Unit 40A

The Sand Tank Mountains and Table Top Mountains provide useful reference points for orientation across open country. Antelope Peak, Sand Tank Peak, and the Isanaklesh Peaks are visible landmarks useful for glassing. Deadman Gap and Burro Gap offer natural passes and potential water-finding corridors.

Rio Cornez, Sikort Chuapo Wash, and Bender Wash are major drainages that run seasonally and concentrate both game and human activity. The historical Ajo Army Air Field near Ajo and Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field mark population and activity centers, helping hunters understand human pressure zones.

Elevations span from around 700 feet in the lowest desert basins to 4,400 feet at isolated mountain peaks, with the median around 1,800 feet. The landscape is predominantly low-desert terrain—creosote and palo verde bajadas interspersed with rocky foothills and scattered mountain ranges. Key ranges include the Sand Tanks, Batamote, Table Top, and Sauceda mountains, which rise abruptly from the flats.

Sparse vegetation dominates; actual forest is virtually absent. Desert scrub transitions to rocky slopes and occasional draws, creating habitat patchwork that supports multiple species despite the arid conditions.

The unit contains roughly 615 miles of ranch roads and dirt tracks but virtually no major highways cutting through. Access is fair but deliberate—hunters reach the unit via Highway 85 or 86, then navigate a web of secondary roads requiring local knowledge or detailed mapping. No paved through-routes exist within the unit.

This road network suggests moderate pressure concentrated along known routes and near towns like Why and Ajo, with vast interior areas receiving less attention. The complexity of navigation and water logistics likely deters casual hunters, favoring those who prepare thoroughly.

Unit 40A forms a large rectangle in southwestern Arizona, anchored by the towns of Ajo and Why. The boundary traces AZ Highway 85 southbound from Ajo to Why, then eastward on AZ 86 along the Tohono O'odham Reservation boundary. It continues north along the reservation line to the Cocklebur-Stanfield Road, then north to Interstate 8, westbound back to Highway 85, and south to Ajo.

The unit encompasses roughly 1,500 square miles of open Sonoran Desert dominated by sparse ranch and mining access roads rather than through-traffic highways.

Water is the limiting factor across Unit 40A. A network of scattered tanks—including Thanksgiving Day Tank, Pottebaum Tank, Lost Horse Tank, Javelina Tank, and Caesar Tank—provide unreliable seasonal sources. Washes like Sikort Chuapo, Bender, and arroyo systems including Rio Cornez and Darby Arroyo run only after rainfall. The Valley of the Ajo and Pozo Redondo Valley are larger drainages that may hold water longer.

Successful hunting requires pre-scouting tank locations, understanding seasonal fill patterns, and knowing where game concentrates around reliable sources. Dry camp strategy is essential.

Unit 40A historically holds mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, desert bighorn sheep, and javelina, with elk, black bear, mountain lion, and bison present but less common. Desert bighorn inhabit the rocky mountain ranges, particularly the Saucedas and Sand Tanks—hunt higher terrain with good glassing vantage points. Pronghorn use the bajadas and open valleys; early morning glassing from elevated positions is effective.

Mule and white-tailed deer concentrate around washes and scattered woody cover. Javelina are widespread but unpredictable. Focus on water sources during dry periods.

The sparse forest means most hunting is open-country glassing and stalking; patience and optics matter more than bushwhacking. Understand that this is arid-country hunting requiring self-sufficiency and comfort with solitude.