Arizona OTC

[OCOutdoors]

I've never hunted Arizona but just came back from Williams with the family over Thanksgiving for the Polar Express Train Ride. This was the first time I have ever been there but have driven through a time or two but at night. Apparently the best country for elk but that will take me years to draw so I was thinking of trying deer. My question is how does the OTC archery deer tag work? Can I use it in this unit? If I understand correctly there is three deer seasons, can I go to that area all three times?

 

[naturebob]

You can hunt the Williams area in late aug. early Sept. The best in AZ. is The archery hunt from mid Dec. to end of Jan. The desert units in the winter are some fine Mule deer and Coues whitetail hunting. And in Jan You can Javelina hunt too. Usually left over tags for pigs, and deer is over the counter. Even if You don't kill anything ,just spending time in the desert in the winter. is Spectacular in its self. For those that have never been there, it is a treat of a life time for most. I lived there for the last 34 years, been in N. Dakota for last year and a half. Boy am I missing it. Where I lived in theThe foothills north of Phoenix, We whould have tour busses come thru everyday with people from all over the world. I allways told the wife we take this for granite. Being gone now I realize it. I don;t know if there is any photo more majestic than a big muley standing in the mountains with the mighty saguaro cactus all around. And the prime of the rut is early to mid Jan. Enjoy a trip for the ages. The scenery don;t get much better. And the weather ain,t bad either. It can snow tho too. Arizona dreamin,,,,,,,BOB!

 

[rk_az]

The "Williams area" encompasses 3 different units, 7W, 8, and 10. Not all units are open for OTC deer hunts for all 3 "seasons". For example, looking at the regs, it looks like 7, 8, and 10 were all open for OTC archery deer Aug. 24 - Sep. 13, but it doesn't look like 7 is open at all for Dec. or Jan., 10 is open Dec. 14 - 31 and Jan. 1 - 31, and 8 is only open Jan. 1 - 31.

You can harvest 1 deer per calendar year, so if you kill one in Jan., you can't kill another in Aug./Sep. or Dec. You can buy an OTC tag and still apply for the draw, as long as you only tag one deer. If you buy a 2012 tag to hunt in Dec. you cannot still use it in Jan., you would have to buy a 2013 tag.

I would recommend reading the regs thoroughly to avoid making a mistake.

 

[jlmatthew]

Always curious about hunting AZ myself. The was a good article in Western Hunter magazine this month on it. The author posts up on here from time to time, maybe he'll chime in

 

[OCOutdoors]

You can hunt the Williams area in late aug. early Sept. The best in AZ. is The archery hunt from mid Dec. to end of Jan. The desert units in the winter are some fine Mule deer and Coues whitetail hunting. And in Jan You can Javelina hunt too. Usually left over tags for pigs, and deer is over the counter. Even if You don't kill anything ,just spending time in the desert in the winter. is Spectacular in its self. For those that have never been there, it is a treat of a life time for most. I lived there for the last 34 years, been in N. Dakota for last year and a half. Boy am I missing it. Where I lived in theThe foothills north of Phoenix, We whould have tour busses come thru everyday with people from all over the world. I allways told the wife we take this for granite. Being gone now I realize it. I don;t know if there is any photo more majestic than a big muley standing in the mountains with the mighty saguaro cactus all around. And the prime of the rut is early to mid Jan. Enjoy a trip for the ages. The scenery don;t get much better. And the weather ain,t bad either. It can snow tho too. Arizona dreamin,,,,,,,BOB!

Your description paints quite a picture. I didn't think about trying to hunt the desert.

 

[OCOutdoors]

I have another question. When you apply in Arizona do you have to pay for the tag upfront or does CC get charged only if/when you get drawn?

 

[junior88]

you have to pay for your hunting license up front. CC gets hit only if you are drawn for a tag.

 

[dexnrex]

I will be heading to AZ in mid January for an archery deer hunt. I got an invitation from a friend from AK who is snowbirding north of Phoenix. I wasn't sure what to expect, but naturebob paints a pretty picture.

Can anyone comment on the deer density and trophy quality in units 21 and 22? I assume the hunting will be similar to the spot and stalk muley hunting I do here in eastern MT.

 

[OCOutdoors]

you have to pay for your hunting license up front. CC gets hit only if you are drawn for a tag.

That's what I had hoped but was told differently.

I will be heading to AZ in mid January for an archery deer hunt. I got an invitation from a friend from AK who is snowbirding north of Phoenix. I wasn't sure what to expect, but naturebob paints a pretty picture.

Can anyone comment on the deer density and trophy quality in units 21 and 22? I assume the hunting will be similar to the spot and stalk muley hunting I do here in eastern MT.

I don't even know where those units are,sorry I can't help any. Be sure to post up on how you did. Wish I was going.

 

[dalbo]

Can anyone comment on the deer density and trophy quality in units 21 and 22? I assume the hunting will be similar to the spot and stalk muley hunting I do here in eastern MT.

I usually see some really nice MD bucks in the southern portion of unit 21 while quail hunting in Dec/Jan.

It's good country for glassing but stalking is tough in the desert areas, most of the ground is decomposed granite...Kinda crunchy gravel.

Deer densities are probably lower than you are used to in MT but with the rut they tend to be more visible.

The the top 2/3 of unit 21 (still good glassing country) you can encounter both MD and WT. I've seen some really nice MD bucks near Dugas in areas where road access is blocked by private lands but you can hike in around the private.

Good luck on your hunt.

 

[sagebrush]

Mule deer densities are pretty low in 21 and 22, but better than some of the low desert units where densities are one deer per square mile. 21 is mostly a high desert hunt. Along the eastern boundary, there is a good riparian area on the Verde River. 22 has just about every type of habitat available in AZ. Elevations range from 2,000 feet down by Lake Roosevelt up to over 7,000 along the Mogollon Rim. There are coues deer in both units and 22 is one of the better units in the state. Most coues deer get taken sitting water or salt licks from tree stands and ground blinds. Sitting water is not a bad strategy for mule deer as well since water is pretty rare down here. You could have snow in the higher elevations in a wet year or you could have highs in the 80's if you're hunting lower during a warm spell. The southern end of 21 comes right down to the northern suburbs of Phoenix and there are quite a few deer around the golf courses and subdivisions. The Mazatzal wilderness (pronounced MAZ-at-el, I know, we can't even pronounce our own names correctly) is big, rugged country that is best hunted with horses or mules to get your camp back in. I've had an elk tag in 22 four times and only seen a handful of mule deer bucks but quite a few whitetails. Pretty much name your poison when hunting these two units. I would focus on a coues whitetail if you're not going to get much chance at hunting in AZ. That's something you can't do in MT. Either of these units will give you a good taste of what deer hunting in AZ is all about.

 

[dexnrex]

sagebrush and dalbo, thanks for the info. It sounds like it is going to be fun just exploring the country for a few days. The fella I'm hunting with is in Carefree so we will be day hunting out of there. I am very interested in the coues, but will not pass on an oportunity to stalk a nice muley. This will be my first trip to AZ and getting a taste for AZ deer hunting is what it is all about. As was said above even if the hunt does not end with a dead deer it will be a great break from an eastern Montana winter and a chance to see some very different and beautiful country. That being said, my bow is dialed in I intend to bring an AZ deer back to MT. Thanks again.

 

[dustinf]

That being said, my bow is dialed in I intend to bring an AZ deer back to MT.

I archery hunted coues the first week of September, unit 29. It's a ton of fun, but stalking into bow range is damn hard. I'd suggest using your friend to do a small drive, to push the deer towards you. Position yourself down hill of the buck, 100 yards would be ideal, but as close as you can get. A prime position would be able to see the deer coming, not necessarily where you can see it before your friend pushes it. Also, you should have decent shooting lanes. Not necessarily 90 degrees to you, just one generally left and one generally right.

Have your friend circle around the the deer, to get directly up hill and generally up wind of it. Listen/watch for your deer heading towards you. Not sure how to stop a coues, but I'd make a grunt'ish type noise, or yell at it.

Trust me, I spent 6 days alone, chasing deer all over the unit. If I jumped a deer from above it always ran down hill at least 50-100 yards before it slowed or stopped to see what I was.

Your friend had better be a good one. Sometimes getting above a deer from my glassing position would take all day, and a bunch of elevation lossed only to be gained back.

Patience is the key. Good luck.

 

[sagebrush]

Day hunting out of Carefree, you'll be hunting the lower part of 21 and will be in mule deer country.

 

[dexnrex]

It was planned as a muledeer hunt so I guess that makes sense. I was hoping to be in coues country, but will be happy to hunt muleys.

I sure appeciate the feedback from you AZ folks.

 

[OCOutdoors]

When do you have to put in for the drawing and can it be done online?

 

[Craig S.]

Here is a link to my OTC Early Archery Deer Hunt Video:

OTC AZ Archery Mule Deer

Feel free to email me with any questions. I don't mind giving you the facts and some suggestions. More desert type areas are open during the two late seasons and higher country units are open in August. Some are open for all three seasons.

 

[OCOutdoors]

Here is a link to my OTC Early Archery Deer Hunt Video:

OTC AZ Archery Mule Deer

Feel free to email me with any questions. I don't mind giving you the facts and some suggestions. More desert type areas are open during the two late seasons and higher country units are open in August. Some are open for all three seasons.

Man that video is bada**. Great footage, love hearing the bugling in the background and that bull is a monster. That's pretty diehard being in that weather and sticking it out. Did you end up tagging one? My ABS light is on too with the same truck.lol

 

[Craig S.]

I didn't fill my tag. It was one of the most exciting, but disappointing experiences of my hunting life.

 

[naturebob]

Here's the chance for You guys that want to get out of this nasty weather for a while. The month of Jan. You can hunt Muleys or Coues deer Archery over the counter .Read the other posts here from last year and Youl'l get the info. Great time to be had........BOB!