Arizona Elk

[ultra300mag]

As a non resident and throwing out all the hype about elk units I struggle each year dediding where to put in for Archery elk. I have 9 points as a non-resident and I have a friend with 13. Of course we hear a lot about units 9 and 10, also we were told that we should put in for 5B, not sure if they said north or south. I have been in both 9 and 10 and have a good idea of the opportunities there but know nothing about any of the other units includint 5B. Is 5B worth using the points on or should we stay with the big name units. Of course we would like opportunities on the biggest elk in the woods but then again I don't know that either one of us would pass on a good shot on a 150 or better out of the gate. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[JMP]

i assume you mean 350?

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

PM sent.

[308Nut]

This is where you may want to concider a good balance. For me it is always a balance between a good opprotunity and THE opprotunity. There are several units you can draw with 9 points for a honest crack at a 350 bull with a bow. If you desire a unit 9 hunt, you will have to build more points for quite a while. Unit 9 may be the cream of the crop but there are other great opprotuinites in AZ. IMHO 10 is highly over-rated. Dont get me wrong, it has a reputation for being a "big bull" unit for a reason but the logistics can make it less than desirable at times. If you have inside info and know where there is a big bull or two AND can gain access to the land, then it can be a good thing. Otherwise unit 10 will most likely leave you very frustrated. Personaly I believe that with 9 points, you can do much better than the unit 5's. There are other units you can draw with 9 points with better and more bulls.

 

There are also some late rifle hunts, while not as exciting as rut hunts, can produce big bulls that you can draw with 9 or 10 points. Every body want the biggest possible bull, the question is are you willing to wait many more years to have the points to get the hunt you want? Even if that senario happens, there is no guarantee that you will bag that monster. Trophy hunter does a good job at making non-residents think that 400+" bulls are around every other tree. This is the farthest from the truth. Out of about 30,000 elk permits, only a dozen or so 400+" bulls are killed and that is on a good year.

 

With all that said, apply for a decent unit and you will have a great time, have a crack or several cracks at some nice bulls, and MAYBE if youre really blessed, have a crack at a giant. NEVER let the fact that youre hunting in AZ no matter what unit or season lead you to believe that you kill a monarch easily. Now if you have killed several nice bulls, then by all meens hold out for a monster. If not, concider shooting a 330-360 bull. These can be truly impressive and beutifull animals.

[bowhunter4life]

try 6b or 6a south. both units have great bulls and with your points. you would have a great chance of getting tag

[DubTee]

With 11 points averaged between you guys, you are getting darn close to be able to draw those higher profile units, like many will tell you all the units up there have good bulls, some more elk than others, terrain style differs, etc. What I like about the higher profile units is usually fewer bull hunters and cow hunters to compete with, again it's all about what you guys prefer. 5BN and 5BS, units right next to each other, each holding good bulls. I believe 5BS holds more elk, 5BN has a bit more terrrain style differences with some more open juniper flats and it just seems flatter overall to me. This year, 5BS cut their tag numbers, both bull and cow tag numbers went down considerably, I don't know why the G&F did this, but assuming herd numbers are relatively the same, that could be a good hunt with the less pressure and one I would consider if I was in your shoes. 5BN on the other hand has increased tag numbers over the past few years. I held an archery bull tag last year in 5BN (got lucky and drew with 2 points), I really didn't know the unit at all, nor with work I wasn't able to do much scouting. Having said that I had a good hunt, bulls were bugling, passed up a lot of rags, blew a stalk on a 320ish bull, saw some good bulls and a monster in the junipers, ended up killing a 265ish 6x6 late in the hunt, in the pines on the southern part of that unit, I know of a 410ish bull killed on that hunt. Really didn't run into too many hunters, but if I had your point numbers I would not put in for this unit unless you absolutely had a secret area with several good bulls that you know you could hunt. I would sit down with your partner and go over all the variables, style of hunting you want to do, terrain you are most comfortable with, camping options, scenery, other hunting pressure (bull and cow), schedule, expectations, road access in the unit, etc. Since this will most likely be your only tag for a while, I would leave nothing out to consider. Good luck on your quest!

[ultra300mag]

Thanks for all the input. And yes I did mean 350. The information gives me a lot to think about. Neither one of us has the hunter safety point yet and I think we will try to get that prior to next years applications. Again thanks for the help and good luck to you all this year.

[WHT_MTNMAN]

I sent a reply to your email bob, be careful in what you apply for, you might just get it.

 

[swcouesfanatic]

In my opinion, there are very good bulls in most elk units in Arizona, you just have to get out and find them. I've been in most of the big name units in the state, as well as several others. Even in the "non-big name" units we have been able to find and kill bigger bulls than what I have been told to expect to see. Even like Coues hunting, the more time you can spend in the field looking, the better your odds. 5A & 5B are fine units, but definitely not ones I would recommend to kill solid 350 class bulls.

[azyota]

So local E-scouters get flamed and out of staters get help. Hmmnnnnn

[KaibabHunter]

I hunted 5bs archery bull in 2006 and it was a lot of fun and saw a lot of elk but the majority of bulls I saw were not in the range you're looking for.

 

Killing a really huge bull is going to be a tougher, maybe not impossible but tougher, in the 5's. Time and effort scouting will help a lot - just depends on odds, how long you want to wait for a tag and the class of bulls you truly want to have a chance at.

 

[catclaw]

This is where you may want to concider a good balance. For me it is always a balance between a good opprotunity and THE opprotunity. There are several units you can draw with 9 points for a honest crack at a 350 bull with a bow. If you desire a unit 9 hunt, you will have to build more points for quite a while. Unit 9 may be the cream of the crop but there are other great opprotuinites in AZ. IMHO 10 is highly over-rated. Dont get me wrong, it has a reputation for being a "big bull" unit for a reason but the logistics can make it less than desirable at times. If you have inside info and know where there is a big bull or two AND can gain access to the land, then it can be a good thing. Otherwise unit 10 will most likely leave you very frustrated. Personaly I believe that with 9 points, you can do much better than the unit 5's. There are other units you can draw with 9 points with better and more bulls.

 

My son and I had unit 10 tags last September and we both drew tags the year before- we had only our hunter ed point. I personally saw 5 bulls over 400" DURING the hunt. I called one in for my son that hung up at 50 yds that was well over 420. I saw more than 20 bulls over 370. i don't think unit 10 is overrated. I saw all these bulls within a 5 sq mile area with the exception of one, which was on the other side of the unit. There were more BIG bulls in 10 last year than 9- fact.

 

Where unit 10 lets you down is that it is very open in most of it without your typical cover for making setups and blinds. There is NO permanent water in the north half of the unit except that which the ranches provide. It is quite different than any other unit in the state.

 

There are really no "bad" units in the state except possibly 6A, which is a slaughter unit with few bulls reaching maturity. I would prefer 1,7, 8, 9, 10, 23, and 27 over 5A or 5B. You can draw any archery tag in the state with 9 points with the possible exception of 9 due to the % cap on non-residents. Apply accordingly.

 

Not everyone in 9 kills a huge bull. I saw a lot of 320 and under bulls killed in 9 last year.

[coues krazy]

I will have to disagree about 6a being a bad unit. There are some toads in 6a. You have to hunt the canyons to find them in the general hunt. Archery season I have seen 350 plus bulls all over the unit. I.m.o. 4b is the toughest unit in the state for big bulls. They are in there but its a tough unit to hunt.

[shanehamblin]

This is where you may want to concider a good balance. For me it is always a balance between a good opprotunity and THE opprotunity. There are several units you can draw with 9 points for a honest crack at a 350 bull with a bow. If you desire a unit 9 hunt, you will have to build more points for quite a while. Unit 9 may be the cream of the crop but there are other great opprotuinites in AZ. IMHO 10 is highly over-rated. Dont get me wrong, it has a reputation for being a "big bull" unit for a reason but the logistics can make it less than desirable at times. If you have inside info and know where there is a big bull or two AND can gain access to the land, then it can be a good thing. Otherwise unit 10 will most likely leave you very frustrated. Personaly I believe that with 9 points, you can do much better than the unit 5's. There are other units you can draw with 9 points with better and more bulls.

 

My son and I had unit 10 tags last September and we both drew tags the year before- we had only our hunter ed point. I personally saw 5 bulls over 400" DURING the hunt. I called one in for my son that hung up at 50 yds that was well over 420. I saw more than 20 bulls over 370. i don't think unit 10 is overrated. I saw all these bulls within a 5 sq mile area with the exception of one, which was on the other side of the unit. There were more BIG bulls in 10 last year than 9- fact.

 

Where unit 10 lets you down is that it is very open in most of it without your typical cover for making setups and blinds. There is NO permanent water in the north half of the unit except that which the ranches provide. It is quite different than any other unit in the state.

 

There are really no "bad" units in the state except possibly 6A, which is a slaughter unit with few bulls reaching maturity. I would prefer 1,7, 8, 9, 10, 23, and 27 over 5A or 5B. You can draw any archery tag in the state with 9 points with the possible exception of 9 due to the % cap on non-residents. Apply accordingly.

 

Not everyone in 9 kills a huge bull. I saw a lot of 320 and under bulls killed in 9 last year.

hmmmmmmm.....

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

I will have to disagree about 6a being a bad unit. There are some toads in 6a. You have to hunt the canyons to find them in the general hunt. Archery season I have seen 350 plus bulls all over the unit. I.m.o. 4b is the toughest unit in the state for big bulls. They are in there but its a tough unit to hunt.

 

 

There are 350" bulls behind every tree in the state.... I had another hunter tell me the canyon I was hunting last years had a 400"er and atleast 3-4 other 350+" bull in it.... We killed His 400"er and it grossed 344"! Just my $.02 on the Numbers Game!