NM & Arizona Fall Bear

[Ggarrett]

Considering an attempt at New Mexico or Arizona fall bear as I did not draw any tags. What are y’all’s experiences with those states? I’m not one to shy away from a rifle but archery is definitely what I would prefer regardless of the challenges included with it. I have no experience bear hunting, and from what I’ve read these states are pretty tough as far as bear hunting goes. I am considering these states just because they are about half the drive to anywhere else OTC, and if I’m gonna have tag soup I’d rather not drive an additional 12 hrs to think about it.

 

[NMT]

I can't speak to AZ but NM has plenty of bear.

Depending on where you decide to hunt keep in mind there is a running quota for each area that is updated regularly and some areas will close earlier than others based on how many bears are harvested. This becomes a problem when rifle is opened up because dogs are allowed for hunting which can eat up the quota quickly. I'd recommend picking an area you'd like to hunt and doing the archery dates.

 

[dtrkyman]

Go to Colorado, loads of bears there!

 

[NMJM]

NM is very tough unless you have hounds. Even in great bear areas they are very difficult to pattern and if you do spot one, stalking in to bow range is not easy. Sept in NM is bow only. One option would be to find someone with an elk tag or go to an area with lots of elk and sit over a gut pile.

 

[TSimons9]

I have seen multiple bears in both NM and AZ the last three falls. Haven’t tried to hunt them but they are definitely out there. Good luck!

 

[hunterfisherman1]

When I was elk hunting last year in NM we came across a few really nice bears. They were keyed in on some the creek drainages and east facing slopes for the berries.

 

[TrackerG]

There is VERY good bear areas in AZ, but the sow quota gets hit pretty quick in most of those areas resulting in unit wide shut downs. During the early fall season the bears are focused on prickly pear patches in big canyon flats. Spot and stalk with a bow would be very difficult.