Navajo Army Depot for Elk, Question?

[WinMag]

With yet another year of not getting drawn for Elk my hunt buddies and I are thinking about an Elk hunt on the Navajo Army (National Guard) Depot. We all are ex-military and should qualify to be legal to hunt on it. With that said I have started reading the regs for those hunts and it seems like there are a ton of regulations that would need to be followed and could be missed if we did not understand them completely. My question is, has anybody hunted up there in the past, and is it worth the hassle to put in for the area with all the restrictions?

[WinMag]

After I posted this I realized it is a baited question........ I know any hunt is only worth what you put into it and what you are looking to get out of it. I'm more looking for is the hassle to hunt the unit as big as it seems.

[creed]

I drew a leftover there about 4 years ago and was harrassed so badly that I spent a total of 15 minutes there. It started at the gate with a jackhole and a pistol thinking he was important. He gave me nothing but a hard time. When I finally got it out of him where to camp it started all over again with the "host" at the camping area telling me since I wasn't military I couldn't hunt/camp there. I showed him a tag and still was into with him over whether I was there legally or not. I decided it wasn't worth dealing with idiots, turned around and drove the 200 miles back home.

 

Having said that, I have friends that hunt there nearly every year. It comes down to do you want to potentially have to deal with stupidity and people overwhelmed with their own importance. Lots of elk and I know people that have had no problem whatsoever. I think it just depends on who you are talking to that day.

[anthonyrmatthews]

The Depots main mission is making sure the military gets the training they need there. Hunting is not a priority there. There can be some good animals on the Depot, but there are places that the animals know about where people can't go. Just like most things...The grass is greener on the other side of the fence. There is always a chance the base can be shut down to no hunting on the days you plan on hunting too. If you go there with a positive attitude and knowing this you can and will have fun. I've hunted with a leftover tag there before and this year drew an archery bull tag. I would gladly trade that tag, but I just want a chance to hunt. Hope this info helps...

[WinMag]

The Depots main mission is making sure the military gets the training they need there. Hunting is not a priority there. There can be some good animals on the Depot, but there are places that the animals know about where people can't go. Just like most things...The grass is greener on the other side of the fence. There is always a chance the base can be shut down to no hunting on the days you plan on hunting too. If you go there with a positive attitude and knowing this you can and will have fun. I've hunted with a leftover tag there before and this year drew an archery bull tag. I would gladly trade that tag, but I just want a chance to hunt. Hope this info helps...

 

I drew a leftover there about 4 years ago and was harrassed so badly that I spent a total of 15 minutes there. It started at the gate with a jackhole and a pistol thinking he was important. He gave me nothing but a hard time. When I finally got it out of him where to camp it started all over again with the "host" at the camping area telling me since I wasn't military I couldn't hunt/camp there. I showed him a tag and still was into with him over whether I was there legally or not. I decided it wasn't worth dealing with idiots, turned around and drove the 200 miles back home.

 

Having said that, I have friends that hunt there nearly every year. It comes down to do you want to potentially have to deal with stupidity and people overwhelmed with their own importance. Lots of elk and I know people that have had no problem whatsoever. I think it just depends on who you are talking to that day.

 

Thanks for the info....

[Don Martin]

I've hunted on Camp Navajo a number of times. Have had some good luck and some bad luck..

 

This year my lady friend drew tag 1 (out of three) for a civilian any elk rifle hunt that starts on Sept. 30. I also drew; I got tag 1 (out of two) for the rifle antlerless elk hunt at the same time as hers. There are a total of 18 tags there for that time, counting civilian and military.

 

Yes, there are issues that you have to deal with there, and you have to be prepared to deal with them. Then you just go hunt!

 

The biggest issue I see is that civilians can only hunt the buffer areas, you can't go into the limited areas where there are absolutely ton of elk!

 

I think military guys with bows can go into the limited area, but absolutely no firearms allowed there.

 

Success there can be good- or it can be bad.

 

Those freakin elk know that there is a literal sanctuary in the limited area, and at the crack of dawn (sometimes earlier) off they go! I've been there and watched and heard them jump the fence within a half hour of shooting light.

 

I need to meet up with anthonyrmatthews and discuss with him some of the finer points of the depot, especially if he has an early bow tag there! You can only scout a week before your hunt starts, and I'll be there for the week preceding our hunts. So may be able to help IF he has that hunt.

 

I've taken several elk and a chased turkeys there a couple of times, so I kinda know the area, which is a huge help.

 

Right now I hope that little freakin crackerjack in North Korea or that nut job in Iran doesn't start some crap, cause the military mission is the base's first priority, and in reality, they don't worry about that you've invested 10 or more years for an elk tag there (which my lady friend has!). I drew with three points.

 

Anyway, that's what I can tell you.

 

Don Martin

Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

[KaibabHunter]

Good luck getting a hold of the guy in charge of the program to get any questions answered . I tried for a leftover tag last year and he never answered the phone, responded to an email, and his voicemail was full. Randomly called #'s on the website until I found someone who answered my ?'s. Frustrating.

[elkaholic]

if you read the regulations you have to be retired or active national guard to hunt in the limited area - the buffer area is for the civilians -

 

you can only apply for left over tags if you are national guard or retired military in the second drawing- exmilitary means nothing - you are a civilian

 

anyone is eligible for the 3rd over the counter tags if any are left!

 

thought you quit hunting the depot Don - quit tellin your friends - lol

 

remember there are very limited # of civilian tags-- I applied for 4 different depot hunts #'s - I applied for chance at a total of 10 tags - my whole elk season was limited to drawing one of 10 tags available to civilians - I applied archery rifle and muzzleloader- I was unsuccessful - though ive been drawn before- i'll not make this mistake agin - I prefer better odds!! there are approx. only 25 civIlian tags split between the 2- archery seasons the 2- rifle and the muzzy hunts-- that is for both bull and cow

 

if you draw there are lots of restrictions - remember you are a civilian on a military base!! their rules period!

you basically have a mile wide strip around the base to actually hunt - on basically 3 sides - each approx 5 miles long - that's it ! 99 % of the elk population beds in the limited area and you have approx. 1-2 hrs in the morning to catch them coming off 6b-rogers lake or garland praire- same thing in the evening leaving the limited area - that's it!

 

I appied an drew and was issued a leftover second drawing national guard tag last yr - I had to give it back to g&f because I was ineligible to apply for it - my mistake - they also kept my 121 $

[AZBob]

My son had a civilian tag over 10 years ago. There seemed to be a total disconnect between the personnel at the gate and the person in charge of the hunt. We showed up to scout the unit several times and only got the opportunity to actually go in once. Rifle hunters could only hunt the outer rim of the property, and the elk weren't stupid, they knew where they were safe. This was a September hunt, and it was great to hear a lot of bugling....but they were all off limits. We might have been able to score, but we couldn't close the deal in the limited time my son had away from school. Lesson learned: Don't bother applying again. Too much of a hassle trying to deal with people who could care less about the time and effort you were trying to invest in an elk hunt.

[WinMag]

if you read the regulations you have to be retired or active national guard to hunt in the limited area - the buffer area is for the civilians -

 

you can only apply for left over tags if you are national guard or retired military in the second drawing- exmilitary means nothing - you are a civilian

 

anyone is eligible for the 3rd over the counter tags if any are left!

 

thought you quit hunting the depot Don - quit tellin your friends - lol

 

remember there are very limited # of civilian tags-- I applied for 4 different depot hunts #'s - I applied for chance at a total of 10 tags - my whole elk season was limited to drawing one of 10 tags available to civilians - I applied archery rifle and muzzleloader- I was unsuccessful - though ive been drawn before- i'll not make this mistake agin - I prefer better odds!! there are approx. only 25 civIlian tags split between the 2- archery seasons the 2- rifle and the muzzy hunts-- that is for both bull and cow

 

if you draw there are lots of restrictions - remember you are a civilian on a military base!! their rules period!

you basically have a mile wide strip around the base to actually hunt - on basically 3 sides - each approx 5 miles long - that's it ! 99 % of the elk population beds in the limited area and you have approx. 1-2 hrs in the morning to catch them coming off 6b-rogers lake or garland praire- same thing in the evening leaving the limited area - that's it!

 

I appied an drew and was issued a leftover second drawing national guard tag last yr - I had to give it back to g&f because I was ineligible to apply for it - my mistake - they also kept my 121 $

 

I'am ex- US Army/Arizona National Guard (855 MP's) but I got out (Honorable Discharge) back in 1986. But the regs seem confusing when I read them and may be easy to make a mistake while up there. So are you saying that I have to be active guard to hunt the limited area?

[Stroke]

If you we're discharged you are not allowed to hunt the limited area. The tag can be a hit or miss. I killed to two cow elk in the buffer area on the west side, but like the earlier posts you have to cut them off before they make it to the limited area.

[WinMag]

If you we're discharged you are not allowed to hunt the limited area. The tag can be a hit or miss. I killed to two cow elk in the buffer area on the west side, but like the earlier posts you have to cut them off before they make it to the limited area.

 

Thank you..... I will save my points for another hunt another year. Thank you to everybody that responded.

[Lucafu1]

You can also hunt there if you are a veteran who is 50% or more disabled by the VA.

[1uglydude]

Thank you..... I will save my points for another hunt another year. Thank you to everybody that responded.

 

You don't lose your points when you get a leftover tag, unless for some reason the Depot tags are treated differently.

[elkaholic]

there is hardly __NEVER leftover civilian tags other than the dec cow which equals no elk they are gone