Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Arizona Elk Hunting

I am a recent transplant to AZ and I just bought my first AZ Hunting and Fishing license and was thinking about applying for some sort of Elk hunt this year. Any suggestions from the AZ guys. I have hunted elk for close to 40 years in Idaho and Montana and have been pretty succesful. I've killed probably 20 bulls and 10 or 12 cows during that time. I like to eat elk meat so I'm not overly interested in a trophy hunt, just a hunt that would offer a fair chance at killing an elk and be accessable to a hunter on foot or 4 wheel drive truck or ATV. I am 56 years old and can take care of getting an elk out of the woods within a couple of miles of my transportation. I was also wondering how do guys typically handle the meat down here when the weather is warm, without the meat starting to spoil.Any advice comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bart

Its hard to get drawn in arizona for a rifle hunt in a good unit unless you build a lot of points. My strategy is to apply in az to build points and apply in colorado as well for a cow tag in a unit where it would only take a couple of years to get drawn like around pagosa springs..if you dont get drawn for either az or colorado you can always buy a bull tag over the counter in some units in colorado. not sure about archery or muzzleloader hunts in either state.

We have had pretty good success getting cow tags. Bull tags are another matter. If you want a bull tag you may have to wait for several years building up your bonus points to get drawn unless you are one lucky guy.

As for dealing with the meat...I have my method which gets the meat cooled down fast. It is a plastic horse watering trough with a drain. A small wooden pallet is placed in the bottom. Using double garbage bags I place large pcs like legs or shoulders into individual bags and pack ice under and around each bag. Top off the trough with a few more ice bags and cover it with an old sleeping bag. The meat will get very cold in short order and it will keep for well over a week. Any thawing ice will pool under the pallet and drain out the tube.

If I don't get drawn for elk in Az I often will buy
NM land owner tag for cow tag. I like eating the meat too much to run out.

Elk hunting in archery season can be a challenge with the warm weather as it is in September. Not a problem by the November rifle season. By November, the low temps are often in the teens with daytime highs in the 40's. Elk country here is usually national forest so access isn't too bad - lots of roads. Getting drawn for a rifle bull tag won't be near as often as in Idaho or Montana - lots or variables but I would guess about every 4th year or so. Cow tag could be evry year or two.

I am your age and have only 2 Bonus Points since I drew last year. Figure that I do not have 20 years to wait for another unit 9 archery bull tag so have shelved to trophy hunt only application mentality. Strategy is to apply for a bull tag first choice and cow tag second choice. I like the mid-October cow hunts as sometimes the bulls are still bugling and may give a herd location away. Weather is nicer too.

Without knowing an area well or having lots of time to scout, I would not recommend one of the easy to draw "limited opportunity" hunts with low elk density and low success rates.

You might wish to take the AZ Hunter Ed class to get a bonus point for next years draw. Even if you do not apply for an elk hunt this year, put in for the bonus point only option.

For meat care, take some large ice chests filled with ice.
Be sure to get the hide off asap. Seems every year I see whole elk, hide on still, in the back of pickups being driven down I-17 to Phoenix where it is still 100* Gotta wonder what they consider palatable for table fare.

This may help you with draw odds for the various units
http://monstermuleys.hunterstrailhead.com/huntsearch.php?ST=AZ

6A is a popular elk unit that may be recommended to you, but the number of cow tags for rifle and archery have really been reduced this year. Last year, some were having a difficult time finding elk in 4A. Also heard moans about the Dec cow hunt in unit 10. 6B can be a difficult unit to hunt successfully.

Good luck in the draw.

Me too. This past september, was in the drive-thru line in Camp Verde behind a pickup with an entire hide-on 4x4 bull in the bed. It was over 90 degrees and humid. YUMMY! As others said, even the Sep archery hunt is doable temp-wise as long as you can find some shade, skin, and debone.

Thanks for the info and comments. When I lived in Montana the last 12 years I would always just buy a general over the counter tag that was good for brow tine bulls/ and or anterless elk in a large number of units. Most years would kill a raghorn 5x5 or 4x5 bull early or kill a cow after the first couple of weeks of season. I will put in for one of the antlerless tags in Arizona that show a fairly high % of success for the draw and the harvest, and see what happens. After this year if successful or not I will try to hook up with some of the guys that work here and see what I can find out. Thanks Guys

Bart

there are plenty of early dec anterless tags, when you have less concern about the meat getting warm. still hard to draw though,.

I have 10 points and at times I think of applying for a cow tag just to go hunt. Then I get slapped by my buddies and set me straight.
I gained those 10 points by applying for trophy hunts, archery hunts, december hunts, november 6a hunts. Now I just stick to the trophy hunts and hope I get lucky (even with 10 points).

Cow tags are the way to go if you just wanna draw a tag. Hunter pool isn't a bad way to go either.

Good luck!

I also put in for early archery hunts and then hunt the verde valley hunt as that is where i live in the az draw there is a bonus pass which gives the first 20% of tags to people with the highest # of bonus points you can check to see what max bonus points are for each hunt then plan accordingly there are a lot of cow hunts you can draw with just 2 bonus points unit 7 late comes to mind go to azgfd and look it up good luck

Be aware that if you put in second choice for a cow hunt that you can draw in the 20% bonus pass with 2 BP, that you would not draw a bull tag in the 20% bonus pass, nor have a chance to draw the bull tag in the regular 1-2 pass as you would have been already drawn for the cow tag in the bonus pass.

I like elk meat just fine but no better than beef. I don't apply for cow permits ever. I let my kids hunt cows to get some experience but eventually they don't want to hunt them any more. If you think you are going to save some money on meat by going hunting, you are sadly mistaken

I have drawn premium trophy tags with just my hunter ed point before. I have waited as long as 6 years for a tag too. I rarely apply for the Sept rifle tags for both of my choices and have NEVER drawn a first choice for elk. Even my early unit 10 tag was a second choice.

Apply for bull tags and take your chances. You will be glad you did when you draw a tag. There are 900 general season tags in unit 6A!! Somebody has got to draw them!

Good luck.

Unit 6B is fantastic for bulls, ShoLo for cows.

First (and only) time a drew an AZ elk tag I had only 4 bp's.

Got 6 now and cant for the life of me draw, course I know I got lucky when I drew my tag.

I drew 3B.....second choice.

Doubt you can draw a 3B early archery tag being a NR until you are in the 20% pass draw now, could be a tag slips down to the 80% draw on a given year, never know. It took 9 BPs to draw in the 20% pass last year... It surprises me it's that high for 3B.

The late ML hunt in 3B can be had for 5 BPs.

Most early archery tags will take 8+ and the harder to draw 11+ for a NR to even have a chance.

Depends on what unit was applied for.

Kent

The reason I was drawn was back in '04, you remember......the big lawsuit!?!

After I got word that I did not draw that year I was saddened but after the lawsuit AZ G&F did another "special" draw for one more tag to allocate the 10% thingy.

My # came up otherwise I would be sitting on a bunch of points right now.

Tom,
You remind me of myself. I drew the late Kaibab the first year I ever applied. Haven't drawn since.
I was hoping to do the same for elk, and 10 points later, I am still looking for a tag.

I'm not a non resident I have lived in Yuma since October of 2009, but I didn't try and hunt anything in 2010, and I was just wondering where or if a guy could possibly draw something so that I have a reason to get out and do some looking around. I would actually even be happy to draw some sort of deer tag, so that I can get back into the woods. I left Columbus Montana on opening day (Sunday) of Elk season in 2009 and had to be to work in Yuma on Wednesday after a two day drive. It was the first opening day of hunting season that I had missed since 1973. It was tough driving through MT and seeing elk and deer in the back of pickups already heading home or to the meat packers. Oh well.

Bart

Tags can be hard to come-by - especially with hunters #'s at an all time high - if ya want meat -go for a cow tag - antlers are the hardest part to prepare for cooking-

picking a good unit can vary greatly - they are all good or at least were !?

pick a bull hunt first and a cow second

Taking care of the meat is up to you- guys take freezers with generators - invent cold box's - several ice chest -large size at the very minimum- #1 priority is getting the hide off and protecting the meat!- think cold and clean!

enjoy arizona elk hunting - you'll find out its nothing like hunting in Idaho or Montana

Five years ago I drew an archery bull tag with 2 points.
RedRabbit helped me a bunch.
I killed a nice 6 point bull completely solo.
I boned him out laid all the meat out on a tarp in the cool night air then rushed to Flagstaff for dry Ice at Safeway the next morning.
The meat still had ice crystals after a 12 hour drive home.
I had a fantastic trip.
Still a tip of the hat to RedRabbit, Doug is a class act!



With 6 points I'm trying for another bull tag.