Gabuckthief

Hey guys, me and my cousin were supposed to be flying into Tucson Jan 19-26 from Georgia to hunt bow-hunt couse in the border units, but now he can't come and I'm determined to make this trip happen still! Iv never been to AZ before but I have bow hunted deer successfully in several other states. I plan on renting a vehicle in Tucson and driving south till I see what I'm looking for, whether it be game, or good habitat for glassing/spot and stalk. I'm going to look for camping close by or just sleep on the side of the road in the bushes. I will probably live off peanuts and crackers and plan on buying a sleeping bag and throwing it away at the end of the journey unless y'all say there will be trees to hang a hammock. I plan on bringing a pistol, iv heard stories of the illegals but I'm 28 and pretty hard headed and just looking for a good adventure/hunt. Anyways anyone want to team up? Offer any advice? Or try to talk me out of it. Any help is welcome. Thanks to all!!! Also I kinda had 35a as a starting point but any other feedback is welcome!

Hey guys just 2 Georgia boys here looking to come to AZ and chase some OTC desert deer with the bows. We are new to the desert but not bowhunting whitetails. I'm wanting to experience peak rut in the desert because I know thats our best bet at an archery kill, and I think it would be neat to get to chase them during peak rut twice in a season somewhere we've never been. Any ways, after listening to dozens of Jay Scott and other podcast iv decided I want to try the border units directly South of Tucson maybe 60 miles. I was thinking the 30's, 34's 35, 36. I plan to just ride around until we start seeing animals or places that look good to glass from and then spot and stalk into kill range. I also know that the whitetails start rutting earlier in the northern part or state vs the Southern and that higher elevations start rutting earlier than lower in the south. I also know rain and "green ups" play a big role. So I have 2 important questions. From what Iv gathered peak rut where the bucks are actually locked down with does "doing the dirty" and the easiest to sneak up close to is January 19-26th. I think these dates line up with peak fawning periods which would indicate peak rut. But can the guys in the southern border units confirm this? I'm wanting to come the absolute nuttiest week of the rut. Last question is can y'all rate the whetstone mountains, sonoita creek, San Rafael, brick wood canyon, Buenos Aires, coyote mountains, and saguaro national park in terms of quality bowhunting. As in the terrain is good for glassing, spot and stalk, decent deer #s, and lastly Im extremely interested in archery only areas with limited to no rifle pressure. Does southern AZ have any large areas like this? Also we will camp on roadside or a campsite and don't mind burning the road up the chase the rut. Sorry for so much info guys, I'm just trying to learn as much as I can so we can form a plan. Thanks all!!!!

Hey guys thanks for all the replies lol okay I'll make sure I focus on saguaro park 😂 and as far as the you tube channel goes... I need to make one. We'd be famous if some of our past adventures had been filmed. And also for anyone interested in coming to Georgia or meeting up on some out of state hunts I'm your guy. We have more deer than you guys but also a lot more hunters prowling the woods with rifles for 3 months with 12 deer tags to burn... The pressure/competition is steep and the rewards are mediocre at best. Not many deer make it to old age and the ones that do turn into nocturnal ghost. There is dense, jungle-like cover across the entire state and plenty of bedding areas they don't have to leave. so you don't see these deer if they do not want to be seen I promise. I do lawncare during summer and hunt my tail off as soon as the growing season slows. Im not married so my life revolves around my business and chasing the whitetails every fall till they make me stop! I understand y'all not wanting to give away your secret spot, heck I used to be that way too until I started bouncing around hunting public all over south east/mid west. I discovered that pressure or no pressure, being a better hunter/woodsman and putting in more effort than those around me always got me the buck. Also Georgia sells more out of state license than any other state in country so I'm used to competing for deer. To those of you who feel "threatened" by out of state bowhunters, step your game up lol. You really think I'm gonna drive 1900 miles, get out my car, and just "shwack" one? I was thinking it was gonna be a little harder than that 😂. Anyways thanks for all the good info/insults, keep them coming!!