Unit 44B

The Plomosa and New Water Mountains provide the most useful glassing vantage points, with peaks like Guadalupe Mountain and Haystack Peak offering views across the surrounding plains. Ibex Peak and Elephant Back Mountain stand out visually and serve as navigation markers. The Ranegras and La Posa plains dominate the visual landscape as vast open flats.

Numerous washes—Alamo, Plomosita, Scaddan, Plomosa, and others—run through the unit and guide travel. These drainages are critical navigation corridors in country that otherwise looks monotonously similar. Plomosa Pass and Gunsight Notch cut through mountain ridges and concentrate wildlife movement.

Everything here sits below 3,700 feet, with most country in the 600–2,000 foot range. Habitat is overwhelmingly open desert scrub and grassland with virtually no forest. Vegetation transitions from creosote and bursage on the low plains to sparse desert shrub and scattered cacti on the bajadas, with slightly denser brush and occasional palo verde on gentle slopes.

The mountain ranges—Plomosa, New Water, Bear Hills—support more robust desert shrub but remain open and sparsely vegetated. This is sun-exposed, heat-intense country with sparse shade, typical of the lower Sonoran Desert zone.

Nearly 974 miles of roads crisscross the unit, providing substantial access from multiple entry points. U.S. Highway 95 and Arizona Highway 72 offer easy entry near towns like Quartzsite and Brenda. Maintained dirt roads connect the major wash systems and approach the mountain ranges.

Road density suggests moderate vehicle pressure, but the unit's vast size means hunters can disperse widely. The main pressure points are likely near parking areas and known tank locations. Off-road travel is feasible across much of the open country.

Seasonal timing and remote tank knowledge can yield solitude in this apparently accessible landscape.

Unit 44B encompasses vast desert country in southwestern Arizona, bounded by U.S. Highway 95 on the west (near Quartzsite) and the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge on the east. The unit spans flat basins interrupted by low mountain ranges running north-south through the middle. Crystal Hill Road and various wash crossings form the southern and eastern boundaries, with Arizona Highway 72 marking the northern limit.

The geography is dominated by wide-open plains with scattered buttes and mountains—this is classic Arizona low desert, dry and expansive, with few natural barriers to movement.

Water is the limiting factor here. There are no perennial streams; all water comes from scattered tanks and seasonal wash flow. Lazarus Tanks, Chalk Tank, Thumb Butte Tank, East Tank, Crowder Tank, Hidden Tank, and Dripping Spring represent the known reliable water locations—these are critical destination points.

Alamo Wash, Plomosita Wash, and Plomosa Wash can hold water seasonally after rain but shouldn't be counted on. Hunters must plan routes around known tanks or accept dry camps. Understanding which tanks hold water in current conditions is essential for any extended trip.

Water scarcity makes late-season hunting particularly challenging.

Unit 44B holds pronghorn, desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, javelina, and potentially small numbers of elk and bison in mountain habitat. Pronghorn thrive in the open plains and basins—they require long-range optics and patience to stalk or ambush at water. Desert sheep frequent the Plomosa and New Water Mountains, using rocky ridges and gaps like Plomosa Pass and Gunsight Notch as travel corridors; glassing from distance and knowing water locations are critical.

Mule deer use gentle slopes and brush-thick washes, especially near Alamo and Plomosa washes. Javelina scatter across the bajadas. Early morning and late afternoon are essential in this exposed country.

Water-hole hunting near reliable tanks can be productive. Heat and lack of shade require excellent physical preparation and early starts.