Unit 22 North AZ

Wildatheart

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I’ve read about every negative thing that could be read on Unit 22 North. But I’m here looking for positive feedback if it exist. I am out of state coming in and have drawn a tag and I’m thrilled about it. First elk hunt, and have been applying in Arizona for a few years.I’ve hunted in the west quite a bit but never elk. Has anyone hunted this area?
 

Life_Feeds_On_Life

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There's a lot of tags but a lot of elk. You will run into people but just stick to the glass and you should see elk. Be prepared to take several hundred yard shots if you need to. It can be tough to get in close because some areas are pretty thick. I would shoot the first branch antlered bull I saw unless you know of something better.
 
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Wildatheart

Wildatheart

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There's a lot of tags but a lot of elk. You will run into people but just stick to the glass and you should see elk. Be prepared to take several hundred yard shots if you need to. It can be tough to get in close because some areas are pretty thick. I would shoot the first branch antlered bull I saw unless you know of something better.
Thanks for the info! I have hired Steve Chappell guide service to take me out on this one. I didn’t have much time to look at the territory or spend out there.
 

Bailer

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Thanks for the info! I have hired Steve Chappell guide service to take me out on this one. I didn’t have much time to look at the territory or spend out there.
Then you’re in good hands.

That’s one of the worst Az tags, but still better than an orc tag in most other states.
 
Joined
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That’s one of the worst Az tags, but still better than an orc tag in most other states.

For sure. We don't have a lot of orcs in the states, they're mostly found down in NZ with the Kiwis.

22N is not one of the better AZ units obviously but there are plenty of elk. As mentioned work on your shooting and try to get comfortable with longer range shots. With Steve's help you should be on some bulls. Good luck!
 

.270

WKR
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That was my first AZ elk tag when I lived there, I was successful but I haven't applied in that unit since. The unit is managed for opportunity not quality. You will be fine using Steve Chappel guide service, he been outfitting for years. Like other have stated, work on expanding your shooting range.
 

Bailer

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For sure. We don't have a lot of orcs in the states, they're mostly found down in NZ with the Kiwis.

22N is not one of the better AZ units obviously but there are plenty of elk. As mentioned work on your shooting and try to get comfortable with longer range shots. With Steve's help you should be on some bulls. Good luck!
How does autocorrect get orcs from otc?
 
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When you guys mention "expanding your shooting range", are we talking 300 yard shots or 700 yard shots?

Straight off of Chappell's website: "Late bull hunts prepare for 100 to 500 yard shots."

The last late AZ hunt I had I wasn't prepared to shoot anything beyond 400, and even that was stretching it for me at the time. I ended up having a few opportunities at nice bulls right around 500 yards and had to pass. The next year I worked super hard to prepare for a long range shot and dropped a bull in Colorado at 475 yards. If you can't shoot that far then it's not the end of the world, but it definitely helps on most of those late AZ hunts where the best opportunities are cross canyon shots.
 
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Wildatheart

Wildatheart

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This has been some good information and reassurance with Steve. I have heard nothing but great things from his operation. Also, I have been fortunate to be able to practice out to 900 yards. Very often. My uncle here in Alabama is a big western hunter and long range guy, so I’ve been soaking up all I can from him and have become very good marksman “at the range” out to 900 yards easily.
 

Bailer

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This has been some good information and reassurance with Steve. I have heard nothing but great things from his operation. Also, I have been fortunate to be able to practice out to 900 yards. Very often. My uncle here in Alabama is a big western hunter and long range guy, so I’ve been soaking up all I can from him and have become very good marksman “at the range” out to 900 yards easily.

You’re ready to rain one of those shots down from 5a.
 

JBenz63

FNG
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Dec 6, 2017
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Phoenix, Arizona
It’s not a bad hunt. I do think they issue WAY too many tags in that rifle season. Like posts previous it’s an opportunity hunt. Not a trophy hunt. I would definitely recommend using other units to glass into 22n.
 
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Weather and hunting pressure will be your 2 greatest obstacles. Steve is a good guide and I am sure he will get you on some elk. Expand your shooting capabilities out to 500+ yards and you will open up some more land to hunt. Lots of elk are spotted from above the rim and then you have to get into position to be able to make a shot on them. Do your part an be very proficient with your rifle and I am sure Steve will do his part and put you on the meat.
 
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If set up to glass on a tripod, you will be good.

Have been in the area during that hunt over the last 3 years. Prepare for some ugly weather and terrain. Its a late elk hunt so weather is implied, but high chance of wet snow and possibly rain. Temperatures can bounce right around freezing making for some serious slop due to the elevation.... or you could be glassing in a fleece and 55 degree temps and sunny.
 
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Unless you are using a .50 cal machine gun, i would stick to 300 yards.
I’ll be using a .340 Weatherby, so pretty close. ;-)

I do some local long range matches out to 1250 yards with a different rifle, so I understand shooting at distance. On the other hand, I’ve killed over a dozen elk in Colorado and haven’t had to shoot past 200 yards at one yet.

My tag is for the season prior to the OPs, around Thanksgiving, but I’m guessing most topics will be similar.
 

Gila

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A game animal isn't the same as a target. Hunter ethics demand that we dispatch the game animal with the best chance of making a clean and swift kill. I'm sure this subject has come up here a zillion times. That means we match the rifle with our shooting ability. Let's face it, there are only a handful of popular hunting cartridges with the terminal ballistics that can cleanly kill an elk beyond 500 yards. Even so, you need as much knock down power as you can get at any range. In most cases, the rifle is more capable than the shooter. Very few hunters have the skill to hit a pieplate consistently at 500 yards....very few! Simple fact is that the probability of harvesting an elk goes up as the shooting distance decreases.

Having said that, the advances in rifle design, cartridges and optics have extended ethical ranges to a certain degree. My rifle kicks out a 130 gr streamlined bullet at 3100 fps. Yea it is a dang flat shooter way out there! However, I need 2000 fps at the target to get the bullet to mushroom. So my effective range is about 450 yds max. If I am at an ambush point and I have time; I use long range tools to get as much of an advantage as I can get for a shot within 450 yds. I have previously loaded my rifle profile via bluetooth from my phone to the rangefinder. I attach a wind meter to my phone and point it in the direction of the animal to get windage. After I lase the target and the elevation data jives with Strelok Pro on the phone, I dial up the scope and take the shot.

Stalking is another matter. A hunter is lucky if they have enough time to sit down and pull the bipod or use the pack. More than likely there is no time to lase let alone to dialup. That is what I practice most when I go to the range. Sometimes I will bet on a long shot at the track, yet most of the time I lose.
 
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