AZ OTC mulies

[realunlucky]

I can see why people love this hunt enjoying the heck out of this weather

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[bojangles808]

might be a dumb ? but in the desert units are bringing in all your own water down and day hunting from the truck or are there springs and water sources that you can pump from so you can pack in and spike from? also how are the roads in the desert units if i get a rental with 4x4 would i be good?

 

[RoJo]

Road-wise, it runs the full spectrum. There are areas riddled with roads where you are rarely more than a 15 minute walk from a road of some kind, and others (particularly wilderness areas) with no roads at all.

Water-wise, if there are deer there are sources of water. That could be anything from earthen stock ponds (what we call "tanks" out west) to G&F water cathcments of many varieties, to springs, lakes, rivers, streams, etc.

For example, in the area where all the bucks came from that I posted there is pretty good road access so no need to pack in (and therefore no need to worry about carrying water) unless you just want to.

 

[MuleyFever]

In a lot of areas the rods are not maintained. Keep an eye on the weather and don't expect to get anywhere if it is going to rain a good amount. I left my area 2 days after a long rain and there were still some pretty bad spots. The soil when wet is a nightmare in many areas. I hunted 5 days last month and hiked a lot of miles, did not see any good water. Sure there are stock ponds but I don't want to filter from them.

 

[RoJo]

There are definitely tanks I would hesitate to filter from. But then, if there are tanks there are roads for the most part. I have seen very few tanks that didn't have at least a 2-track leading to it.

If you are packing into a wilderness area where there are no roads, chances are you will be filtering from streams, springs, seeps, tinajas, and the like. Although I have seen a few of those I would hesitate to filter from too.

 

[RoJo]

I just realized I glossed over part of the question..."how are the roads?". Renting a 4x4 would get you into most places. Then again a person could easily have a successful hunt from a Prius. There are plenty of paved and well-maintained gravel roads running through great mule deer habitat. Since most of AZ is public land, finding places to hunt is generally pretty easy. Not to say finding a good buck would be...

 

[bowuntr]

I saw over 110 mule deer today, yes over 110... Bucks are with does and chasing them around, mostly small guys. You guys better hurry... Ed F

 

[El Gavilan]

I'm heading out Thursday morning with my recurve, supposed to rain Saturday, hopefully not to much.

Sent from the Arizona desert

 

[bojangles808]

thx for the responses. i think im still a year away from doing this hunt (works out perfectly with my winter break time off as a teacher) but in the meantime ill keep dreaming and live vicariously through threads like these. good luck to everyone!

 

[BSeals71]

This is a great thread! Thank you guys. I plan on flying out to PHX on the 29th, rent a car and head out to a unit that opens up on the 1st. Hopefully 2.5 days of scouting will help. I've never taken mule deer, so I'm really excited.

Been looking around the Prescott area & then also unit 27 on the Eastern side of the state.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated for a unit to look at. Feel free to PM me if anyone would like to share some advice.

 

[kparrott]

This is a great thread! Thank you guys. I plan on flying out to PHX on the 29th, rent a car and head out to a unit that opens up on the 1st. Hopefully 2.5 days of scouting will help. I've never taken mule deer, so I'm really excited.

Been looking around the Prescott area & then also unit 27 on the Eastern side of the state.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated for a unit to look at. Feel free to PM me if anyone would like to share some advice.

Good luck, Brian!


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[mlawrence]

Seems like quite a few guys are headed out for this hunt. I've been looking at Unit 22 - planning to spend the second week of January chasing bucks. Any advise is appreciated, this will be my first time chasing desert mule deer.

 

[Jimbo V]

I recommend a Rokslide Rally in southern Arizona January 2018!


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[RoJo]

AZ G&F has an online map that can help with planning a hunt. The site is called Recreational Access Arizona (RAA), and the free version is located here:

RAA 2.0 | Home

If you go there, be sure to check the boxes to show "AGFD Wildlife Waters" to see locations of all the water catchments, and "AGFD Game Management Units" to see all the unit boundaries.

If you care to sign up for a AZGFD Portal account (free) and then pay $25 for a "I support wildlife" membership, you can access an enhanced version of the RAA site. It includes additional features like photos of the water catchments.

 

[bohntr]

RoJo:

Are those archery bucks? Nice deer!

 

[RoJo]

No, those are all rifle bucks. I have not bow hunted for several years due to a shoulder issue. I am actually trying a lighter draw weight bow to see if that helps, and I am hoping to get out for deer with the new bow in Jan.

 

[Muley Buck]

No, those are all rifle bucks. I have not bow hunted for several years due to a shoulder issue. I am actually trying a lighter draw weight bow to see if that helps, and I am hoping to get out for deer with the new bow in Jan.

Hi RoJo, are they "general season" rifle bucks? Wish you the best on that shoulder. It seems shoulder issues can be the worst. Go get em!

 

[RoJo]

Yep, general season in Oct.

The shoulder isn't really bad yet, but if I shoot the bow a lot it stays sore for months. I'm hoping to keep it from getting worse, but also hope my bowhunting days aren't over just yet.

 

[skindaddy]

i know this is kind of slap in the face question on these forums , but any help on narrowing down some unit choices would be great, not sure where to start. would like to take my son there next fall for his 16th birthday. would like to be a little picky(no scrubbers) on size but not expecting 190's behind every bush lol.

 

[Robpr]

This January I m planning to head down for my first time. Planning to leave Jan 10 thru the 17. Can't wait. Right now my plan is to hunt try to hunt the SE region for no particular reason other than that's where my focus on google earth has been. I do know some people that have been and when I told them my intention they said I was on the right track but I refuse to ask for a particular area. If anyone else plans to be in that area during those dates let me know