School Me On Unit 10

[Deserttrecker]

So I drew a late rifle bull tag for unit 10. This is my first elk tag and I want to be as prepared as possible. I'm not interested in a guide, it's just not for me. I want to get familiar with the unit but I am a little confused. So I checked out the G&F info on the unit and other than the williams corner and Kaibab in the south eastern part of the unit is there any other public land? Can I access the checkerboarded state trust land without paying the ranches fees? I already checked out the Williams corner and wil be going back to scout in a few days. I will also be OTC archery hunting deer in the unit. I'm just looking for some advice from some of the guys that hunted the unit before. Thanks

[5guyshunting]

Pm sent

[Red Dog]

Talked with the Wildlife Manager at an Elk Clinic a couple weeks back about the same thing, The corner, Boquillas Ranch, and the section north of the corner are the only places currently open. I'd try giving the ranchers/owners of private land a call though, most of them, as long as you don't show up looking like rambo asking to hunt their land the day of, will entertain your request. Do a bit of prescouting, if you see something is wrong with their ranch/property, IE broken fences, watering tanks empty, gates that should be closed that are open, or other hunters, mark it down and let the rancher know, better yet, fix it yourself if you could. Little things will go a long way. Something else good to look at would be the AZaccess map provided by the AZGFD, has all the areas that are open/accessible listed on the map.

[daverp]

^{You can't access the ranch without paying the fees.}

 

^{I don't like it, as I believe that with the "recreational impact fees" to offset "damage" by hunters, the "damage" done on the ranch by hunters has been hugely over exaggerated. I've spent a lot of time on the ranch, and it is consistently much cleaner than nearby NF lands. This was little more than a means to make money off the many hunters who use the ranch. A bad precedent. But, this year, I will be paying the fees again, and doing my best to be a good and careful visitor during my deer hunt, and my son's late rifle bull hunt.}

 

^{If you tire of ATV'ers running cross country, and big crowds, this is a good place to be. If you want to use an ATV, or don't care about the crowds, then there are other options outside of the ranch. But I personally don't let the $60 sway me because I prefer the type of hunt I can get there versus the NF areas.}

 

^{Congrats on a good tag. The late rifle hunt is not the sexiest hunt in U10, but it is still a U10 elk hunt...nothing to sneeze at! Hopefully it's not as tough of a hunt as last year's was.}

 

^{As for advice....come up with a good solid "Plan A" hunt plan, AND a solid "Plan B"....and be ready to move if you aren't seeing the elk / signs of elk the first couple days of the season. Made that mistake last year on my newphew's hunt. Scouted a few days prior, and saw little. Stayed through day 3 before we moved off to another area with loads of elk sign. Then the fog hit and we lost more time. Everyone was saying the same thing...."they were here last week / the other day" etc., "and now they're gone". No matter how much I love my "go to" areas, I will move in a hurry this year if we encounter the same thing as last year. My summer / fall scout plan revolves around one thing...finding good "Plan B" and "Plan C" areas. Scouting the week before the hunt will make the final decision for us on where we start out at come opening morning.}

[azrcks]

Daverp, from what I was reading on the site it sounds like you can only get on the ranch for your hunt, is it possible to scout it before the season? Fun place, had that hunt in 2011, shot a bull (in avatar) on opening morning and then spent 4 more days hunting the same area never to see another elk again, i agree to move if you are not seeing sign.

[cosninocanines]

There's a lot more to 10 than the Boquillas. Babbitt ranches are open for hunting as are most of the northern ranches. Check in with the ranchers and you will be fine. If a gate is closed-close it, if it's laying on the ground close it (ranchers will tie the gate back to the fence if they want it open) respect and obey all signs and most important enjoy the hunt. Willaha Road just north Valle and the power line on hwy 64 is your best access.

 

Scout as much as you can and above all have fun.

[daverp]

azrcks, on 09 Aug 2014 - 11:25 AM, said:

Daverp, from what I was reading on the site it sounds like you can only get on the ranch for your hunt, is it possible to scout it before the season? Fun place, had that hunt in 2011, shot a bull (in avatar) on opening morning and then spent 4 more days hunting the same area never to see another elk again, i agree to move if you are not seeing sign.

You can get on to scout now. Permits are available as of a couple weeks ago.

[208muley]

You can get on the "BO" right now. Also the land that is private is well marked and you will know it. Remember the burden is on the land owner to post their land PROPERLY if it is private. This is not new Mexico!

[Deserttrecker]

I bought my permit, and will spend as much time in the unit as I can before the hunt. I'm really excited and a little concerned since this will be first real big game hunt. From what I've read the late hunt has a lot of contingencies to address so I will work on these as much as I can.

[Deserttrecker]

I might be getting a little but off topic here but, is it worth paying another $60 to hunt the Bo ranch for the OTC archery deer hunt this month?

[daverp]

If you didn't have an elk tag you were scouting for, I don't know that I'd do it. The area has some nice bucks, but densities are pretty low. I took the buck in my avatar out of there, but we scouted our azzes off and kept tabs on him and his group for months before closing the deal during the season. But if you definitely want a buck, it's not a high percentage hunt.

 

But, as you've got your late rifle elk tag, I'd do it, and use the deer season as an opportunity to scout for elk...and if you happen to see a buck worth pursuing, you can then do that. This is exactly what I'm doing this year. Son drew a the late rifle bull hunt. Knowing that, I put in for the U10 deer hunt, which I drew. I'll be out there for rifle deer season with the rifle slung over the shoulder, but the time will be 100% geared towards scouting new locations we may want to use during his elk hunt. If I glass up a nice buck while scouting though...game on. If I don't see a single deer, I'm perfectly content with that as well. But I know going in it's not a full blown deer hunt for me.

[jim]

If you bought your permit for your elk hunt you can archery hunt deer while you scout for your elk hunt.

[daverp]

No, unfortunately. It makes no sense, but they nail you twice. Even if you'd be out there scouting for elk anyway, and you're paying for full access from September through December for your elk hunt, if you want to hunt deer, it requires another permit, and another $60.

 

It's BS, but it is what it is as they say. Don't like it, but I coughed up the $60 for scouting for my son's elk hunt, and $60 for my deer hunt. Even though I'd be out there anyway. Don't want to be the guy caught hauling a deer out with only an elk access permit, and get banned from the ranch, or give us guys that like to use the ranch a black eye (or the ranch lessee a reason to b!tch anymore than they already have to G&F and / or a reason to restrict access completely and obtain landowner permits...which seems is their ultimate goal).

[elkaholic]

I got a little piece of that heaven in unit 10 - elk can be hard to come by-

 

ill skip my broken record speech about all the cows being hunted till it has decimated all the big herds

 

the elk are around but not like past yrs. I've yet to see a big bull on my property - generally a dozen (max) cows instead of 20-30

 

it should be a good yr - good luck

 

a lot of elk are taken off other areas than those ranches

[kjkf]

Does anybody have a guess as to the percentage of early tags (archery/rifle) that will hunt on the Bo ranch? I have an early rifle tag and kicked the idea around, but have decided not to pay the $60. I believe that no matter where someone hunts, time, effort and luck play a big part in being successful.