Auburn91

I drew a tag for my first Coues hunt - early December, Unit 30A From what I have read so far it seems like access is an issue in this unit, but I have been scouring the web for open roads to access some of the wilderness areas. I think I have some ideas but would definitely appreciate running them by someone familiar with the area. I would like to find a spot that I could hike in a few miles and camp for multiple days. Is it worth purchasing On-X for assistance in searching for public lands/access roads? I do not have any experience with this company due to the lack of public land in the Southeast. Unfortunately I live in Georgia and will not be able to come out for a scouting trip. If in one has any tips that they don't mind sharing please shoot me a PM. Much appreciated! Thanks!

I think I'm going to bring an extra bladder and try to carry as much as my legs can handle. Definitely trying to maximize my days in the back country, but don't want to end up dehydrated either. Thanks for all the responses, really appreciate everyones willingness to help. I'm counting down the days!

Hey guys, wanted to get your advice on another topic. How much water do you plan on drinking daily when backpack hunting in Arizona (1st week of December)? I am finalizing my gear list and am trying to work out how much water to carry in order to reduce my numbers of trips back to the truck. Right now I have a 6L reservoir, a 3L reservoir, and a 1L Nalgene. This puts me just over 22lbs of water at 2.64 gallons. Will I be able to get 3 days out of this? Should I plan on carrying more? I am hesitant to get more bladders simply because of the amount of weight that I'll be toting. I am planning on oatmeal in the morning, which will use one cup of water, 10 oz for coffee, and 2 cups for mountain house in the evening. This should leave me with just over 2L for drinking water. Am I being unrealistic with this little of water?

Really appreciate the advice. I'm itching to get out there and explore that country, those pictures look awesome.

Thanks for all the replies! This will be my first hunting trip out west. Going with a buddy and we are both pretty experienced at camping, but the vast majority of this has been done in the southeast where water is not an issue. This is one of my main concerns (besides access)... My idea is to carry as much as possible, over two gallons each - and have a large reservoir left at the truck. Worst case, we will have to hike back to the truck mid-hunt to restock on water. We will be flying out and renting a car. I would prefer to drive, but with only being able to get away from work for a finite amount of time we decided that by flying we will be able to get the most out of the hunt. Just downloaded the ON-X trial package and it seems pretty helpful in locating public access. I think it will be worth the full purchase. I do not have a Garmin, was hoping to get by with an iPhone and my Delorme for emergencies. I was also planning on ordering a topo unit map from 'mytopo'. Does anyone have experience with these maps? Is this a good choice for a hard map, or are there better options available. Once I have a game plan laid out with option A, B, & C, I plan on reaching out to the local game and fish office to go over access to these area. I have read a few horror stories of gates being locked and hunt plans being ruined in this unit, as mention above by AZAV8ER. I have been doing gear prep since January and have already got a tripod, head, spotting scope, and updated my binoculars. It looks like weather averages are between 33 and 65 degrees in the Chiricahua Mountains. Does this seem about right to those of y'all who are familiar with the area? Planning on brining two sets of wool base layers, hiking pants, 1/4 zip top mid layer, and a puffy.

Credit card just hit for my first ever coues tag! Looking forward to doing some exploring in Arizona!