Backpack hunt

[acharenio]

If you were to do a backpack hunt in a wilderness area , which wilderness would you do it? and what unit would you do it?

in southern arizona you have 2 in unit 33

1 in unit 34a .

unit 32 has one.

unit 27 is almost like wilderness everywhere.

unit 22 has 3.

unit 23 has 3.

and so on.

let me know what you think.

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

 

32 or 33 for sure. Good deer everywhere u mentioned, but in those two units you kinda get the best of both..... more deer and less UDA's....IMO.

[maximus]

i agree 32 and 33 also 23 or 22 with the mazatzal wilderness, southern arizona is to risky to be alone to close to the border.

[bobbyo]

Always go to unit 23. Best unit in the state!

Bob

[bowhuntaz1]

Always go to unit 23. Best unit in the state!

Bob

 

 

 

HE!! TO THE YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

That unit has everything but buffalo!!!

[krp]

24B has a decent Wilderness. It's all about water, personal water sources, permanent, not temperary. It's about the prehunt prep, prehunt scouting of access, water, country, campsites and then animals. Once you're in an area, those are the animals you can hunt. It's not about killing the biggest animal in the unit, he could be found next to pavement more likely. It's about research, backcountry hunting, self reliance, hunting the animals in the area you choose.

 

What I like about it is. Start scouting spring/summer in new country, putting a pack on for a few trips, also can evaluate equipment and basic skills, quick overnight afternoon to morning trips to beat the heat. Aug, start scouting for animals, bowhunt deer, bear hunt if I want. Usually after this I've narrowed an area down for rifle or dec/jan archery. Continue scouting and prepare campsite, cache possibles if desired and pump/cache water from nearby source.

 

You can just bivy into a new area blind. I would never do that on the hunt itself, no way to carry enough water for a 4 day min hunt with all the equipment and optics/weapon, full gear ect. Hoping to find water could be disaster. I bivy while scouting and confirming water sources, I carry min equipment for just one or two nights and enough water to get in and out if needed.

 

I usually do this as a 2 or 3 year project for one area, then move on to start again, even if there are still great animals where I'm at. That's the fun of it, the exploring on multiple trips before the hunt. Evaluating if the country can sustain you, can you learn to live in it.

 

Have fun.

 

Kent

[acharenio]

24B has a decent Wilderness. It's all about water, personal water sources, permanent, not temperary. It's about the prehunt prep, prehunt scouting of access, water, country, campsites and then animals. Once you're in an area, those are the animals you can hunt. It's not about killing the biggest animal in the unit, he could be found next to pavement more likely. It's about research, backcountry hunting, self reliance, hunting the animals in the area you choose.

 

What I like about it is. Start scouting spring/summer in new country, putting a pack on for a few trips, also can evaluate equipment and basic skills, quick overnight afternoon to morning trips to beat the heat. Aug, start scouting for animals, bowhunt deer, bear hunt if I want. Usually after this I've narrowed an area down for rifle or dec/jan archery. Continue scouting and prepare campsite, cache possibles if desired and pump/cache water from nearby source.

 

You can just bivy into a new area blind. I would never do that on the hunt itself, no way to carry enough water for a 4 day min hunt with all the equipment and optics/weapon, full gear ect. Hoping to find water could be disaster. I bivy while scouting and confirming water sources, I carry min equipment for just one or two nights and enough water to get in and out if needed.

 

I usually do this as a 2 or 3 year project for one area, then move on to start again, even if there are still great animals where I'm at. That's the fun of it, the exploring on multiple trips before the hunt. Evaluating if the country can sustain you, can you learn to live in it.

 

Have fun.

 

Kent

Thank you Kent, water could be a big problem. but in the spring is hard to find permanent water because of the winter rains and snow, so is it better to scout in summer? to have a more realistic water level on springs, waterholes and creeks?

thank you for your input.

[krp]

When I start in a new area, first I check Google earth for terrain and see if it shows any springs or tanks, remember there's alot of springs not shown. I'll narrow down a few different areas in the main area and spend different trips on reconnaissance, in the spring is fine. Check out the shown water and access and basic huntability. You will get a feel how permanent the water might be, I trust nothing completely but springs are more reliable than tanks. I will check water on a trip right before the hunt or take enough water in that I can turn around and get back out if needed, That's something you should do anyway. Many springs even in wilderness areas had been improved by man at one time or another, so are fairly permanent. During exploring you could very well find a spring unnamed and have to just watch it during different times of year to get a feel. One of the reason I give a good area a few years of work. I don't remember one time that I found an area on a map or google earth and didn't find a better more secret area close, off the radar.

 

All this means is you get to explore during different times and when you do hunt and take a good animal it was a complete experience.

 

Sorry for the quick responce, I have to go.

 

Kent

[natureboyfloyd]

The Galiuros, in Unit 32, can tear you up on the west flank. I tried a hard way up after a longer trek across the valley. The missus wondered where the bruises came from, literally, until I showed her the torn, bloody sunshirt. Last time a family member of mine was up in terrain like that, he had a flamethrower (WW2).

 

Cowboy movies about the Apache Wars need to be filmed in tough terrain like that, IMO.

 

Why 32? Every time I get there, I see great bear scat, and big deer. Some of those out of the way ridgelines.....

 

[ac guy]

24b for a rut bowhunt. I'm thinking of going this year if anyone is interested. You can hunt mulies at one end of the trail, and wt the rest of the way in.

[motoxno53]

Not trying to hijack but I am also doing research to start doing more pack trips. if anyone is in the Tucson area are looking to partner up let me know.

 

Chris

 

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