Unit 40B

Key navigation features include the Puerto Blanco Mountains and Tinajas Altas Mountains for distant glassing reference; Pinkley Peak, Pinnacle Peak, and Camelback Mountain serve as visible waypoints. Ajo Window and Aguila Arch provide distinctive visual markers. The Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge boundary defines eastern terrain.

Growler Pass, Senita Pass, and other gaps through mountain ranges offer routes into backcountry. Populated places—Ajo, Why, Lukeville, Fortuna Foothills—anchor access and supply logistics from edges of the unit.

The unit is predominantly low-elevation desert with minimal forest coverage. Elevations range from 20 feet near the Colorado River to isolated peaks above 4,700 feet in scattered mountain ranges. Habitat transitions from creosote-dominated flats and bajadas in the basins to sparse desert scrub and occasional palo verde on foothills and low ridge slopes.

Few trees exist except in washes where cottonwoods appear, and scattered cacti provide relief in the monotonous desert landscape. The Barry Goldwater Range occupies substantial acreage and creates terrain complexity amid otherwise rolling to flat country.

Nearly 2,800 miles of roads traverse the unit, though density is misleading given the vast area. Most access follows established routes from Gila Bend, Ajo, Why, and Lukeville; interior roads are rough dirt ranch and military access tracks. Barry Goldwater Range military operations restrict portions of the unit seasonally or year-round.

Hunting pressure remains moderate to light due to remoteness and water logistics, but summer heat and distance deter casual hunters. Established routes and military boundaries funnel most activity along predictable corridors.

Unit 40B encompasses the southwestern corner of Arizona, bound by Gila Bend to the northeast, Interstate 8 and the Colorado River to the north, the Mexican border south and west, and the Tohono O'odham Reservation and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge to the east. The unit is vast, dominated by the Yuma and Lechuguilla deserts with numerous scattered mountain ranges including the Puerto Blancos, Mohawks, and Tinajas Altas Mountains. Major military presence—Barry Goldwater Range and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma—shapes access and usage patterns across significant portions.

Water is critically limited and scattered. Reliable sources include Tinajas Altas, Quitobaquito Springs, and scattered tanks including Natural Tank, Eagle Tank, and Diablo Tank. Numerous washes drain the mountains—Growler Wash, Mohawk Wash, Gunsight Wash, and Alamo Canyon system—but flow only seasonally.

Understanding tank and spring locations is essential for any extended hunt; many are documented but remote. Groundwater is saline in many areas. Planning must center entirely on water availability and logistics.

Unit 40B supports desert bighorn, mule deer, pronghorn, javelina, and occasional mountain lion and bear in a harsh low-elevation environment. Bighorn concentrate near mountain ranges and reliable springs—Tinajas Altas is critical. Pronghorn hunt the open flats and bajadas, requiring glassing and stalk craft.

Mule deer and whitetail favor washes and foothills with limited cover. Javelina scatter across desert scrub. Success demands water knowledge, navigation skills, and heat tolerance.

Early season or late season hunts reduce thermal stress; mid-summer is punishing. This unit rewards preparation and commitment over casual effort.