Arizona December Deer Hunt...what to expect?

[Scott/IL]

There is a group of 4 of us headed out to Arizona in December. Nothing set in stone, but as of now we are going to hunt 24B (Superstition Wilderness has peaked our interest).

We are newbies to western hunting, and looking for any tips or advice. One big thing we are discussing is the weather we will encounter in the area this time of year. We plan on camping at the truck, and hiking/driving out each morning. We aren't holding many standards other than having a fun hunt and hunting hard to get an opportunity, a muley or coues buck would suffice equally. Either way, we are pumped to try our hand at this!

Any advice to steer us in the right direction is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, I already can't wait for December.

 

[ew2642]

I'm considering heading to SE Arizona in January. Will be interested to see what kind of responses you get.

 

[hflier]

Me too

 

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

I can tell you some experiences i have had the last few years. AZ is about as big a swing in weather and temp as you might see anywhere. I have hiked in december in my undies because it was too hot otherwise. I have had base layers on and pants the same time the next day as well on the same hunt since it dropped down cold. I have seen zero rain the entire month and then one trip we were stuck in the tents for 34 hours in rain and hail. Out in the desert it can be 85 degrees in the afternoon and 23 in the morning on the same day. Most of the time its pretty good weather and i wear my regular summer camo except maybe early morning i wear more top layers but end up stripping them pretty quick. Managing your layers is a pain since you leave the truck at 30 degrees and an hour later your in shorts. LOL I carry a small tent and a 30 degree bag all year in az including january so it never gets too crazy cold unless your up above the rim then I will run a zero bag.
One thing on base camping and working that superstition wilderness area is its a long drive from trailhead to trailhead and if your not more than 3 or 4 miles in there will be traffic to deal with. If your hunting durring the week it will be much lighter on traffic.
There is alot of glassing opportunity out here so spotter is a must.
I drew a 24b rifle tag late november early december so i will be out there just before you guys.
Shoot me a private if you have any specific questions on 24b. Especially early december when im back off my hunt. Hopefully I will post a story and pics anyway.

 

[Scott/IL]

That's awesome man, thanks a bunch. We're going to try and meet up one night here soon and have everyone bring their questions to the table.

I'll for sure shoot you a PM as the planning process progresses, and good luck on your rifle hunt!

 

[full draw]

To dovetail the above. Az weather can cover a huge spectrum. I've been snowed in just north of the area you are speaking of. When dot was closing down the roads they advised us not to retrieve our hunting gear because the gate was going to be locked. Well we had the whole area to ourselves and the snow was deep enough it buried the side by side overnight so we hunted from camp. Low desert can also get pretty cold. I swear 19 degrees is colder in Arizona then on the side of a mountain in Alaska. Just be prepared for cold and hot rain and snow. Never seen a flash flood in December. So that's one less curve ball fromMother Nature to worry about.the roads are pretty solid no worries there. the area your looking at gets a lot of pressure but you will see deer if you look hard and mature bucks can be found in that thick stuff.mught see some bear but unit wil be closed by then.

 

[full draw]

Hunt swap?

 

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

What u mean hunt swap?

 

[Muckamuck4]

Hello Scott,

I moved to AZ from the Midwest about 8 years ago. I've never hunted in the area your planning on going, so I can't give you any pointers in that department. I can say, make sure you practice at longer distances, good boots and quality optics help a ton!

I assume your archery hunting? If so, mule deer should prove to be the easiest of the two. Plan to glass tons. We've gotten a good amount of rain this year which should help with antler growth.

If there's anything more specific I could help with, feel free to ask.

 

[Scott/IL]

When you say good optics, what do you recommend?

I run with a pair of Vortex Diamondback 10x42 binos here, but was planning on getting a scope for this trip as well.

I wouldn't pass on a chance at a muley, but I think those coues bucks are damn cool animals!

 

[skylinekelley]

You'll likely be around both but almost always see the mules, look extra hard for coues they are there!

 

[Steve O]

I was on the Buenos Aires over Christmas. It was amazing how much more wary the Coues deer are than the Mule deer. On stalks, in mixed groups, the Coues deer would spook sometimes 200 yards out and the mule deer you could then just about walk right up to. Definitely going to make more trips out to AZ; killing one of those little whitetail with my stickbow by spot and stalk will be the ultimate accomplishment. I'd like to find a unit that can be remote, but maybe not quite so close to the border. You guys are in for a treat.

 

[Muckamuck4]

I used 10x42 for the first few years I was here. They will suffice, but if at all possible get some 15x56. Personally I don't like spotters unless your using binos to locate deer, then use the spotter to determine the size of the buck. Plus they are heavy to pack around.

 

[Coues hunter]

I live in se Arizona so the weather is a little different. I can be snowing sideways or it could be 60 degrees. But in the desert it is always about the water. If you can find an area with 2-3 water sources within a 1/2 mile circle, find the highest hill, sit down, and glass, glass, glass. You will find deer. And if the rut is going, deer will be moving all day. Most fun time of the year!! You find yourself southeast of Tucson, let me know.

 

[Scott/IL]

The planning is continuing, and December can't get here soon enough!

Right now, we are still trying to finalize a unit so we can start picking maps apart and making a plan. 24B is still in the running, but 31 has also been brought up as a possible destination. We looked at some of the border units, and while the hunting seems good, we are worried about some of the non hunting activities that go on down there.

 

[Scott/IL]

We finally closed our eyes and picked a unit after flip flopping around a bunch over the last month.

Unit 31 is the final decision. 3 more months and we'll be in AZ!

 

[Heat]

One word of caution about Unit 31 is that there is a lot of private land relative to the rest of the State. Be sure you have good access to public land before you make the long trek out here. Good Luck!

 

[Scott/IL]

Thanks for the heads up. We have been playing around with the access map a little and noticed all the private land.

Any tips for this unit? It sounds like it is pretty rugged.