Danger in 30B

[bunhead]

My wife drew a rifle tag for the Nov. 8 WT hunt in 30B. This is a new area for us and I'm a little concerned about the danger from drug runners and illegals. Is this a route they use? I'll be starting my scouting for her soon and I'm just not sure whether to take her along. Also, can someone suggest the best way to access the unit where I'm not going to run into a private land dead end? Thanks!

[sherman]

I don't think it is that bad but I always carry a side arm when I go out. If you would like pm me for help. My wife has the October hunt there.

[wildwoody]

not bad , access is tough

[Snapshot]

I have hunted 30B a bunch, and have found evidence of illegal's passing through the hunting areas. Not nearly as what you would find in some of the other southern units. The San Pedro wash is one of the travel corridors in that region.

[dieselroe]

Lots of houses. Be sure to watch your backdrop when shooting in this unit. All the traffic will be closest the border, but these guys don't want trouble. When you see them just pretend they are deer and they will pass right by. NEVER had a problem.

[AceChicago]

_{I hunt this unit ever year at least 2 hunts every year. Never have had a problem with illegals alot of boader patrol. But depends on where you want to hunt? there is alot of open ground in30b just have to know how to get to it. I also have the nov8 tag, friends son has nov1 muley,son and friend from out of town has the nov15 muley tag down there this year.}

 

_Ace

[200"mulie]

I've never had any trouble either .. seen little trash ... dragoons will have the best access couple access points off Dragoon rd visit the G&F website for access roads.

[Bisbee]

I have lived in this unit for 22 years. It was spooky before the border wall went up. It is much calmer now. It is nothing like the Arivaca area now.

[sjvcon]

I used to love the Border Units ... not anymore.

 

Good luck to you. Sounds like this one is better than the one that I used to hunt (Arivacca).

[Scooter]

It's all good. You'll see evidence of illegals, but the drug running tends to be more late-night drops by vehicle along the out-of-the-way roads and then night time or early morning pick-ups of the merchandise. So many cameras around it's difficult for them to run those human mule trains with heavy loads.

[Whitesheep]

My experience from hunting in unit 29 matches Scooters'. We see trash, innovative water carrying systems and camps situated to not be seen from roads or trails. Once when trailing a deer we left a hunter at the truck because he had hurt his ankle. He heard and observed a couple of illegals coming over Silver Peak. When they saw our white dodge PU with camper shell they became very quiet and took a detour. (We think they thought it was a BP truck.) Our assumption is that illegals will steer clear of any hunters and problems would only occur if you are out at night. We do stay in a cabin instead of setting up a camp like we usually do in other units so we don't expose our camp while we are gone during the day. Everyone in our group carries a side arm, but I would expect to need it for bear before I would need it for protection from illegal's.

 

Another recommendation is to NOT explore any camps or caches you find. Once one of our group observed from an high OP what looked like a backpack with a bale of MJ. I looked to him just like the ones you see in the trail camera photos and videos. We steered well clear of that pack as who knows who else was watching it or if it was booby trapped.

 

So go hunting im 30 and have fun. If you stay in at night and keep up your situational awareness while your are out you should be fine.

[Distance]

You'll see them long before you see them. Walk slow. Be quiet. You'll be fine....

[CouesKilla]

I was down by Bisbee a few years back and had some suspicous behavior heading back into my camp one evening. Car stops about 100 yards from camp and then you see LED lights disperse into the desert. Needless to say we got the heck out of there and got a room in Bisbee. Next morning everything was fine. I found about 50-100 uneaten macdonalds cheese burgers on the ground. I tend to stay in the northern part of that unit these days. You should be safe because there is plenty of BP 24/7. Illegals are harmless for the most part. The drug runners do most of there work at night. They tend to avoid hunters as they know what time of year it is. Just be aware of your surroundings and pack some side heat just in case,

[natedogthehunter]

They don't want trouble but they will try to get to you if you pose as a threat but I would wear a sidearm while out there.