I honestly do not think anyone could possibly see much of an increase in quality or #'s, in as little time as it's been. Hasn't it only been 2 and half seasons?
As to the point minimum argument, I personally do not believe it would help anything. I actually believe articles like this one that point out all the negatives.
https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content...ife/deer-ahm/4h---mdwg-fact-sheet-06-aprs.pdf
The otc archery is the only opportunity for residents to hunt mule deer every year. Most of our rifle hunts require at least 3 points for a guarantee draw. We are not fortunate like those in other states like Idaho and Wyoming where you can get a general tag every year. Also, our deer herds can't bounce back as fast as the northern states due to our dry climate. I agree with you that it is frustrating having a unit you love close and not being able to hunt it. Most of the units I grew up hunting are now only open for the velvet seasons. A possible solution would be for tags to be otc for zones of units (not the whole state) and to have separate tags for Coues and Mule Deer. The non res cap is good imo because our state's population is growing like wildfire and at the end of the day, residents deserve to have an opportunity over non res who have wayy more opportunities in their home states. Curious to see what everyone's thoughts are.... but at the end of the day, everything is always going to be changing and we'll have to adapt.
Not allowing tank sitting is yet again a very slippery slope on restricting hunting even further. I assure you, many, many large bucks die on water as well, not just small bucks. The majority of hunters would rather ahve opportunity vs. trophy. AZGFD, actually did a survey maybe 5-10 years ago, and the response was opportunity over trophy. Lots of people hunt to eat the meat, and not chase only antlers. We have such a low population of deer, that adults are only able to actually shoot does in very select units. We even had to cut back on the youth doe tags on the Kaibab because that herd is hurting too. I personally pass plenty of deer each year in hopes of something larger, but at the end of the day, I still want the meat for my family. I would feel really bad telling people, they are not allowed to shoot smaller bucks. Legal is legal in my opinion. I also believe spot and stalk is not really that hard in January.
I wonder if AZGFD, could look at maybe splitting up the quota into an early season and a late. Like if said unit has an 80 deer quota, allow 50 on the early hunt and maybe the other 30 on the late hunt. This would ensure you have atleast 1 week to hunt your unit of choice. I could see a problem with potentially a massive over harvest tho. A couple units have the whole quota eaten up on the first week in August. If you put the same amount of people in that unit during January, they would probably exceed the quota by 20-50%. Not having a unit close the next day after the quota is met allows for "extra" deer to be killed. If the quota gets met on Wednesday, that unit will remain open for 7 extra days until next Wednesday. Unfortunately, i think the easiest solution is going to be going to a draw. Not enough resource for the amount of guys that want to pursue it.
