2025 hunt guidelines

[654321]

https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/27174631/AZ-Big-Game-Hunt-Recommendations-and-Notes-Fall-2025-Spring-2026-_-March-272025.pdf

Looks like Unit 1 and 27 will be back to a archery deer draw

[bonecollector]

Interesting the “one horned” ram hunts for pioneers. Could weed out some max point holders if they choose to go that route. 

[ctracingraptor]

2 hours ago, 654321 said:

https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/27174631/AZ-Big-Game-Hunt-Recommendations-and-Notes-Fall-2025-Spring-2026-_-March-272025.pdf

Looks like Unit 1 and 27 will be back to a archery deer draw

That’s terrible . I was looking forward to OTC in 27 this year 😡 

[Flatlander]

Some fun ones in the recommendations:

Reduction of sheep tags in 24B by 50%. I am hearing the numbers there are in rough shape. Can it keep producing top quality rams every year?

Doubling the desert sheep tags in 22. Can it produce 4 top quality rams or are they going to shoot the age class out of it?

Overall a reduction of 5 sheep tags, eroding some of the gains made over the last 3 years. Looks like we might be at the start of a downward cycle for bighorns.

37B December rifle. That’s sure to be a popular choice and I am excited to see what that hunt produces.

An increase of tags in 12A West. After the dry winter that’s an interesting recommendation.

Pioneer license one horned ram hunts as mentioned earlier. I doubt those will attract any max point holders but we will see.

Two new units for archery draw. It will be really interesting to see if this helps the overall experience in these units. There are a lot of tags offered, will the hunting be any better?

Overall a lot of reductions to deer tags, even whitetail tags. Which it’s been a while since we saw that.

 

[zslayer]

I’m surprised only 2 units going to draw for archery draw.   I figured they would have addressed the OTC hunts a little better since dang near every unit is going way over quota on mule deer.

[ctracingraptor]

Not even remotely a coincidence that the two units that closed in the very first weekend of the otc hunts were switched. Once the mandatory hunt harvest numbers were noticed they were immediately closed by the commissioner. Give them an inch and they will take a mile. So much for the honor system 

[EarlyBronco]

6 hours ago, Flatlander said:

Some fun ones in the recommendations:

Reduction of sheep tags in 24B by 50%. I am hearing the numbers there are in rough shape. Can it keep producing top quality rams every year?

Doubling the desert sheep tags in 22. Can it produce 4 top quality rams or are they going to shoot the age class out of it?

Overall a reduction of 5 sheep tags, eroding some of the gains made over the last 3 years. Looks like we might be at the start of a downward cycle for bighorns.

37B December rifle. That’s sure to be a popular choice and I am excited to see what that hunt produces.

An increase of tags in 12A West. After the dry winter that’s an interesting recommendation.

Pioneer license one horned ram hunts as mentioned earlier. I doubt those will attract any max point holders but we will see.

Two new units for archery draw. It will be really interesting to see if this helps the overall experience in these units. There are a lot of tags offered, will the hunting be any better?

Overall a lot of reductions to deer tags, even whitetail tags. Which it’s been a while since we saw that.

 

They are gonna do a December rifle hunt in 37b?

[Roosevelt Mark]

15 tags, they moved it from 37a.

[HuntHarder]

6 hours ago, ctracingraptor said:

Not even remotely a coincidence that the two units that closed in the very first weekend of the otc hunts were switched. Once the mandatory hunt harvest numbers were noticed they were immediately closed by the commissioner. Give them an inch and they will take a mile. So much for the honor system 

really?  Is it not alarming to you how many deer get killed in the first weekend in those 2 units?  Amazing how, once mandatory reporting is required, we now have at least some what of an idea of how many deer truly die by archery.  Now if we could only get the rest of the methods of take to be mandatory reporting. 

[EarlyBronco]

1 hour ago, Roosevelt Mark said:

15 tags, they moved it from 37a.

That’s terrible for the unit , good for 37a though

[654321]

12 minutes ago, EarlyBronco said:

That’s terrible for the unit , good for 37a though

They rotate the units, will be a different unit next year

[EarlyBronco]

8 minutes ago, 654321 said:

They rotate the units, will be a different unit next year

I thought they rotated the units for youth hunts also but it’s been in 37B for quite a while now??

[EarlyBronco]

20 minutes ago, 654321 said:

They rotate the units, will be a different unit next year

 

[knothead]

I could be wrong but if memory serves me correctly based on the game and fish presentations, archery success was around 11%-13% and hunters hunting with crossbows during OTC archery hunts was around 33%.  This was part of the argument made for removing crossbows from all the archery hunts.  As more archery units go to draw it just forces archers to move to fewer remaining OTC hunts.  Thus, you will see more units go to draw.  Some units are more conducive to road hunters.  I predict you will see 20A go to draw in a year or two as well.

 

I'll admit, once G&F required mandatory reporting then started publishing the actual numbers of deer taken during OTC hunts, I was very surprised. Most the mule deer units get hammered.  Call me whatever you want but I have always believed there should be no OTC opportunities for NR's.  AZ just doesn't have the numbers of animals to allow this.  Human population in this state is growing at 1 million every 8-9 years yet our animal populations are decreasing or staying same.  Then throw in uncontrolled wolf numbers, feral horses/burros, drought and loss of habitat.  Somethings got to give.

[ctracingraptor]

18 hours ago, HuntHarder said:

really?  Is it not alarming to you how many deer get killed in the first weekend in those 2 units?  Amazing how, once mandatory reporting is required, we now have at least some what of an idea of how many deer truly die by archery.  Now if we could only get the rest of the methods of take to be mandatory reporting. 

I agree with you, but sticking it in the general draw isn’t the answer. Change the process instead of. Those units could have a 1 week only season, or a 5 day only season and it would resolve the issue. Or even a mandatory daily check on tag status similar to a bear hunt. It’s b.s. those are great units. My point is there are other ways to manage this other than ripping the carpet out from underneath hunters