Spring Bear in Arizona

[ccsmith2]

Spring bear opens up here in AZ in just a couple of weeks. I've been on a few fall bear hunts throughout the state but never have tried a spring hunt. Does anybody have any input on if the bears will be awake by then? Or if they are already? AZ has had a warm winter so I'm hoping they'll be moving but i just don't know. Any input is appreciated.

 

[TacoHunter]

Interested as well. Never bear hunted, but AZ OTC tags seems like a great opportunity to get out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Brendan]

Are all Arizona OTC tags archery? I have to be in the Phoenix area mid may, and was half considering going out in the woods anyways just to do some hiking, look for sheds, whatever. Not sure it'd make sense to turn the trip into a bear hunt though...

 

[TacoHunter]

There are general spring bear tags(OTC) for a bunch of units with female limits. My understanding is that once the female limit has been met, they will shut down the unit to hunting. There is a call in # that states which units have met the limit.

 

[LonePineAZ]

I was up in the White Mountains, 3B OTC Archery-Only, last weekend and it is very dry. I came across only a few, very old tracks, and no scat or markings. Not sure if I was doing something wrong, or just in the wrong areas, I gave the local AZGFD office a call.

I spoke to a gentleman there, who was extremely helpful. The bears in the area aren't moving much, if at all. He mentioned a report of some cat hunters running hounds which came into a bear, but it was denned. This suggests the bear left the den and returned. We speculated back and forth that they may have gone to hibernation 'well-stocked' or are weathering the lack of moisture and greenery.

 

[LonePineAZ]

@Taco-Hunter

You are correct. Per the Spring regulations, if the female harvest limit is reached for the 'season' the unit will be closed the Wednesday following the report. If the annual female harvest limit is reached, the unit will be closed for the remainder of the calendar year.

Call 1-800-970-BEAR (2327) before beginning a hunt, or to report a harvest.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/azgfd-port...uploads/2017/08/29141719/2018-Spring-Regs.pdf

@Brendan

When you buy a Non-Permit tag (OTC) in AZ, it is species specific, and good for the calendar year in which it was purchased. It gives you access to all Non-Permit tag hunts in the state for that species. The Unit, Date Period, and Species together will dictate the hunt methodology (a.k.a. Weapon). For example Bear in Unit 27 2018-03-23 to 2018-05-03 calls for a General hunt, meaning the hunter can choose any legal hunting weapon as outlined by the definition of General hunt in AZGFD guidelines. Another example is Bear in Unit 3B 2018-03-23 to 2018-05-03 is Archery-only.

 

[Elkster12]

Very few bears are traditionally harvested during the spring OTC hunt in AZ. It is mostly used a money generator for the state. There is an archery only draw permit hunt after the OTC hunt ends.

 

[rustneversleeps]

There is an archery only draw permit hunt after the OTC hunt ends.

When does that season run?

 

[Elkster12]

It usually kicks in late April and runs through July, unless a 1 or 2 sow quota is reached. I have arrowed three archery spring bears. It is a tough hunt....but I call them in with hand calls. Good hunt over water too. But, it sucks for hardcore bear hunters, as a filled spring tag has you sitting out of the acorns and manzanita in the fall!