AZ deer

ck

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In your opinion, is Arizona worth putting in for deer to start building points if you're 29 going in with zero points? I realize some get lucky and draw early, but for the most part? Hopefully I won't get smart ass answers here, but why wouldn't I want to just save my money and go to Eastern CO, private ground/vouchers in CO, and/or look at other options. Either way, Arizona or CO, I'd probably go guided as I live a bit far away to scout and really learn the area like I should.
 
I am in your same boat. If you are set on drawing a Strip tag or a late Kiabab hunt I don't think it is worth it, chances are you will never draw. If you are interested in an early Kiabab hunt (which is still going to take a long time to draw), or if you would ever want a Coues deer then I think it is worth it. One other thing I like about AZ is that a father can transfer a tag to a minor child. So, even if it takes me 17 years to draw a Kiabab tag I can transfer it to my 1 year old son and let him hunt it. Good luck.

Dax
 
Daxter, I beg to differ there's plenty of good hunting south of the ditch. Some of these units are just beginning to surface. The desert deer are the same as Mexico's buck's. The problem is theirs just a small handful of guides and hunters who know how to hunt the desert effectively and continuously kill 180+ bucks.
 
LAST EDITED ON May-13-09 AT 11:02PM (MST)[p]Here are a couple deer from units other than north of the ditch. There is plenty of oppurtunity out there, just takes some work.
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5 bp's

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OTC archery

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1 BP 74% draw rifle

We have many others, these are just a few. All these bucks are over 180". I think these are worth trying for!

www.southwesthuntingadventures.com
 
I hunt south and north of the the canyon and there are big bucks in the south.But that being said there are not anywhere near the numbers that the 12's & 13's produce.I have bowhunted the southern units and taken some huge bucks the biggest at 221 p&y gross.But I live here and have time to find bucks like these.Most hunters never see a buck like that on the strip or kaibab,they are there but you still have to put in the time.
 
Just FIY, my non-resident friend did draw an early season kaibab tag with 0 points last year. There are some really nice deer south of the ditch, but there are very few that would ever actually score in the B&C book if that is what you are after. Just look at the books, All years since the B&C has had data entered = no bucks from any counties from the 40's units, which are the other tougher to draw units. The only counties to have B&C bucks besides the strip/kaibab counties are Pima, Yavapai, and Apache. Pima and Yavapai, which are in the desert have had 1 buck each entered and the one from Yavapai was before 1985. Pope and Young on the other hand, the desert units are a great place to pick up a trophy. So stick to the North of the Ditch for B&C and go to either for P&Y, that is the bottom line! You can't draw if you don't apply.
T
 
I know of 5 190+ net bucks that have come from the south. I have 1 of them. 194 net. The simple fact is, not everybody enters their deer. Many large bucks from this desert will never be scored and entered.. How can somebody say Mexico has giants, but the AZ desert does not? Is this not the same desert?
But yes the entries north of the ditch are a lot higher, but so are the number of entries in the 60's and 70's, so maybe invent a time machine first then go hunt the Kiabab.

Whatever you do, stay away from the early Kiabab. Someone gets lucky now and then, but not to often.
Travis
www.southwesthuntingadventures.com
 
Guys,
Not trying to get you guys defensive about the desert area. I love hunting the desert, don't have to defend it and would prefer that less people hunt it , than try to convince them that there are big deer down here. 2 years ago, my favorite desert area was crawling with people. Anyway, I am not arguing that there may be some unscored B&C qualifying deer out there, but they are very few. The guy asked an honest question. The only honest answer is to take the Data from an unbiased source and let him know the reality. Dam the Data in some of the colorado counties shows much higher B&C data than Arizona and the odds of seeing a true giant are still slim. THe Data in the Arizona desert, shows there are very few net B&C bucks. It is great that some of you have a whole garage full of them that you just don't want to put in the books, but for a real trophy hunter we have to go off of the data. My neigbor shot a "205" buck this year in colorado. When I came over to see it it would be lucky to net 165 and would have grossed 180. A great buck, but not a book buck. Some people could care less about the book, and some bucks it just doesn't matter they are so gnarly. But when looking for a place to invest time, money, etc for a trophy the book unfortunately, is about the best tool we have to find where the really big ones live. So I wasn't looking to put you guys on the defensive, but it is what it is.
T
 
I gotcha. Its just I really hate when someone, who has never really hunted down here, says there are no BIG deer. That is always an insult to me and others. I agree about not caring about the book. I think if more people spent time and effort in the desert, as they in other places, you would see more monsters coming from these areas. Last year there were 2 200"+ bucks come from the Kofa's but most people will never know anything about these deer.

Agreed, the average deer hunter looking for a B&C buck should hunt other areas, or be willing to spend A LOT of time down here learning this stuff. Or hire an outfitter, regardless of what some think about using guides, this is always an option.

Travis
www.southwesthuntingadventures.com
 

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