The second archery hunt in 21B is easy to draw for a reason; it is a tough public land hunt. I don't know how many guys I've talked to driving around in the unit who put in as a third choice hunt because of its proximity to the top notch units and because of their thinking that they may have found some little Gila unit no one knows about. The little bit of public in the unit gets hit hard every season. If there is no rain and therefore no water in the bigger tanks, the public land will hold little to no elk. The reason being that the private land surrounding the public access always holds water and good feed. Most of the bulls that come off the public are hard-earned raghorns, although there is a 300"+ bull killed on the public every couple of years.
Private land. The curse and blessing of 21B. The private land in the unit does hold some great bulls and solid elk hunting. The ranch owners in 21B know this and take great care in providing some quality elk hunting opportunities. Every boundary in the unit is fenced and if you cross a fence-line you will be on private property. If you can get access to private you could have a quality hunt. Not a lot of elk, but some good bulls are killed in the unit on private every year.
The reason F&G notes the "limited public access" in 21B in the proclamation is due to the number of trespassing issues and landowner complaints that come out of the unit. Most of the ranches are patrolled and a couple of the ranches in the North end of the unit have begun employing game cameras to catch trespassers in the areas abutting public land.
-Cody
