Arizona Hunting Seasons 2025: Dates, License&Regulations

Arizona provides a great chance for dove hunting fans, thanks to its various species and carefully managed hunting seasons. Except for this, there are also various game species you can hunt in this state.

This article will offer you all the necessary details about the 2025 Arizona hunting season schedules, including dates, regulations, and hunting methods, with a special focus on the bird seasons and other game animals.

Arizona Big Game Seasons

Arizona is a great place for big game hunting, with different seasons in different hunting units for each type of animal. Hunters can enjoy chasing deer, elk, and more in the beautiful lands of the state. Let’s first look at the different big game hunting season schedules for 2025 – 2026.

Deer Hunting Seasons

Bear Hunting Seasons

If you’re planning to hunt black bears in Arizona, it’s essential to follow the regulations and guidelines set by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Here’s what you need to know:

You can use any firearm, pre-charged pneumatic weapon, crossbow, or bow and arrow in the general seasons. While in the archery season, only bows and arrows are allowed, or a crossbow if you have a crossbow permit.

For the bag limit, hunters are allowed to take one (1) bear per calendar year.

The bear seasons may be closed earlier if the quotas have been met, so it is better to always check if your desired hunt unit is open before you go. Check online at azgfd.gov/bearhunting. If the bear is taken when the season is closed, you may retain the carcass under specific regulations.

After a successful harvest, it is mandatory to report your bear harvest within 48 hours. You can do this online, by phone at 1-800-970-2327, or in person. Don’t forget to include information like your name, license No., locations, and the sex of the bear when reporting.

Pronghorn Seasons

To hunt pronghorn in Arizona, every hunter must have a valid hunting or combination license (short-term licenses don’t count). You also need a pronghorn tag, which can only be obtained through the drawing system.

You may use different weapons depending on the season:

• General hunt: rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, bow, or crossbow (as allowed).

• Muzzleloader hunt: muzzleloader firearms, crossbow, or bow.

• Archery-only hunt: bow and arrow, or crossbow (if qualified).

The legal animal you can hunt is male pronghorns, and the bag limit is one pronghorn per year, no exceptions.

Mountain Lion Seasons

Understanding the regulations and requirements when hunting lions is important. Here are things you should know to help you prepare for your hunt.

A valid hunting or combination license and a nonpermit-tag are required. To participate in the Pursuit-Only Season, you must have either a valid mountain lion pursuit-only permit or an unused mountain lion nonpermit-tag.

You can use any firearm, pre-charged pneumatic weapon, crossbow, or bow and arrow. When using a crossbow, remember to get a crossbow permit first.

During the pursuit-only season, you may use hunting dogs to pursue mountain lions, but you cannot kill or capture them during this season.

The bag limit is one (1) mountain lion per calendar year statewide. Don’t exceed your limit.

Arizona Dove Seasons

There are separate hunting season opportunities that allow hunters to enjoy bird hunting in the state fully.

Seasons Summary

Dove Species You Can Hunt In Arizona

In Arizona, there are three primary types of doves: the Mourning Dove, White-winged Dove, and Eurasian Collared Dove. Each species offers its own unique characteristics and challenges, making dove hunting in Arizona an exciting experience for hunters.

Remember that there are specific hunting seasons for each of the species. Now, let’s take a closer look at the key dates for the 2024 dove hunting seasons.

Dove Hunting Regulations

To ensure ethical and responsible hunting, hunters must respect the regulations, such as:

❌Do Not:

• Shoot within a distance of 440 yards from a structure that is occupied without obtaining permission.
• Fire upon, along, or towards streets or
• Leave shotgun shells or any other trash on the floor.
• Search or hunt prey in the water throughout the day, as it could obstruct other animals’ activities to reach the water source.
• Used drugs or alcohol while hunting or handling guns.

 ✅Do:

• Use legal weapons include: shotguns of 10-gauge or smaller that can hold a maximum of three shells, bow and arrow, crossbow, or falconry.
• Follow hunting hours from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset.
• Keep one complete wing with feathers on the bird for identification.
• Separate your daily limits for doves in the field from others. Try not to mix them up.
• Show respect for signs on other’s private property.
• Attempt to retrieve all fallen birds as far as possible.

Arizona Turkey Seasons

Spring Turkey Seasons

Fall Turkey Seasons

For turkey hunting, a valid hunting license and a permit tag are required for some specific seasons. You’ll need to apply through the state’s draw system to get one.

For special Youth-Only or Archery-Only hunts, you can grab a nonpermit-tag from licensed dealers, which makes it a little easier for young hunters to get out in the field.

When you’re filling out your application, pay attention to use the correct hunt number listed for the season you want. Each hunt has its own number, and if you use the wrong one, your application won’t count.

As for gear, you can use a shotgun loaded with shot, a bow, or a crossbow. Archery-only hunts are exactly bows only. Forget about rifles, muzzleloaders, or handguns, they’re not legal for turkey.

Arizona Waterfowl Seasons

You may hunt migratory birds with a shotgun, crossbow, bow and arrow, or falconry gear. Hunting is allowed from ½ hour before sunrise until sunset each day.

All hunters need a valid Arizona hunting license, as well as the following:

• Hunters 18 and older must also have an Arizona Migratory Bird Stamp.

• Hunters 16 and older must also carry a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp (Duck Stamp).

• Falconers must hold a valid falconry license or meet the legal exemptions.

Small Game Hunting Seasons

Tree Squirrel

Cottontail Rabbit

Pheasant Hunting Seasons

Quail Hunting Seasons

Remember to follow the bag limits for each game species:

1. Tree Squirrel: Five (5) tree squirrels per day; and fifteen (15) tree squirrels in total.

2. Cottontail Rabbit: Five (5) cottontail rabbits per day; and fifteen (15) cottontail rabbits in total.

3. Pheasant: Two (2) pheasants per day; and six (6) pheasants in total. The same possession limit applies for Archery and Falconry-Only seasons.

4. Quail:

• General Bag Limit: Fifteen (15) quail per day, with no more than eight (8) being Mearns’ quail.
• General Possession Limit: Forty-five (45) quail in total after the opening day, which may include: no more than fifteen (15) Gambel’s, Scaled, or California quail taken in any one day. After the Mearns’ season opens, the forty-five (45) possession limit may include twenty-four (24) Mearns’ quail, with no more than eight (8) taken in any one day.
• Falconry Bag Limit: Three (3) quail per day.

Arizona Hunting License Requirements and Costs

In order to hunt doves in Arizona, hunters must purchase a valid license and follow certain regulations.

Licenses Fees

Individuals who are 18 years old and above need to have a valid hunting license or a combination license along with an Arizona migratory bird stamp.

Individuals between the ages of 10 and 17 are required to have a valid youth combination license.

License Requirements

1. License Requirement: Everyone must have a license to hunt wildlife in Arizona, along with any necessary hunt permit-tags or stamps.
2. Short-term License: A Short-term Combination Hunting and Fishing License is not valid for big game hunting.
3. Age Restrictions: Individuals under 10 can hunt wildlife (excluding big game) without a license if accompanied by a licensed adult aged 18 or older. And no one under 14 may hunt big game without completing a Hunter Education Course.
4. Purchasing Licenses: Arizona hunting licenses can be purchased online at the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s website. Licenses are not mailed; instead, hunters must print their licenses at home. They can also be obtained from any license dealer or Arizona Game and Fish Department office.
5. Permit Drawings: Permits for most big game species, as well as for Sandhill crane and raptor capture, are issued through a hunt drawing. Hunters must apply for a tag in this drawing to hunt these species.

Conclusion

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Arizona offers various exciting hunting opportunities for both residents and non-residents. By familiarizing yourself with the seasons, regulations, and methods discussed in this article, you can ensure a safe, enjoyable, and successful dove hunting trip in the state.

Make sure to always practice ethical hunting, respect the land, and admire the beauty of this thrilling outdoor activity. Start to mark your calendar for the dove seasons now. You can also check the local file here: Arizona Hunting Seasons Guidebook.pdf.

Hunting seasons of other states that are near Arizona:

• Hunting Seasons for 50 States in The US
• California Hunting Seasons
• Nevada Hunting Seasons
• Utah Hunting Seasons
• New Mexico Hunting Seasons
• Colorado Hunting Season Dates