Job offer to AZ, what's the outdoor opportunities?

[Mfritts]

Currently living in Midland/Odessa Texas, and as luck would have it, between corona and oil prices have been unemployed for 4 months. Have an offer coming in to to take over and build a sales team for an established company in Phoenix, but of course that would require moving to Phoenix. I'm a hunter that is just getting into the western backcountry scene (one antelope in WY), but I'm also an avid fisherman, camper, shooter/reloader and mountain biker. I realize phoenix is not in the mountains, but what's the upside to AZ residency?

• Can residents hunt elk every year?
• what's the Mule deer / Couses / Antelope scene like?
• Varmints/pigs?
• Fishing?

It looks as though there is plenty of public land, so I am assuming camping opportunities abound?

obviously the family and I have a tough decision to make, and we currently have no friends or family in AZ either. We have a 4 yr old girl, and another girl due in November, so thoughts on family life in Phoenix would be appreciated as well.

Also, anyone looking for a Sales/Business Development/Sales Management professional, feel free to PM me. I specialize in Protective Coatings, am NACE CIP 2 and also have very strong storage tank, and oil and gas background.

Thanks in advance

Mark

 

[wytx]

Hope you like living in an oven, too hot for me, but hunting is great I hear.

 

[Mfritts]

It’s hit between 105-111 where I am currently for the last week straight. I’m sure it’s a little warmer there, but I’m already in the oven haha


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[jdubrr]

I don't live in AZ but I do go there every year for OTC archery deer - it's good for Coues & Muley. They also have Javalina (close to pigs) that are easy tags to draw. That's all I can help with

 

[Felix40]

I have to think it will be better than midland. I don’t know about elk but you could at least hunt deer, bear, javelina every year

 

[Laramie]

Spent a week in Phoenix once. They don't print enough money for me to take a job there... but I would say the same for the area you currently live. As a guy from Wyoming, I just appreciate the 4 seasons too much to live in a place devoid of 3 of them.

 

[MuleyFever]

Not to get way into it but if you can handle living in Phoenix the outdoor opportunities in AZ are good. Easy deer tags, elk opportunities, antelope opportunities, quail, javalina, fishing opportunities. You can get a lifetime hunting license that will put you in the resident draw even if you move I believe.

Camping and mountain biking are good from what I hear.

Forgot about bear and bison.

 

[Laramie]

But the hunting in pretty good in some areas of the state if you can draw the tags.

 

[canyonhunter47]

Phoenix is hot for the summer but great in the winter. Downtown is 1.5 hours to Payson and 2 hours to flagstaff

• You can’t get (quality) elk hunts every year
• You can hunt deer every year (OTC archery, or early rifle coues)
• Antelope tags are hard to come by, especially for rifle
• Javelina are pig-like but they are a controlled hunt
• Small-game hunting is pretty wide open
• I’m not a huge fisherman but there is decent opportunity, depends on what you’re looking for
• Mountain biking is very good
• Lots of camping, go to northern AZ to escape the summer heat or southern AZ in the winter

 

[Mfritts]

Great, thanks for the intel

 

[CougarBlue]

Phoenix is hot for the summer but great in the winter. Downtown is 1.5 hours to Payson and 2 hours to flagstaff

• You can’t get (quality) elk hunts every year
• You can hunt deer every year (OTC archery, or early rifle coues)
• Antelope tags are hard to come by, especially for rifle
• Javelina are pig-like but they are a controlled hunt
• Small-game hunting is pretty wide open
• I’m not a huge fisherman but there is decent opportunity, depends on what you’re looking for
• Mountain biking is very good
• Lots of camping, go to northern AZ to escape the summer heat or southern AZ in the winter

As an Arizona resident, this is right on the money.

Elk hunts aren't the easiest to come by but when you draw, they're incredible.
The trophy hunts for deer are going to take a bit to draw out on but there's so many opportunities to chase deer in good units.

Antelope is another story. Very tough to draw but you're close to NM and there's opportunity there.

Another thing to consider is our OTC bear hunts which are a ton of fun and open during several seasons throughout the year.

The fishing is also great. In Phoenix there's a limited number lakes on the outskirts of town but in the high country there's a tremendous number of options depending on your preferences. Lots of good fly fishing communities here too.

 

[dmoto]

I live in PHX and spend quite a bit of time hunting and bass fishing. Sure, 3 months of heat, but hard to beat the rest of the year (except for the traffic and snowbirds). 1200' elevation in the city, drive 2 hours north and you're in 7000'.

As previous members stated, quality elk hunts are somewhat difficult to draw

Antelope is very difficult to draw

Gambel's quail are everywhere out here. Drive south and you'll get into Mearns and Scalies.

Javelina hunts (archery and HAM) are great, I hunt those every year. Fun hunt and aren't terrible eating if done right

Fishing can be good, depends where and what you're fishing for. Largemouth bass have severely declined at Saguaro, Canyon and Apache due to a really bad golden algae bloom. Similar blooms seem to happen every 10 years or so in those lakes. Takes a few years to come back, but when they do, 5 fish bags at local derbies can top 25#. However, Roosevelt has been really good to fish lately. Flooded brush with 30 fish days easily. That being said, there was a large fire in the hills surrounding Roosevelt (Bush Fire) last month. There's a bit of concern on the ash and retardant runoff into the lake once the summer monsoons turn on. So, who knows what effect that is going to have on the Salt River chain lakes.

Bartlett Lake is also good for bass. Smaller fish, but it's definitely a numbers lake.

Northern AZ has a quite a few streams and mountain lakes that hold decent trout and smallmouth bass with a few pike mixed in.

If you can deal with the PHX traffic and the 3 mos of heat, then it's a great place.

 

[Mfritts]

Great intel dmoto I’ll definitely hit you up if we end up heading that way.


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[Pathfinder27]

Following this one. I’m moving to Phoenix next spring and will need all the help I can get coming from DC

 

[Sportsman]

Lived all over the country and I'm happy in AZ. Sure summer is painful - this week we're in about day 7 of a run of highs above 110. But, 7-9 months of great weather. If you want escape in the summer or cold in the winter, drive up to Flagstaff

Flathead catfishing is good on Colorado River. Bass can be good before it gets too hot.

My antelope strategy is hunt other states while I wait.

OTC archery deer. Javelina nearly guaranteed draw.

Elk you can hunt every few years if not after rifle rut or trophy units. One point for hunter ed and one loyalty point after five years.

Dove, quail, small game good

 

[Sobrbiker]

And if you shoot a lot we’ve got great ranges and comps all the time (IPSC, IDPA, USPSA, non-sanctioned steel), silhouette (HP, RF, lever, cowboy, black powder, pistol, Fclass, NRA HP, skeet, 3 gun, PRS (annual 2day and a couple monthlies), etc...

And there are feral hogs-not like TX, you’ve gotta go find them.

 

[AZmark]

Lived in AZ all my life. Born and raised on the eastern border with NM and now live there again semi-retired. I spent 30 yrs living in Phx and glad to be out of there. I cant add much to everything else thats been said. Be ready to bake in the Phx rat race. AZ is a beautiful state with lots to do and except for the summer in the low country the weather is great. Snow in the north and east country in the winter but not so bad as the midwest.

 

[robtattoo]

I went once on a golfing vacation to Phoenix.
Like, how do you live there?! I went in may and i melted my freaking shoes. On grass!
Took a day hike around some silly public trail near a botanical garden (6 million cactus & a quail.) & literally died of dehydration. I got better.......

If i owned Phoenix & hell, I'd rent out Phoenix & live in hell.

 

[Sportsman]

He's coming from MIdland/Odessa, not Montana. Phoenix offers a similar summer and far better winter. Take a golf vacation to PHX in January and you'll understand. May is fine. 3 years ago we had a hot May with highs above 115 but that is not normal may. Jul to Aug is awful. May, June, and Sep are crap shoots. Oct to Apr is best weather in country and I can visit mountains to hunt and get my cold fix.

 

[Carpenterant]

I’ll add this to what others have said: predator hunting is great, tons of coyotes bobcat fox