Contributed Article/Courtesy AZGFD
PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is accepting applications for 2026 hunt permit-tags issued through the draw process for deer, turkey, javelina, bighorn sheep, bison, and sandhill crane.
The deadline for the department to receive all applications is 11:59 p.m. (Arizona time) Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
Good info to know:
- Applicants must possess a valid license at the time of application submission and on the deadline day of the application period (June 2). Hunting or hunt/fish combination licenses only — short-term licenses are not valid.
- An AZGFD Portal Account is the only place where draw results will be posted.
- Have a Portal Account? Visit https://accounts.azgfd.com/ to review personal data, including application history and total bonus points (bonus, loyalty, hunter education). Also, be sure to verify your mailing address to ensure proper delivery of hunt permit-tags (if successful). If something seems amiss, call AZGFD at 602-942-3000 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- Need a portal account? Visit accounts.azgfd.com/Account/Register and fill in the required information. The department encourages all customers to have an AZGFD portal account; that’s the only place where draw results will be posted. Dependent account features are available with a portal account, so everyone — including youth — can view their draw results online as soon as they are available.
- You’ll need your Customer ID to submit an application. There are four ways to locate a Customer ID:
- Check your hunting license, or combination hunt and fish license, if it was purchased online.
- Log in to your AZGFD Portal Account, and click on “View Details” under “My AZGFD Dashboard.”
- Try the Customer ID Retrieval Tool. Visit customerlookup.azgfd.com/ and enter your last name, birthdate, and email. If the account is located, AZGFD will send the Customer ID number to that email address.
- Call AZGFD at 602-942-3000 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- “Arizona E-Tag” lets you go digital. Download the “Arizona E-Tag” app from either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, then visit your Portal Account to opt-in to receive an electronic hunt permit-tag (this is not an option selected through the draw). Be sure to update to the most recent version of the app. The Arizona E-Tag app provides real-time delivery of licenses and big game tags purchased or drawn after the app has been downloaded. The app also provides the ability to electronically tag a harvested animal and complete the hunter questionnaire. Information: www.azgfd.gov/etag.
- PointGuard products protect your bonus points. Choosing PointGuard Plus, or the standard PointGuard, ensures that applicants can surrender their hunt permit-tag for any reason, and the accumulated bonus points that were expended to draw that hunt permit-tag will be reinstated. A portal account is no longer required to purchase a PointGuard product. Information: www.azgfd.gov/pointguard.
- You can get your hunter questionnaire via text message. During your draw application, keep an eye out for the option to enter your cell phone number to receive your hunter questionnaire via text message.
New as of Fall 2025: One-horned bighorn sheep ram seasons for Pioneer license holders only. A person 70 years and older who has been a resident of Arizona for the previous 25 years qualifies for a Pioneer license. One-horned rams are those with one horn less than half the length of the other horn. Applicants will have expended their bonus points if successfully drawn for one of the three hunt permit-tags available. The harvesting of a one-horned ram will also satisfy the applicant’s once-in-a-lifetime bag limit for that species, either desert or Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.
