idgaf Report post Posted October 3, 2020 1 hour ago, CatfishKev said: Welcome to AZ! You are gonna want to get yourself a tripod and a decent pair of 12s or 15s. Its all about glassing here. And as stated, lots of animals to hunt and very diverse country here. AZ is awesome. We have zero desire to go back east. Except for pizza! Kev I do not own a pair of 12 or 15s and I have done pretty well. Hahaha 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azbirdhunter88 Report post Posted October 3, 2020 Just now, idgaf said: Kev I do not own a pair of 12 or 15s and I have done pretty well. Hahaha He says 15s and a tripod for everything 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimmer Negamanee Report post Posted October 3, 2020 Welcome! The beauty of the Southwest is more subtle than the vibrant, verdant beauty of the East but if you slow down and pay close attention, you'll find the beauty of the Southwest to be sublime. And knowing there are many square miles of public land to get lost in is amazing. I'm from Michigan originally and although I have great affection of Michigan, I'll never go back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muledeerarea33? Report post Posted October 3, 2020 42 minutes ago, idgaf said: Kev I do not own a pair of 12 or 15s and I have done pretty well. Hahaha Kevin is adamant on his tripod and high powered glass!! Can’t blame the dude but it sounds like he stepped on his record player with his high heels 😂 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swivelhead Report post Posted October 3, 2020 I'd recommend reading AZGF regulations till your eyes bleed. It's a long read, there are a lot of rules but you need to know them. Strongly suggest an AZ hunter education class. Class is available online but you will need to attend a field day. Upon successful completion of the course, a permanent bonus point is awarded for all species requiring a lottery draw. Should you choose to hunt out of state, many states require proof a non-resident has completed a hunter education course. Welcome to CWT. Ton of info archived here, use the search feature. Site has an abundance of talent - shooters, gunsmithing, reloading, archers, shotgunners, fishermen, historians, biologists, etc. No matter the question, somebody on this site will have an answer, it's amazing. Have fun! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted October 3, 2020 10 hours ago, azbirdhunter88 said: He says 15s and a tripod for everything Even for doves! Fred, you are the exception to the rule. Md33, yup i love my tripods. Nothings better then a good night of sleep waking up with my heels on still snuggeling my tripod from the night before. It sure makes for a crowded bed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThomC Report post Posted October 3, 2020 Southern AZ is a magical place. Get a 4x4 and start driving around. Go out to a hillside at dawn and just watch the sun come up. You will feel like you are truly in GODS country. Join the Tucson Chapter Safari Club or Tucson Chapter of Elk Unlimited. 😷 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biglakejake Report post Posted October 3, 2020 just a couple thoughts.... you do not need 15x binos. 10x will do but a good tripod is mandatory. in the '80s we used velcro and bungee cord to mount glass to tripod. the difference between 'finding something to shoot' and 'which monster should i shoot' is how far you are willing to climb mountains in the dark of the morning. good luck young man, lee 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigbuckfever Report post Posted October 3, 2020 Welcome to AZ. Some advice for a newbie to Southwestern hunting: good binos (the longer you glass you'll realize how much easier it is on the eyes), extra water, a pair of small needle nosed pliers-everything you touch or brush by will stick, sting , or bite you. A comment you'll see on a lot of posts here is "pics or it didn't happen". Just try not to get any powerlines in the background. (Read some other posts on CWT and you'll understand that one). Just get out and explore, there is a ton of public land here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azbirdhunter88 Report post Posted October 3, 2020 1 hour ago, bigbuckfever said: Welcome to AZ. Some advice for a newbie to Southwestern hunting: good binos (the longer you glass you'll realize how much easier it is on the eyes), extra water, a pair of small needle nosed pliers-everything you touch or brush by will stick, sting , or bite you. A comment you'll see on a lot of posts here is "pics or it didn't happen". Just try not to get any powerlines in the background. (Read some other posts on CWT and you'll understand that one). Just get out and explore, there is a ton of public land here. Oh and everyone on here is an expert hunter lol. I’m sure he will find out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flatlander Report post Posted October 3, 2020 Here is some general info. It’s worth about what you paid for it. . . Arizona has a nice balance of opportunity and trophy hunts. If you are set on hunting bulls then many of the November rifle tags can be drawn every 3-4 years as a resident and 6-8 years as a NR. In AZ because our winters are so mild those November hunts are pretty challenging, more like post rut October hunts in other states. If you are interested in hunting cows then many of the November hunts can be drawn with regularity, maybe 2-3 years. If good weather is your thing then the October cow hunts are pretty good for that and often there is still a bit of bugling. Those early cow hunts have similar draw rates to the Nov. bull tags. September archery hunts in AZ are amazing, really the gold standard of hunting rutting elk. Those hunts take a while to guarantee a draw but there is a reason people are willing to wait. The draw system is a little different than most other western states. For each hunt 80% of the permits are issued to applicants via a random draw. The other 20% are issued to those applicants for that hunt with the most points. So the good news is that every year you have a chance to draw any hunt you apply for. Here is a good link to how the draw works, it's important to understand this to maximize your opportunities here. https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/draw/process/ In terms of areas most of the elk are distributed through a band of high country that follows the mogollon rim across the center of the state. There are a few different pockets of really well known herds I.e. units 1/3/27 on the east side of the state, unit 23 in the center, and 8/9/10 in the NW. However most of the units have good numbers of elk and AZ trophy quality tends to be a notch above what you see in other states, however if you are coming from NV, UT or NM that may not be as true as other places. Here is a link to the AZGFD website which does a nice job of explaining the units and densities. https://www.azgfd.com/Hunting/Units/ I think you will find AZ to be a very hunter friendly state where you can carve out opportunity to have the experiences you want. As a resident you can wait years and hunt the best elk rut in the highest trophy potential units in the west or you can hunt cows every single year. For deer if you archery hunt you can hunt 9 weeks every year including the rut on an OTC tag while applying for the Strip or Kaibab or you can hunt the deserts with a rifle every October. Bear is OTC, lion is OTC, archery turkey is OTC, spring shotgun turkey can be drawn every 2-3 years. Antelope is a tough draw, you might as well consider it once in a lifetime. AZ's trophy potential is beginning to slide as our pronghorn populations are battered by habitat loss, juniper infringement and predator populations. If you have points I would suggest you use them sooner than later. Buffalo, Rocky Mt and Desert sheep are once in a lifetime. Javelina is a draw but most units can be drawn every year and the archery hunts overlap the archery deer hunt and rut so it makes for some neat mixed bag opportunity and days with lots of stalks. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
