leftover Hopi?

[yotebuster]

/> I had a leftover Hopi hunt tag for the East/West Sunset area a few years back. There's a simple reason even the Hopi people don't want a hunt that's set aside for them: few elk, if any. It's a depredation hunt that's been going on for several years to get the elk off the ranch there - and it's been mostly successful. It's not the entire unit, just the small subsection and there were heavy restrictions where we could camp, etc. My tag was good for any elk and the G&F guy I talked to beforehand told me to shoot the first elk I saw, even a calf, as I may not see another. I saw one cow in 3 scouting days and one cow with 2 bulls during the hunt, right as the sun was going down. I ran about a half mile to get into shooting position, but couldn't find a good shooting lane in the cedars before it got dark and they were gone. Never saw another one, but I did get a flat tire before heading home. Most of the hunters who were camped in that area hadn't seen a single elk during the hunt. All of that said, hunting elk is better than not hunting elk - and I guess that hunt technically qualifies . Pretty much anyone on this board who would come across your thread already knows about leftover tags so I wouldn't worry you let loose some state secrets. Considering the odds most people are trying to beat to get elk tags, it's telling that most of these limited opp tags aren't applied for at all. Leftover tags are leftovers for a reason, but I'll be trying for one again this year.

You are wrong. The Hopi tags are good for the whole unit.

It depends on which hunt you're applying for. You have to read the notes. One of those on the leftover list appears to be the "Hopi Hunt in East Sunset, West Sunset, Meteor Crater, Twin Arrows, Two Guns, and Grapevine Hunt Areas in Units 5A and 5B North" That hunt is definitely not for the whole unit - read notes 4 and 6.

I guess I'm wrong! I stand corrected!!