Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Arizona drawing is Up.

I had no luck with my antelope request (25 straight years for antelope and sheep with no tag for me). I put in for bonus points on everything else.

My son drew a bull elk tag in 10. Last hunt before he goes off to school etc.

My other kids couldn't even draw a skunk tag!


As a side note: I looking in the regulations book today for the first time. I was sorely disappointed in what they (the commission) did to a lot of the stuff. They messed up the whitetail hunts, they messed up the bear hunts and they did away with the trophy rifle elk tags (pushed it back into October!)

I wish they would just leave stuff alone. To many armchair biologists.

Dennis,
The changes to the coues hunts were avidly opposed in the meetings, by e-mail and surveys. All opposition was fell on deaf ears, except for the proposed changes to the elk. G&F Commissioners listened to the elk survey, but dismissed the similarly set-up deer survey as "unscientific". I do not know who was in favor of the changes (besides the commission), but I suspect decisions were decided beforehand and any meetings and surveys were an attempt at public appeasement.

Doug~RR

I know the surveys were overwhelmingly in favor of leaving stuff alone- this current commission is a JOKE

Thank our Governor, She's a Joke too.

However I did like the Change to the October hunt from 4 to 6 days. But after rethinking it. A ton of bucks are going to get killed on that October hunt. Believe it or not, but those twodays are going to make a big difference.

The Elk hunts, Its good and Bad. Its good in the sense that The Trophy hunt is in the later part of the rut if not the post rut. Meaning a little bit harder of a hunt. To me it makes no difference. Chances of drawing a tag are slim. Besides if I did draw or my clients draw that tag, I know enough area and locations that finding a big bull is not much harder than having the hunt a week or two earlier.
It is bad in the sense that hunt success may be more difficult for the hunter and the hunter doesn't have the rut to hunt them in. Then again if most of the big ones get away, they will pass their genes on another year.
One other thing to look at, is if the rut is late like in some years, then the hunt being pushed back actually put it back in the rut and then no one complains.

Just my take on things.

On a funny note, my friend drew a 19A goat tag after2 points. The funny part, is he thought he had applied for general, but in all actuality he applied for archery. We'll get him one I think. He is a great hunter we have the gear and he can shoot his bow a long ways.

Enrique

My dad drew a unit 8 bull tag, 2nd choice

Both brothers drew unit 10 cow hunts

none had any bonus points

More bonus points. I'll try for a left over deer on FT Huachuca or 30B.

Enrique-
Part of the experience with the early rifle hunt is participating in the rut- calling, observing bulls with harems and just enjoying all the chaos associated with it. Very little of that goes on in October. There are a lot more busted horns by then too.

I'm still ticked

Missed elk...again.

But got 1st choice for deer. I'm happy, it means I'm hunting this fall.