Over the counter archery deer tag gone?

[bowsniper]

I keep hearing rumors that G&F is planning to eliminate the over the counter archery deer tag. So I was wondering, if you like to hunt both archery and rifle for deer, and had to choose between them, what would your first two choices on the application be? Rifle or Achery?

 

Mark

[COOSEFAN]

That would suck if they made that change! I would do rifle first and archery second if I could. I also feel that if I had to draw a archery tag, I would put more effort into the hunt. I usually don't becuase I have a rifle tag in my pocket for later, or it's in January and I don't want to end the year just yet. I would hate to see them take that away though! JIM>

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Can you add "one of each" to the first question?????? I would rather put in for my Favorite unit(s).... I LOVE to hunt Coues Deer..... if I have to choose between bow or rifle I will still want to hunt my old stompin' grounds.

 

Example:

 

1st choice: Unit #X rifle (December)

2nd choice: Unit #X archery

3rd choice: Unit #Y archery

4th choice: Unit#Y rifle (October)

 

Etc.

 

Just my $.02.......

[bowsniper]

Can you add "one of each" to the first question?????? I would rather put in for my Favorite unit(s).... I LOVE to hunt Coues Deer..... if I have to choose between bow or rifle I will still want to hunt my old stompin' grounds.

 

Example:

 

1st choice: Unit #X rifle (December)

2nd choice: Unit #X archery

3rd choice: Unit #Y archery

4th choice: Unit#Y rifle (October)

 

Etc.

 

Just my $.02.......

 

That's a good idea, but it won't let me edit the poll questions or responses. Sorry!

 

Mark

[azcouesandelk]

That would be rough it would have to be rifle first choice and archery second choice for now but that might change in a year or two.

[111]

If they ever put the archery as a draw it would suck....bad. I would rather see G&F cut back on the rifle tags for any animal before they take away the only guarantee hunt available. OTC Archery Deer was created for the majority of us to brush off the bows and get in the woods for a couple weeks a year. Putting the Kaibab/13A hunt to a draw would be bad enough. If they go to draw for all units in the State, well that's when it will really stink.. If it did ever happen I would put rifle first, archery second just because of draw odds.

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

If they ever put the archery as a draw it would suck....bad. I would rather see G&F cut back on the rifle tags for any animal before they take away the only guarantee hunt available. OTC Archery Deer was created for the majority of us to brush off the bows and get in the woods for a couple weeks a year. Putting the Kaibab/13A hunt to a draw would I think would be bad enough. If they go to draw for all units in the State well that's when it will really stink.. If it did ever happen I would put rifle first, archery second just because of draw odds.

 

 

All the AZGF guys that I know say that they are going to make some changes in the next couple of years to the archery deer "system"... but there are NO plans to stop the OTC tags as of yet.

[Lance]

None of the questions match what I feel or want.

Where is the guestion that says "Just leave it alone!" ?

 

OTC tags all the way!!!!!!!!!!!! For every hunting spot that is over crowded with archery hunters there is 100 more spots that are not!

 

I find that the subject of going to a draw for archery deer came from the people who follow the crowds of archery hunters to the same old crowded hunter spots. Then they sit there and complane that they are the only ones that derserve to be there instead of finding a new place to hunt. There are millions of other spots to hunt in this state that are not over crowded or have no archery deer hunters at all! If we would just spread out a little and find new spots then we could spend more time hunting and less time complaning! I know this cause I used to be one of the complaning ones.

 

Jim Zumbo got stoned for suggesting something that would take away one small part of our freedoms. I consider OTC archery deer tags to be one small part of our freedoms here in Arizona. I would sure hate to see it go because we all think we have to hunt the same spots year after year and no one else deserves to hunt there. This is a cosmetic option.

 

Just something to think about.

Lance

[mulie hunter]

Well i hope they don't do that. I'm a Archery hunter first, so it' would be archery all the way. I would hate to lose the freedom of mutiple seasons and units. North Kaibab would hurt the most I enjoy knowing I can hunt it every year.

[mattys281]

Seems like they would sell a lot fewer archery permits that way. Can't see how it makes sense, give our success rate w/ bows. Unless they just make too much money from those over the counter permits & are trying to fix that.

[DesertBull]

There has been a lot of complaining about the number of people on the Kaibab during archery season. I could see them going to a draw for that. I would probably go for that hunt if I knew there would 1/4 as many people up there.

[mulie hunter]

There has been a lot of complaining about the number of people on the Kaibab during archery season. I could see them going to a draw for that. I would probably go for that hunt if I knew there would 1/4 as many people up there.

I hunt it ,yes there alot of hunters but the success rate is no where near that of the rifle hunts. I usally avoid opening weekend, and avoid the rush, it usally calms down after that. If they go for a draw there it is only a matter of time before it is statewide.

[111]

I agree with above...if we as hunters start limiting ourselves to only hunt when drawn then the sport of hunting will never be the same. I look at archery deer as what keeps the tradition of hunting alive in Arizona. Once a draw is set on archery deer it would be really hard to ever bring it back to an OTC hunt. Like I said before, limit the rifle hunters because of high success factors, before using the archery hunters with much lower success to have less time in the field.

[ThomC]

If there was a draw then it should be only for units so as to spread out the hunters. You should still be able to hunt Archery in Jan/Aug and put in for rifle in the fall. They did the draw for Javelina to spread out the hunters.

[bowsniper]

I didn't mean to start or spread rumors. I was just wondering how you guys felt about it. Yeah, it would really bite if they took away the deer OTC hunt. They did it to javalina, so it would not be a surprize to me if it followed with deer. With such as low success rate, you would think that G&F must make a pile of money on the OTC tags.

 

I think I remember that G&F gave a reason that the pigs were getting over hunted by archers in the units close to metro areas, so they took away the OTC tags for pigs. Maybe they are thinking that some units are getting too hammered by archery for deer? Or maybe it's just a control thing?

 

Anyway, since I started with archery, I forgot the combination to my gun safe, so I guess that I would put in for all archery deer hunts if they do it to us. There is no hunt I like better than an archery coues hunt!

 

Mark