Water in 36A

[NewlyMinted]

Dumb question maybe, but hiking around 36A I've found active wells w/ water troughs, orphan dry water troughs, dry wells and troughs, and tanks of all sizes.

Which water types are the best to get familiar with over the next couple of months.

I'm guessing the troughs are maintained by the ranchers as there's been cattle all around each time I've found one, but do the tanks fill and stay wet for any serious amount of time during the summer?

Are the windmill wells activated by ranchers or AZGFD? Are the ones man made wells and troughs I find dry now going to stay dry through out the summer?

My tag is for the early part of October, and there will hopefully be some good rain over the next couple of months, so should I get to know the areas around the tanks or are they too hit and miss for Coues bucks I'm trying to pattern?

Thanks!

 

 

[wildwoody]

The ones with the biggest trades maybe..

[NewlyMinted]

Tanks with big trees makes sense.

Are the solar and windmill driven wells with concrete troughs owned by the state, or local ranchers? There's no signage either way and it's definitely state trust land.

[naturebob]

I have the 3rd season there. Definately interested in the water situation...........BOB!

[NOTAGS]

I have hunted it a couple times on the November hunts, there are a  ponds that all  had water both hunts.  The  windmills I am familiar with were down in muley country, lots of cows and muleys.  If you have found a wet tank   at the higher elevations, there will be coues around it.

[Ed67]

I’ve hunted 36A several times with success during rifle hunts and to be honest I never paid attention to the water sources. Other than a few dirt tanks off Batamote I have no clue where the water is but the mountains all hold deer. 

[NewlyMinted]

Awesome! Thanks everyone! I was out there on Sunday and none of the tanks had water .. After this weeks rain I'm curious to see which ones got wet.

I know the mule deer are meant to be low and the coues high, but most of 36A seems to be a gigantic transition so am thinking it might be one of those mixed areas.

[NOTAGS]

Buy a lion tag .

[Brooktrout26]

windmills are managed by ranchers. Dirt tanks seem to attract more whitetails in my opinion. Those tanks are usually filled more by those really heavy rains...the types that cause those "gusher" type floods in the washes that fill them and they can remain filled for months. 

Funny thing is one dirt tank could be filled by a single storm whereas maybe a 1/2 mile over a similar tank will remain dry, its just how it works down there during the monsoon season. One side of a valley could get 9" of rain during the monsoon while a few miles over they might only get 4". 

[NewlyMinted]

Thank you for all the clarifications.

Everything is new to me, so I want to run a couple of cameras for a couple of weeks at each spot and figured water would be a good place to start to see if the right kind of wildlife shows up there to drink, while finding a back way in to glass the general area from up high. Sort of an inventory type thing mixed with scouting. With so many dry tanks, dry wells, and solar/windmill drinkers I'm wasn't sure where to start, or if I'm even allowed to place the cameras near the drinkers.

After this week's rains I'm excited to see what filled up this weekend!

[NOTAGS]

May find some two legged critters on your cameras.  The canyon bottoms show illego activities.  I've also found empty one gallon jugs on tops of  hills.  Welcome to southern AZ hunting