Anyone have any intel on unit 22 North in Az for Coues?

And if you'd prefer feel free to pm me.

Thx
Dober

Yeah, I've hunted Coues in a lot of units in AZ - Unit 22 being but one of those units. Are you planning on trying to obtain a rifle permit for one of the various seasons, or are you just going to get an over-the-counter bow tag for any of those seasons?

Mark- i have seen them while hunting bear in that unit. that is not the unit i put in for. there are good coues i believe in most units though including 22n . there is a lot of wilderness in 22.

Thx guys, wouldn't be bow. Would do rifle and is there any chance one could hunt bruins and coues at the same time?

Is there a Dec season in this unit?

Many thx

Dober

What is it about 22 that interests you?
You got people there?
I like 33..

What is it about 33, got people there...

Dober

Unit 22, big unit, starts from 10 min outside my door, runs 100 miles north from the Salt river to the Mogollon rim, from low desert, chaparral to ponderosa pine. I've killed more deer in this unit than any other, around half my deer. I've personally killed deer in 12 different units in Az.

22 has alot of coues and muleys, on general principle, I'd say the central units don't produce the same number of bigger bucks per capita of the population as the southern units. My personal opinion is the central units have vast wilderness in most, lion depredation is more of a problem as most dog runners won't go into the wilderness, and big loner bucks are the most susceptible. There are plenty of big bucks but the central units require more scouting to sniff one out and much more year to year on what's available.

I like the central units and on a 24B kick the last couple years, was into 22 wilderness hunting for some years prior to that, next may be 23, where I killed my first ever deer and been glassing up some nice bucks for the JRs deer camp in Oct... I just gypsy around.

700 tags in Oct for coues and 25 in Dec, the oct hunt is almost a 100% draw and the dec hunt about a 5%.

Bear opens around the first of oct and run to dec 31... but usually the female harvest has been reached in the first week and bear season is over before deer. Though bear season is split between South and north 22, the north has a higher female quota, so it's possible there might be a season still on.

I break the areas up to Four Peaks, Mt Ord, Mazatzal wilderness, North under the rim. Each are large areas that hold coues.

If you are just looking for the best chance to kill a big coues coming from out of state, minimal scouting , 35B on the border is even better than 33. If you are looking for a packin/exploring type adventure and a for sure opportunity on a coues though maybe not a monster... the central units cannot be beat.

Kent

I have hunted there a bunch and seen some whoppers....yeah got family there too.

But thanks for the smart aleck response........

i hunt unit 36b. lotta deers there. no bears. long ways from my house though.

Mark D (Dober):

I concur with Kent (KRP). Although the southern units tend to produce more numbers of deer and some real whoppers, the central units are hard to beat. In fact, in recent years Gila County has possibly accunted for more record book bucks than any other county in Arizona, with the possible exception of Pima County. Yavapai County is another that's been a surprising up-and-comer in the very recent past and a 120+ B&C typical buck was killed in that county this past season.

I've hunted Unit 22 extensively. But, during the past decade, I've shifted more of my effort to Unit 21 and Unit 32. Nevertheless, Unit 22 is an outstanding Coues' whitetail unit and there are some tremendous bucks in there. I used to spend almost all my time in the designated wilderness area when I was hunting the unit. Backpack hunting is a great way to kill a superb buck, if you know where you're going and what you're doing.

Anyway, best of luck to you and if you need any more help from me, don't hesitate to hit me up via private message or through this thread.

Maverick

You're welcome,

I didn't mean it as a smart aleck response. Just was asking you the same.......

Long and the short it's just one of a couple of units that keep my attention.

Dober

Ok, here reason #1 I like 33.....

I shot (and lost) my biggest Coues there..130"+/-, see tons of 100"-110" everytime I go there, I know where the are and when I get my Muley I will go there for my Coues..
Muleys....I had a 230"-240" monster at 40 yds walking...no shot.
I pass up 170's all the time in hopes for a bigger one and again I know where they are though in the last few yrs the #'s have been down.

Sounds like you have good info on 33, I'm really looking for 32 info though.

But thx

Dober

Sorry I can't be of help.

Just about anywhere in the remote backcountry is good in Unit 32. There's some huge bucks in there.

Thx Mav

Dober

Tom-when you have a min please post pic of the 130, dats a whopper plus p

Dober

Dober,

Do you want 32 or 22 info? I'm now confused...grin...

Heck me to, Tom almost had me convinced I'd asked about 33...

Dober

I've hunted a central unit in AZ and also a southern one...extreme ends of the coues deer range.

Both have some positives and both have some negatives.

Theres no question you will see wayyyy more deer in the southern units than the central.

The unit I hunted in central AZ, seeing a dozen deer a day is pretty good. Southern unit I hunted, seeing a dozen deer within the first 30 minutes of glassing was common.

Bottom line, apply for a tag and go hunting...cant go wrong hunting deer that time of year in Arizona.

I'll be hunting them again this winter.

Shot this one in the southern unit I hunted:





This one in the central unit:

Dober, I lost that buck but had two other witnesses that said he was easy mid 130's and I judged him at that myself.
So no pics.

I totally agree with Buzz. Anytime you can get a New Mexico or Arizona permit is a good time to hunt Coues'. Well, the October season might be a bit too hot for my taste, but the hunting is actually pretty good during that month. My favorite month to hunt them is in November. I used to hunt during the December season, but found it to be too problematic in terms of a specific buck or specific bucks. During the past ten years or so, I've opted for the November hunt because it seems to be somewhat less problematic in reference to a particular buck or particular bucks. Anyway, any time you can go is a good time, actually. Of all the things in North America I've hunted and/or guided for or photographed, Coues' whitetails are my favorite.

Unit 23 used to be awsome for Mule deer and coues! Toward the end of my hunting the unit it was tough to even find a muley, but BIG coues on my mountain! A friend took a 100" or so out of there. Before digital cameras so i can not offer pics but this was in the 90's.

Yeah, GMU 23 produced some huge B&C typical and non-typical whitetails and there's still some gigantic bucks in that unit. There's a buck that was killed in that unit back in the late 70's and if ever entered in B&C as a typical, it would rank number one or two. The third-generation ranch wife who shot it never even had it mounted, let alone to enter it in B&C. Eventually a collector is going to come across it and then it'll end up in the record book. Till then, the family still has it and has no interest in entering it. Kind of "sad", but I understand their point.

A very simple area to hunt 22- mostly unhunted as it requires hikin endless up hill hrs in dense desert terrain leading to the mtns.

get a boat and cross the verde river at bartlett lake - nobody hunts these ft hills that go for hundreds of square miles -all way up to the west side of the little hills they call the mad-as-hells.

hard to say deer size or #'s cuz nobody goes there! Kents claim is correct - people avoid most of the rugged areas of 22. outfitters do not like it because they don't get much sleep - between the bears and the lions trying to kill their pack animals.

Yep, the west side is definitely the best, that's for sure. Long walk though. Usually takes a day to get to the edge of habitat. Some great bucks though. I usually enter upstream from Bartlett, in the thick of the actual designated wilderness area. Helluva a long walk. Never seen another rifle hunter in there, but I'm sure a few go in that way. Anyway, tough hunt because of the distance and terrain, but worth it if a guy is self-sufficient when in deep desert/chaparral wilderness.

22n try any canyons under the mogollon rim or drainages leading to fossil creek theyll be in the drainages and canyons for most part execpt the dec rut hunt youll find in more open areas with does

Also, bear in mind that deer allocations aren't split between north and south in that unit. If you draw a permit for either of the two hunts, you can hunt anywhere within the unit.

You should see the sheds my buddy has from 22.lol! Stuff dreams are made up.
32 is getting better since access is hard to obtain on the west side. No issue for me tho. Some huge book bucks got killed in the jr hunt there this year. There are coues everywhere in the areas I hunt. Even in the areas I traditionally hunted mule deer in.
33 is the mecca. I love 33 but only in Dec or October. I have a shed of a buck that if he matched up he would be a 120 class buck. My buddy Duwane Adams has a 138 and his friend a 136 if I recall. A few years back a hi 130'd buck was killed in 33 and a couple high 120's. Even with a million tags 33 is still a great unit.
36B is still a fine unit even with a million tags and being infested with illegal. Some fine bucks killed in there this year.
35B has been a sleeper. Brushy and thick, but holds some great bucks.

Overall I think 23 is better than 22, 33 is better that 32, and 35B and 36B are good aswell. You draw that 22 tag, you'll have fun, but if it was me, i'd be trying for a december tag along the border. They are easier to draw and hold some nice bucks. For me it will be off the border and if I don't draw, I am getting a leftover tag somewhere down there.

Hope this helps and let me know what you do.

Kique

Many thx Kique, I hope you and yours are doing well!

Vaya Con Dios

Perro

My brother picked up a pair of matching sheds in Unit 32 a couple years back and with a conservative inside spread estimate of 14 inches, we figured he would net 121+ typical B&C. The very next year the rancher found that buck locked with another buck and a large lion had killed them both. The buck that had dropped antlers the year before which my brother found, net scored 137 typical B&C. He'd grown 16 inches of antler in one year. The other buck that was locked with it, scored net 126+ non-typical B&C. The rancher has both bucks and the lion mounted in his house on the ranch. He also has several other 120-130 Coues bucks on display. It's quite the impressive sight when entering his living room.

The central units Have a much higher class of clientele than on the south side of the tracks...

While on holiday at the spa, this discerning customer obviously felt a slight camera adjustment would portray his best side...

A southern bear would be sporting an orange and purple sombrero selling chicklets for a peso...















[img]http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll237/kentpowellp/mazatzalcam1123.jpg[/img]

That's just fabulous. Thanks for sharing those, KRP. That made my day.

Southern end of the Mazatzal wilderness unit 22, probably not far from where you hiked into... figured you would like it. 5 different bears for 2 weeks, then my batteries died.

Had some coues hitting it also...



Kent

Yeah, that place is crawling with black bears, lions too. I love that country. Between the Galiuro's and the Mazatzal's, it's not easy for me to pick a favorite lonesome place between to two. I love them both, dearly.

That's totally awesome bruin footage! Once upon a time I watched as a sow and her cubs took an afternoon swim in a stock pond. Good stuff!

Dober

I was running a second cam on a tank about a mile away from the first. the line was clogged coming from the spring and the tank itself won't hold more than a couple inches of water before it goes out the big crack in the back. I fixed the line so it tricked through and next time I go in will patch the crack.

Anyway, that tank is lower and in a much more open landscape, It was being hit by muledeer and this scrawny lion... no coues or bears... interesting stuff and what keeps me going out even if I'm not hunting the unit.





Kent

Gosh, that cat's having a tough go of it (lol).

Couple more pictures of the area when I was putting the cams out. This is in an spot that is high up... if you were standing on the far ridge you can see Bartlet lake and it's marina in the distance miles away. There are two dirt tanks a mile apart up here and two miles away from the spring tanks as the crow flies, though they are really two separate areas divided by rough terrain and elevation.

I've never seen another hunter anywhere in here, though the rancher runs cattle and I've seen him or his hand on horseback. I had a cam here but the cattle hit the tank so much the batteries died in a couple days and of the thousands of pics, the only critters were a couple does... I've glassed up plenty of bucks in this cut and it's a favorite place to glass.

Even with 700 tags in Oct, you can get away from other hunters and have a great adventure.







Kent

Geesh, the season has been over only a few days and I'm already anxious for next year. Love the photos, by the way. Helps to relieve the monotony of the off-season. I've been pouring over some maps this morning, planning next year's excursion.

I hear that...

I put in quite a few miles today scouting. My blood is itching already bad.

Yeah, wish I was still down there so I could get out and use the big nocs again and look around some more. The last month of the season was kind of a bummer. The weather sucked. Only had a few days of rain and the heat was brutal for a while. Kind of like last year. Last year during the last month of the season it was damn dry and warm and, the wind just never seemed to stop where I was at. Anyway, will be back at it next November.

I also love unit 22....have got deer, turkey, and black bear....great area.

Can be a fun elk hunt, too.

Hunted area 22 in December many years ago...saw 2 very good deer and several smaller ones. Monsoon rains killed that hunt.

A couple years later hunted 30A just north of Douglas. I missed but my pard got a nice buck. Lots of illegal traffic in that area.

Good stuff here from Kent. I hunted Coues lots of places in AZ for many years starting way back when hunting in AZ was quite a bit different than the present - and Kent gives excellent current info here.

Orrrrrr..... Just hunt the farther south stuff, 36b, 36c, 33, etc and see more deer. Find a good area, and bucks will be everywhere. Saw 16 bucks one day on my december hunt. Most of them I would have shot in a heartbeat on a October or November hunt. One of them I should have killed on the spot but didnt.

Yeah, I made that same mistake, twice - once in Unit 32 back in '87 and again in the same unit in '02. Still kicking myself for not pulling the trigger when I had the chances.

Thought those (Arizona's tropical monsoon) occurred during July and August .....

Most people who don't live in an area with monsoonal weather patterns use the term to describe torrential rains. During the period to which he refers, the southwest had a series of very wet winters which lasted from about 1970 to 1995. Some of these winters resulted in a lot of flooding and road damage, especially unpaved county roads and Forest Service roads. I was rained out on a muzzle loader elk and deer hunt in the San Mateos in 1984 when the remnants of a late fall Baja hurricane stalled out over us. In the early 1990s, I spent almost two months driving through up to a foot of standing water for over a mile to get to the ranch camp where I was living while my house was being renovated

I know, I've been hunting the Desert Southwest since 1978. Thanks, Mud Hen. Appreciate your input, as always.

mudhen is right on. During one of those I was hunting in the Dragoons (rather limited area) and the wind kept blowing the tent almost inside out, and I was drenched much of the time - finally had to get a motel room in Elfrida or some other little town in order to dry out. Nailed a nice buck not far from Cochise Stronghold area - but that was one WET hunt - especially for Nov. in AZ.

Yeah, it can be darn wet sometimes - as in swampy. It can get blasted cold, too, and a helluva lot of snow. And then there's years where it's dry as hell and hot. Gotta love it.

A 137 NET typical would be top 5 I believe all time B&C....

I had a little bit of everything this past year on my 36b December hunt.. Started cold and wet, ended warm and dry! Weird year to hunt for sure...

Yes, that's correct.

So why didnt he have it entered if he had it officialy measured?

He hasn't entered any of the bucks and he has several. He hasn't entered any of the bears and lions, either. He's not interested in that sort of thing. He did have some of the bigger bucks mounted, though. It's pretty impressive to be standing in front of a handful of bucks on the wall that score well over 120 B&C.

Ive been in Jim Reynolds trophy room a few times, it is daunting isnt it?

any chance we can get pictures expecially the 137 net

I've never met Jim.