7 West Archery

[Mbogo]

Well, after nearly a decade of applying I pulled a 7 West archery tag. I would greatly appreciate informed opinions on the reality of doing this myself versus hiring an outfitter. I have done all my hunting diy and I am only considering an outfitter because I just don't know when or if I will be able to draw a bull elk tag in Arizona again and would really like to maximize the opportunity. With only 125 tags, how is the competition level? Are the elk fairly scattered out or concentrated in certain areas of the unit?
Many thanks to anyone with advice and good luck to everyone with the remaining draws.

 

[maddglasser]

You are going to get a lot of opinions from both sides!! Keep in mind you may NEVER draw this tag again. Grab a bowl of popcorn and watch the fight begin.

Travis

www.southwesthuntingadventures.com
www.huntingandfishingaz.blogspot.com

 

[muleybull]

I agree, your gonna get a lot of opinions. Kinda surprised its not already loaded, but I'm sure your pm box is.

If you have the time and some know how, you can definitely do it yourself. Elk are pretty much anywhere in that unit, and hunting pressure can change from year to year.

Dont know where your from, but the Kaibab National Forest has maps.

www.muleybulloutfitters.com

 

[chinochief]

pm sent

 

[azcouesandelk]

I spend alot of time in 7W and there are elk from 1 corner to the other. The biggest thing is finding the areas that doesnt have many people. There are also 50 cow tags for the same time as your hunt. If you dont think you are going to be able to do alot of scouting I would reccomend hiring a guide. Like Travis said you are going to get alot from both sides. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a PM.

Christian Wolff

 

[need4x4]

If you want a chance at a trophy, I think the guide is money well spent.

Will you be alone in your efforts or would you have a buddy?

What is your expectation and what would you be happy with?

Some fairly seasoned elk hunters with some good knowledge of the unit will not always score with this tag.

I hunted it as a beginner archer. I had some knowledge of the zone before hand. I did not take an elk.

Weather can make it a very difficult hunt to kill a decent bull. The elk in the bottom halk of the unit understand people and are hard to find with those 175 tag holders moving around the place. In the top half of the unit, I think this is less so, but they still seem to understand and react to the pressure.

In any event, my suggestion is to plan on using every day of the season and set a goal and stick to it. Then let the chips fall as they will.

 

[Mbogo]

Right now I am planning on taking every day of the season off. With work, I never know if that will be entirely possible, but at the least 9 days.
Hard to say what my expectations are. Until I get some scouting done, that is a tough question. With the moisture this year, antler growth should be very good. I see no reason in shooting a 300 class bull as this tag is just too hard to draw for a non-resident and has too much potential. I would rather hunt the last evening of the season than drive home early with a bull that could be legitimately harvested in another state/unit without a high degree of difficulty. Also, I love hunting this type of country so wouldn't want the hunt to end too early!
My wife drew a unit 10 antelope tag about 4 years ago so I got see a little of what Arizona has to offer for elk hunting. WOW! I can see why that unit is regarded so highly. Beautiful country and fantastic elk.