Arizona Elk

archery or rifle?

also did you ever get my PM, still witing for an answer.

Never got a PM......archery or rifle?

I guess the subject is tiny, they need to make it bigger...It was for Archery.

I've had the fortunte to have drawn an AZ archery bull elk permit 3 times in 18 years. Having one of those tags every 6 years is not a bad thing. :) However, drawing the tag is only half the battle.

You need to keep in mind, there are good bulls (up to 360") in ALL elk zones...including the less hyped-up ones. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) It's all about draw odds and what type of bull you'll settle for. Once you know how the game is played (odds) you'll draw more often.

Don't over-look the low density hunts either (excluding unit 12). I've seen some TOADS in these units as well. A little scouting goes a LONG way.

I'll only add that if you're after a 400" caliber bull (which beyond popular belief is NOT common), then you'll probably be applying for the popular zones (9 & 10) and may never draw...even with archery. However, if a 320-360" bull will suit you, EVERY unit in Arizona can produce that, IMO. Hope it helps

I am looking for a unit where I can have good odds of drawing and pretty much any bull outside of a spike. I just love to hunt and moreso with a bow and even moreso a bow and elk. I appreciate the help, not that I will draw I am just tryning to increase my future odds of spending more days hunting and less days working :)

I would call the AZ Game & Fish and buy a copy of their Big Game Stats Book. It will show a break down of ALL the elk zones and separate seasons. You'll get good info from there.

Hope I can Help, I'm brand new to this forum but have lived in Arizona all my life and have hunted most of it.

As BOHNTR said most of the units can and will produce bulls in the 320s-360s". The Units I would avoid are 6ANorth, 6Asouth and 6Awest. These units have had the most pressure in them. These units have always offered a lot of tags so your new hunter that does not know any better puts in for these tags. Because of this, these guys have drawn it and have really educated the elk. It can be hard to call bulls.

But as you posted your not really looking for size then pretty much any unit. If you go to the Arizona Game and Fish website(azgfd.com) they have just put out the 2006/2007 regs. Download them and at the end they have last years draw success and harvest success stats.

But if your looking for a good chance at a bull of a lifetime then then you would want to stay with units 1, 3A/3C, 9 and 10. The draw odds a very low though, the 3-5% range.

Hope this helps.

Manny

Hey Manny.....welcome aboard!