Bonus Pass on the Peaks hunts

[reece_mess16]

Can anyone direct me to the info on the bonus pass round for the peaks only hunts for elk. How many points did most guys draw it on. Will AZGFD keep these hunts going for a while? I understand they want Aspen Regrowth. This is purely a curiosity post and I can’t find anything on it. Thanks.

[Red Rabbit]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/azgfd-portal-wordpress/azgfd.wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/16142449/2018-Pronghorn-and-Elk-Bonus-Point-Report-Bonus-Pass-by-Hunt-Number.pdf

[nateNAU]

Well the peaks hunts are gone. They were limited opportunity hunts after the Schultz burn until last year, as you stated to give the new aspens a break. This year they are now the Kachina peaks wilderness hunts. I believe there are only two now, one early archery followed by a rifle hunt. The hunt boundaries are very different that the previous peaks hunts. Because the number of these hunts decreased, tag numbers decreased, the were pulled from the LO section and put into the general (this effects nr caps), there is no real draw or bonus point data for these hunts.

[maximus]

don't have too much info on the point, i got drawn with 3 points.

[reece_mess16]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/azgfd-portal-wordpress/azgfd.wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/16142449/2018-Pronghorn-and-Elk-Bonus-Point-Report-Bonus-Pass-by-Hunt-Number.pdf

 

 

Thanks!

[reece_mess16]

Well the peaks hunts are gone. They were limited opportunity hunts after the Schultz burn until last year, as you stated to give the new aspens a break. This year they are now the Kachina peaks wilderness hunts. I believe there are only two now, one early archery followed by a rifle hunt. The hunt boundaries are very different that the previous peaks hunts. Because the number of these hunts decreased, tag numbers decreased, the were pulled from the LO section and put into the general (this effects nr caps), there is no real draw or bonus point data for these hunts.

 

I appreciate your input, Nate. I was just bored looking up elk stuff and got super curious about these hunts. So are they going to keep the wilderness hunts around now that they are here or are they eventually just going to be 7E tags that have a wllderness in the unit?

[nateNAU]

 

 

Well the peaks hunts are gone. They were limited opportunity hunts after the Schultz burn until last year, as you stated to give the new aspens a break. This year they are now the Kachina peaks wilderness hunts. I believe there are only two now, one early archery followed by a rifle hunt. The hunt boundaries are very different that the previous peaks hunts. Because the number of these hunts decreased, tag numbers decreased, the were pulled from the LO section and put into the general (this effects nr caps), there is no real draw or bonus point data for these hunts.

I appreciate your input, Nate. I was just bored looking up elk stuff and got super curious about these hunts. So are they going to keep the wilderness hunts around now that they are here or are they eventually just going to be 7E tags that have a wllderness in the unit?

You can already hunt the wilderness with any 7e tag but I think these hunts are here to stay. Haven't talked to anyone who knows for sure but the are kind of like the late archery hunts. More opportunity for hunters without too many extra elk being harvested. I am excited about these hunts and am also kind of waiting to see what kind of draw odds these hunt stabilize with.

[reece_mess16]

 

 

Well the peaks hunts are gone. They were limited opportunity hunts after the Schultz burn until last year, as you stated to give the new aspens a break. This year they are now the Kachina peaks wilderness hunts. I believe there are only two now, one early archery followed by a rifle hunt. The hunt boundaries are very different that the previous peaks hunts. Because the number of these hunts decreased, tag numbers decreased, the were pulled from the LO section and put into the general (this effects nr caps), there is no real draw or bonus point data for these hunts.

I appreciate your input, Nate. I was just bored looking up elk stuff and got super curious about these hunts. So are they going to keep the wilderness hunts around now that they are here or are they eventually just going to be 7E tags that have a wllderness in the unit?

You can already hunt the wilderness with any 7e tag but I think these hunts are here to stay. Haven't talked to anyone who knows for sure but the are kind of like the late archery hunts. More opportunity for hunters without too many extra elk being harvested. I am excited about these hunts and am also kind of waiting to see what kind of draw odds these hunt stabilize with.

 

 

Thats another reason I started this thread. Looks like the next few years will be busy for me (military) and I'll have a few points saved up. I have to use my point guard this year for my 4B late archery tag so I'm kinda seeing if these are worth the points after I get through the next three years. I really hope they stick around myself.

[nateNAU]

 

 

 

 

Well the peaks hunts are gone. They were limited opportunity hunts after the Schultz burn until last year, as you stated to give the new aspens a break. This year they are now the Kachina peaks wilderness hunts. I believe there are only two now, one early archery followed by a rifle hunt. The hunt boundaries are very different that the previous peaks hunts. Because the number of these hunts decreased, tag numbers decreased, the were pulled from the LO section and put into the general (this effects nr caps), there is no real draw or bonus point data for these hunts.

I appreciate your input, Nate. I was just bored looking up elk stuff and got super curious about these hunts. So are they going to keep the wilderness hunts around now that they are here or are they eventually just going to be 7E tags that have a wllderness in the unit?

You can already hunt the wilderness with any 7e tag but I think these hunts are here to stay. Haven't talked to anyone who knows for sure but the are kind of like the late archery hunts. More opportunity for hunters without too many extra elk being harvested. I am excited about these hunts and am also kind of waiting to see what kind of draw odds these hunt stabilize with.

Thats another reason I started this thread. Looks like the next few years will be busy for me (military) and I'll have a few points saved up. I have to use my point guard this year for my 4B late archery tag so I'm kinda seeing if these are worth the points after I get through the next three years. I really hope they stick around myself.

If you are willing and have the time to put into these wilderness tags, I think these hunts are worth it. With these new boundaries these hunts will be absolutely brutal. Nearly all tag holders will probably hunt out of locket medow or off snow bowl road. The kicker is It's illegal to camp or even be in the inner basin before sun up outside of the campground in the inner basin. My plan for these hunts is apply for the second hunt, which is rifle and starts right after archery, firts choice, and the early archery second choice. Bivy into a saddle above the inner basin towards the back and hunt. I would almost garentee you would never see another person and hunt elk that have been rarely hunted, period. 7e is not your typical monster elk unit, but as everyone knows, any elk unit in arizona can hold some studs. As far as points to draw the tag, I typically draw mid quality early archery tags such as 7e every 3-4 years in the 1-2 pass. The rifle tag is up in the air. Many will apply just because it's a rifle elk tag that starts in September without realizing how difficult the hunt is. I would say the archery tag would take mabey 1 point less than the early 7e early archery tag for the bonus pass and probably + 3 points than the early archery 7e tag for the rifle hunt. These are purely my educated guess and I have been wrong before, just ask my wife.

[maximus]

Nate,

is the wilderness still close due to fire restrictions? i only had a chance to go there once this year but need to go up a lot during the summer.

[nateNAU]

Nate,

is the wilderness still close due to fire restrictions? i only had a chance to go there once this year but need to go up a lot during the summer.

Yup. Unfortunately the peaks are completely closed.