashurst Lake and Marshall Lake. There are also good numbers of elk below Anderson Mesa. Elk tend to concentrate around the canyons on the east side of the mesa. Elk can be found anywhere from Walnut Canyon on the north side to Diablo Canyon in the south. There are also scattered bands of elk between Winona and Padre Canyon out near I-40.

Late Seasons: Elk locations don’t change a lot during the hunting season unless there is significant snowfall on Anderson Mesa. If the mesa has a fair amount of snow on it then most elk will move to the lower elevations mentioned above. If there is little to no snow then all of the above mentioned areas will still be viable places to hunt. The possible exception would be for mature bulls. After the rut many of the adult bulls will head to lower elevations whether there is snow on the ground or not. The canyons on the north and east side of Anderson Mesa are a good place to find bulls.

Areas: 5BS

This unit is approximately half as large as 5B north but the elk population is estimated to be double that of 5B north. There is no part of the unit that is not elk habitat and as such elk can be found just about everywhere. 5B south consists primarily of national forest land but there are a few residential areas in the unit. Hunters should be aware of the locations of these developed areas and be cautious not to trespass on private property and not to shoot within ¼ mile of any structure.

Early Season:

The early season hunter has numerous options. Since elk can be found throughout the unit the hunter only has to decide how many people they want to deal with. Most hunters will be in the vicinity of Hutch Mountain, Pine Hill and Duke Tank Mesa. Those looking to get away from others should look at areas such as the Sawmill Hills, Sawmill Wash, Turkey Mountain and the area around Hay Lake. In areas of high road density the elk will tend to stay away from roads during daylight hours. Often only a short hike away from the roads is all it takes to find elk. Be sure to move slowly and keep the wind in your face. Many hunters also find success by sitting on game trails. In areas with high hunter pressure elk will often get “pushed around” and by sitting on or near an “escape” trail a person can let others push the elk to them.

Late Season: 

As with 5B north it takes a lot of snow to get elk to move to lower ground. A couple of inches of snow in the high country will not mean that all of the elk have moved out. Snow will only make them easier to track. For antlerless elk all of the areas mentioned above will have elk. While bulls can be found throughout the unit during the late season the best places to look are going to be those that offer security. Look for areas with low road density. Within these areas bulls will tend to gravitate toward canyons or hills as bedding and cover areas.

 
Special Note: The Hay Lake property is now in public ownership and is open to hunting. However, a vehicle closure for the area is in effect and there is no vehicular retrieval of game.

Overview: Mountain lion can be found throughout Unit 5B. However, they will concentrate mostly in and along the rougher canyons, rims and mountains of the unit. 5B has a moderate but healthy lion population. Lions are taken primarily by houndsmen in this unit but it is not uncommon for hunters pursuing other species to see a lion.

Areas: The eastern rim of Anderson Mesa and the canyons extending north offer the best lion habitat. Some of the better canyons include Padre, Mormon, Cherry, Kinnickinick, Grapevine, Diablo, Anderson and Jacks Canyons.

Special Regulations: There are special regulations in place regarding hunters who successfully take a lion refer to the hunt regulations for details.

Overview: The mule deer population in 5B seems to have stabilized over the last couple of years. This reversed about a 13-year decline due to persistent dry conditions. Most bucks that hunters see will be yearlings but there are some large mature bucks scattered throughout the unit. A deer’s forage needs are more specific than those of elk so hunters should familiarize themselves with deer biology to determine if the area they are scouting is likely to hold deer. The best habitat types to find deer in include mixed conifer and pine / oak woodlands. Some of the larger bucks seem to hang out in areas dominated by junipers but with browse species nearby.

Areas: Some good deer densities can still be found around the Hutch Mountain complex. Other areas to check include the Sawmill Hills, south of Ashurst and Kinnickinick Lakes, along the northern and eastern rim of Anderson Mesa and any canyon running north from it. Canyons to check include Padre, Yellowjacket, Mormon, Young's and Cherry. Areas with good patches of cliff rose and a good water source will have higher densities of deer.

Unit 5B has a moderate but healthy turkey population. Most of the turkey habitat is in 5B south so therefore most of the turkeys are found in 5B south. Hunters trying to locate turkeys in 5B should make themselves familiar with what makes good turkey habitat and seek that out. Turkeys can be found just about anywhere where there is a hill, ridge or canyon with mature ponderosa pines and good cover and forage nearby. The small patches of mixed conifer within the unit are also good areas to find turkeys.

Areas: In 5B north the hunter is limited to the northern and northeastern rim of Anderson Mesa. Good places to find turkeys are the areas around Marshall Lake and Walnut Canyon down to Mormon Canyon. In 5B south the western portion of the unit from the 124 road all of the way down to Hwy 87 is turkey country. Hunters should probably not waste their time in the flatter areas but concentrate on the various hills and canyons scattered throughout the area. The Hutch Mountain complex and Pine Mountain are good choices as are the canyons and ridges in the southern portion of the unit.