Unit 5A

Meteor Crater anchors the northwest corner as a distinctive navigation reference visible for miles. The Mogollon Rim runs roughly east-west across the southern third, marked by named points including Leonard Point, Hi View Point, and Milk Ranch Point. Key ridge systems like McClintock Ridge, McCarty Ridge, and Miller Ridge run north-south and provide natural travel corridors and glassing benches.

Chavez Pass and Sunset Pass offer access routes through otherwise difficult terrain. The Toltec Divide provides another ridge system for orientation. AZ Highway 87 and Forest Road 69 (Meteor Crater-Chavez Pass-Jack's Canyon Road) serve as primary navigation baselines.

Elevation ranges from mid-4800s to just above 8000 feet, with the median sitting around 5900 feet. Most terrain occupies the 5000-7000 foot band, where ponderosa pine, juniper, and Gambel oak create a patchwork of timbered slopes and open flats. Lower elevations toward the north transition into sagebrush-grassland prairie with scattered junipers.

The Mogollon Rim's southern edge creates scattered cliffs and dropoffs—Leonard Point and Hi View Point offer vantage points overlooking the terrain. This elevation band supports multiple species through seasonal migrations; early season hunters find animals in the higher timbered areas, while late season pushes them toward the lower grasslands.

Over 1090 miles of roads crisscross the unit, creating a well-connected network despite the vast size. AZ Highway 87 and I-40 provide primary access corridors, with Forest Road 69 opening the Chavez Pass corridor. Most hunters concentrate near highway access points and developed recreation areas, leaving significant country in the interior less pressured.

The flat to rolling topography and road density mean that new roads and two-tracks continually provide options for stage hunting from vehicle. Early season typically brings moderate to heavy pressure from rim country spillover; fall and winter hunting sees lighter use. Private inholdings and scattered ranches require attention to access restrictions, though most unit remains accessible public land.

Unit 5A encompasses the high-desert country between the Mogollon Rim's southern edge and Interstate 40 to the north. The western boundary runs along the Coconino-Tonto National Forest line near Sunset Pass and Chavez Pass; the eastern boundary follows East Clear Creek and the Sitgreaves-Coconino National Forest junction at Leonard Canyon. AZ Highway 87 bisects the unit north-south, providing a major artery between Winslow and the rim country.

The unit stretches roughly 40 miles east-west and 20 miles north-south, anchored by I-40 access points near Meteor Crater and Winslow.

Perennial water is limited; East Clear Creek marks the eastern boundary but sits mostly outside practical hunting terrain. Within the unit, water depends on developed tanks and springs scattered throughout. Named tanks include Garden Tank, Fuller Tank, Tracy Lynn Tank, Sawmill Tank, Sandstone Tank, and numerous others—the system includes 20+ developed water sources.

Reliable springs exist at Windfall, Willow, Chavez, Whistling, Coldwater, and Upper Buck. Several washes drain the terrain including Limestone Wash, Tucker Flat Wash, and East Leonard Canyon Creek, but these run seasonally. Hunters must plan water access carefully; the limited perennial flow means locating and using tank systems is critical to success.

Unit 5A supports elk, mule deer, pronghorn, bear, mountain sheep, desert sheep, javelina, and mountain lion. Elk concentrate in timbered mid-elevation terrain during early season, transitioning to lower grasslands and sagebrush in late season. Mule deer follow similar patterns, with pronghorn occupying the open flats year-round.

Desert bighorn and mountain sheep utilize the Mogollon Rim's cliff terrain and adjacent ridges. Early season strategy targets timbered ridges and draws; mid-rut elk move across open parks and meadows accessible by glassing. Late season demands flexibility—animals push lower toward the sagebrush flats north of Highway 87. Water development strategy is critical; established tanks concentrate game, but also hunters.

The moderate terrain complexity means successful hunting depends more on fieldcraft and understanding seasonal movements than bushwhacking through complex country.