sundance

I should clarify a few things. We have good populations of mule deer in Washington, but the quality of deer is debatable. There are guys that take 180"+ mulies OTC every year in the Wilderness Units on the high buck hunts (rifle Sept. 15-25) and general season archery (Sept. 1st-25th) before the migration kicks in. Those are far and few between and these are the dedicated mountain hunters who focus on this subspecies. We have some good draw units but our point system is horrible and it may take 10-20 years to draw a hunt that can be so-so. I spend my energy and time focused on blacktails, that's where my passion is. I also don't want to burn my WA points on mule deer hunts when I feel there are better opportunities to be had with other choices. Overall the quality of deer for mulies in AZ appears to be better than Washington, so I'd rather take an opportunity to hunt in a new area where I have a chance at higher caliber deer and still can hunt the timber ghosts back home. Plus these coues deer have my attention, I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to learn more about them and take a swing at an archery hunt in Dec/January.

Stickflicker- It looks like my odds of drawing a non resident 12A tag are not that bad, probably 3-4 years. From learning about the Arizona draw system I can put in for 13A and 13B as a hail mary choice and still possibly get drawn for the 12A where my chances are higher. I'd love to hunt OTC coues or mulies every other year and have the chance to draw a tag for a quality hunt. Basically if I can draw a quality hunt in mid August to early September I can hunt in AZ before my seasons start up here. If I don't draw I can hunt OTC in Dec. or Jan. when all my seasons are closed up here- just extending my hunting season and getting to experience some cool new areas and chase a better quality of mule deer or coues deer (a species I have never hunted).

Thanks for the offer Outdoorlife, its greatly appreciated! I have to say I'm blown away by all the responses and PM's I received from people offering help and advice. Truly an awesome community of people here willing to help out. My offer stands to anyone wanting information on hunting blacktail deer and roosevelt elk in Washington State, also roosevelt elk in Oregon. I hunt a fair amount in Alaska for deer and bear in SE, and deer on Kodiak island. I also have a pretty killer moose spot on the peninsula I've been eyeing for 10 years right were I grew up commercial salmon fishing. Always willing to help out.

Thanks for the response, much appreciated!

I like the Badlands 2200 pack with the roll out meat shelf. It packs enough gear for me to go 2-3 days on a wilderness hunt and the meat shelf works just as good as my Ox frame pack. I just ordered the new Badlands sacrifice LS, it doesn't have a meat shelf but I checked it out at a trade show and was sold on the new pouches and the fact it was so lightweight.

That's my plan for the OTC late archery tags. I will start applying for those premiere unit hunts, and if not drawn alternate between AK and AZ. Basically if not drawn I'd hunt AK one year OTC, then AZ the next year OTC in December for Coues deer. If I drew I would head down for as much time as possible and hunt the permit hunt, looks like they generally run mid/late August through early September. for those units with the archery tag. Then I'd head home for Archery elk in WA and OR. Here is a goofy Columbian Blacktail I took in 2013 on a permit rut hunt in Washington. He didn't score well but the trashy bases and double eye guard/2nd main beam was too much too pass. Stuck him at 20 yards with my bow while he was chasing does and rutting hard.

Thanks fellas! Of coarse I have always heard about the famed 13A and 13B, I'm probably not going to wait around 20 years to draw. The 12A archery hunt looks like a good shot at drawing within a few years as a non-resident, so this really has my interest. I have downloaded the regs and read through them a few times, pretty straight forward. The only hang up I'm having is understanding the draw "rounds" and choice options. From what I can tell there are strategies to applying for certain hunts given the choice or round option. I fully understand if people don't want to disclose this info on the open forum and prefer PM. Basically it looks like I can take a hail Mary at 13A and 13B while also applying for 12A which is a more reasonable bet, I just don't understand what order I should apply and what the cons/pros are to this ordering. I have seen an outfitter, I think its ASG, offer a membership fee annually for a guided hunt when you draw. I'm not big on using guides, but if I drew a miracle tag I'd want to do it justice. Otherwise I have no issue eating a tag on a DIY hunt if the experience is worth it, which I have no doubt hunting in these areas would be a lifetime experience. I'm just here to learn info, follow along and hopefully meet some good people that could throw me a bone if I got lucky. And I'd love to share info on PNW hunting to those that are interested, Roosevelt elk and blacktails are a sickness that I refuse to get vaccinated for, much to the disappointment of my wife. First pic is a good WA Columbian Blacktail I took with my bow in 2012, second is a bomber Sitka Blacktail I took on Kodiak, AK in 2013 with a rifle, missed him with my bow 3 days earlier.

Hello everyone, Matt here from Washington state and I wanted to take the time to introduce myself. Figured I’d post this in the coues and mulie section since that’s why I’m here. I’m an avid bowhunter for deer and elk in the Pacific Northwest and now looking at starting to apply for permits in AZ in 2018. Specifically, I’m interested in archery-only permit hunts for the 12A and 13A/13B units and archery-only non-permit hunts for coues deer. Not looking for spots or secrets, just people willing to help me navigate the regulations, permit application process and general area information. I know from past experiences that a conversation over a cup of coffee can cut years off the learning curve while not divulging spots that takes a guy 10+ years to aquire. Thanks in advance for any insight that is offered, even if it’s poking fun at the guy with moss behind his ears. About me, I cut my teeth hunting Columbian Blacktails and Roosevelt Elk on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. We can hunt OTC every year for bulls and bucks with some regulations. Over the past few years I have started hunting Oregon and Alaska as well, and Sitka Blacktails is another passion of mine. I’m hunting in Washington, Alaska and possibly Oregon this year for black bear, elk and deer. If you are interested in hunting the PNW let me know, I like to share general intel to folks interested in getting after Blacktails and Roosevelts since they are not a common animal for most hunters to pursue. Best of luck to everyone this year, I am starting to do research and develop a plan for 2018-2020 hunting a new area. I like antler as much as the next guy, but an awesome experience in a new area is more valuable to me then a P&Y entry. I do have experience back county hunting, I have a lot of gear and am pretty self-sufficient. Thanks again and I look forward to following along here and learning from the members.

Posted this to the introductions page, but thought it would also get some traction here. Hello everyone, Matt here from Washington state and I wanted to take the time to introduce myself. Figured I’d post this in the coues and mulie section since that’s why I’m here. I’m an avid bowhunter for deer and elk in the Pacific Northwest and now looking at starting to apply for permits in AZ in 2018. Specifically, I’m interested in archery-only permit hunts for the 12A and 13A/13B units and archery-only non-permit hunts for coues deer. Not looking for spots or secrets, just people willing to help me navigate the regulations, permit application process and general area information. I know from past experiences that a conversation over a cup of coffee can cut years off the learning curve while not divulging spots that takes a guy 10+ years to aquire. Thanks in advance for any insight that is offered, even if it’s poking fun at the guy with moss behind his ears. About me, I cut my teeth hunting Columbian Blacktails and Roosevelt Elk on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. We can hunt OTC every year for bulls and bucks with some regulations. Over the past few years I have started hunting Oregon and Alaska as well, and Sitka Blacktails is another passion of mine. I’m hunting in Washington, Alaska and possibly Oregon this year for black bear, elk and deer. If you are interested in hunting the PNW let me know, I like to share general intel to folks interested in getting after Blacktails and Roosevelts since they are not a common animal for most hunters to pursue. Best of luck to everyone this year, I am starting to do research and develop a plan for 2018-2020 hunting a new area. I like antler as much as the next guy, but an awesome experience in a new area is more valuable to me then a P&Y entry. I do have experience back county hunting, I have a lot of gear and am pretty self-sufficient. Thanks again and I look forward to following along here and learning from the members.

Hello everyone, Matt here from Washington state and I wanted to take the time to introduce myself. I’m an avid bowhunter for deer and elk in the Pacific Northwest and now looking at starting to apply for permits in AZ in 2018. Specifically, I’m interested in archery-only permit hunts for the 12A and 13A/13B units and archery-only non-permit hunts for coues deer. Not looking for spots or secrets, just people willing to help me navigate the regulations, permit application process and general area information. I know from past experiences that a conversation over a cup of coffee can cut years off the learning curve while not divulging spots that takes a guy 10+ years to aquire. Thanks in advance for any insight that is offered, even if it’s poking fun at the guy with moss behind his ears. About me, I cut my teeth hunting Columbian Blacktails and Roosevelt Elk on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. We can hunt OTC every year for bulls and bucks with some regulations. Over the past few years I have started hunting Oregon and Alaska as well, and Sitka Blacktails is another passion of mine. I’m hunting in Washington, Alaska and possibly Oregon this year for black bear, elk and deer. If you are interested in hunting the PNW let me know, I like to share general intel to folks interested in getting after Blacktails and Roosevelts since they are not a common animal for most hunters to pursue. Best of luck to everyone this year, I am starting to do research and develop a plan for 2018-2020 hunting a new area. I like antler as much as the next guy, but an awesome experience in a new area is more valuable to me then a P&Y entry. I do have experience back county hunting, I have a lot of gear and am pretty self-sufficient. Thanks again and I look forward to following along here and learning from the members.