Hello all! Due to being full time travel for my job and having little heads up on moving out west my options for hunting this year have become much more limited than I had hoped. I've been transferred to Las Vegas and didn't have time to apply for any draws for hunting out west so it looks like my only option is going to be some OTC Mule deer hunting in Arizona. Was wondering if any local Arizona guys would be willing to give me some pointers or general info for hunting in region 3. I've heard either McCracken mountains or the Peacock mountains will give me the best luck but I haven't been able to do any scouting out here quite yet. This will be my first time hunting out west so I pose little threat to the deer but I've just gotten a new TallTines recurve made and I'm dying to chase anything I can with it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
If I remember correctly when I was researching an AZ mule deer hunt years ago, the AZ game and fish web site had some very detailed information for each game unit, that I found to be pretty accurate on my hunt.
Yes, check the G&F website for dates and if any tags are left over. A lot of the areas were closed because of fire danger so be aware and check for latest info. Very dry this year. I know a few guys who couldn't access the areas they chose to hunt. Late season hopefully will be better.
Sent you a PM
I spent last week in Flagstaff, watching bulls in the Grand Canyon NP sleep next to the trailhead, bugling at night & found a pair of bucks in 11M while walking around. It raised my curiosity about hunting there -- especially since our FS land is closed, ending the rifle season before it even began. The AZ FG stuff was so voluminous it sent my head spinning. Too much info, really. It probably didn't help that I was reading on my phone. I need to screen out some options so I can focus on just one or two areas.
Every state is different so it's hard to know the nitty-gritty about some things that residents take for granted. For example, I recall seeing something in the regs book about hunting over water sources being illegal. But it wasn't clear if that was only for certain species or if it only applies to man-made water sources, like what we call "guzzlers" here in CA.
If anybody is open to an email or phone exchange about some of the details of hunting northern AZ, I'd love to glean what I can from a local. Of course, I'm not looking for anybody's secret spots. I'd just like to know how best to get started, what zones to focus on, what zones are closed, whether mulies and javies are in the same areas (increased odds of seeing something to chase) or if those are really separate pursuits.
You may wish to consider contacting 'azhunter'. He is a very active traditional hunter and a wonderful individual.
He recently harvested a whopper Coues deer.
Caleb, I'll send you a PM so you can get in touch with me. I have never hunted in region 3. I do have a friend that lives in that area and he is a very good hunter. He will have a lot of information on that area.
Don't forget them Javelina! Season opens Jan 1 and there are lots of leftover tags. Good luck!