rifle coues

[huntinut]

Drew unit 23 December hunt, would appreciate any advice on how or where to hunt.

[Zeke-BE]

Game and fish web site has really good advice on some location. Your running out of time! You need to get up there and scout.

[maximus]

12 S 496833 3785353

[AverageJoe]

Hahahahaha i bet you would

[BackwoodsHunter]

You drew potentially one of the best wt tags in the state, go scout! You'll find em

[Eagle mountain ranch]

Hahahahaha i bet you would

^^^THIS^^^

[kazpilot25]

White-tailed Deer

Overview: White-tail deer numbers in unit 23 are static to improving. The long-term drought we have been experiencing over the past several years has had an effect on them but they seem to thrive in unit 23 regardless. How well the fawns survive due to the dry spring and summer rains is a good indication of the condition of the total populations the following year. Look forward to better populations on years with increased rainfall.

 

White-tailed deer can be found in all habitats from the semi-desert grassland areas up through through mixed-conifer forests. They are primarily found in a band of elevation from 3,500 feet to 6,000 feet. White-tailed deer prefer areas that do not experience heavy livestock densities. Required equipment for a successful hunt is a GOOD pair of binoculars and a tripod to mount them on and/or a spotting scope. There are areas in the unit where a good glasser can glass 20 to 30 deer from one vantage point. This can't be done unless you have the proper equipment.

 

Areas: Popular areas holding high densities of white-tailed deer are between Cherry Creek and Tonto Creek at an elevation between 3,500 to 6,000 feet. All major drainages that run off of the Sierra Ancha Mountains hold white-tailed deer. For an undisturbed hunt, packing into one of the wilderness areas is a good plan. These are Salome, Hells Gate and Sierra Ancha. The north half of the unit also produces good hunt opportunities for white-tailed deer.

 

Tips: Pre-season scouting is very important. Locate an area away from roads and glass the area to locate deer. Use a Tonto National Forest map to help you locate areas in which to search. White-tailed deer are very localized and can be found in the same canyon or hillside several times. The December hunt is a rut hunt and the bucks are usually actively seeking out does. Continue to glass with an honest effort and you should be able to locate a mature buck.

[azshtr]

As to how: Get a high vantage point, sit down and use binoculars on a tripod. Slowly pick apart the country side, then go over it again, and again.

[Non-Typical Solutions]

And again......

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

Donate that tag to someone who will respect it.

[ready2hunt]

If you're not going to pay a guide. Use a portion of that to buy some swaro's and spend all your time glassing.