6b Archery Elk

[Birddog916]

Hi Guys,
I was super lucky to draw a 6b AZ elk tag Sept 11-24. I have never hunted in AZ before and am pretty excited to have the opportunity. I'm planning on doing as much scouting as possible 2-3 trips to AZ from my home in Sacramento, CA. I will be hunting solo and am willing to share information with anyone who also has the tag or has had it in the past. I am willing to share information about other spots in the past and help you out in California (deer), Oregon (deer and elk), Utah (deer) or Wyoming (deer elk and antelope). I'm considering coming out for my first trip in April. Anyone know if the roads in the northern part of the unit will be passable end of April? I have some additional questions best kept in private messages... I'm pretty much going into this hunt blind so any advice you can give would be great. I hear the northern section can be pretty crowded and I'm most interested in the designated wilderness areas, but I'll hunt most anywhere the elk are. PM me if you want. Thank you!

 

[Setcams4u]

Sent you a PM

 

[LopeHunter]

Hi Guys,
I was super lucky to draw a 6b AZ elk tag Sept 11-24. I have never hunted in AZ before and am pretty excited to have the opportunity. I'm planning on doing as much scouting as possible 2-3 trips to AZ from my home in Sacramento, CA. I will be hunting solo and am willing to share information with anyone who also has the tag or has had it in the past. I am willing to share information about other spots in the past and help you out in California (deer), Oregon (deer and elk), Utah (deer) or Wyoming (deer elk and antelope). I'm considering coming out for my first trip in April. Anyone know if the roads in the northern part of the unit will be passable end of April? I have some additional questions best kept in private messages... I'm pretty much going into this hunt blind so any advice you can give would be great. I hear the northern section can be pretty crowded and I'm most interested in the designated wilderness areas, but I'll hunt most anywhere the elk are. PM me if you want. Thank you!

You will find more recent info than mine.

Hunted this years ago during archery and was a warmer than usual during the season that year with fires in three places in and outside the unit so smoke in the unit no matter which way the wind blew. Bulls quiet once sun rose and sometimes only were vocal well after sunset. Harvest rate typically was around 20% then but seem to recall when the stats came out a couple of years later was 8% my year. Was a lot of tags, fights over the few water holes with tents and chairs and other things "reserving" those spots. ATVs zooming to and fro. Scouting might help with learning the roads. I think once sun rises on opening morning that elk get bumped and will not be where saw them on scouting trips.

 

[rustednuts]

Roads will be passable by April, learn the lay of of the land and road access and then come a week early to scout

 

[RJ19]

Were you able to make it to Arizona? I drew for 6b early archery as well. Been e-scouting but yet to step foot in the unit.

 

[Griggs]

I’ve found like a lot of units it’s road hunter heavy. But in my experience it was the most aggressive in that regard. Do some walking and you’ll avoid most issues, as you always hear.

like was posted above, literal fist fights over water holes, etc. you’ll have a good time. The elk are pressured a lot in the north, OTC hunts almost all year near there and a bunch of poachers I’ve run across there before.

 

[Birddog916]

Were you able to make it to Arizona? I drew for 6b early archery as well. Been e-scouting but yet to step foot in the unit.

Not yet Griggs. I have a trip planned for June 4-7, if the lockdown is lifted. I'm hopeful I'll make it by then, but who knows. I'll have a lot of trail cams set up all summer, so should have some good pics later on this summer. I have also been doing a lot of e-scouting and have some spots picked out. I'll PM you my contact information. I'll be hunting solo and willing to share info.

 

[FlatlanderAZ]

I haven’t hunted that unit before but I am an AZ resident. If you have any General Az questions feel free to PM me.

In general I would say yes this is a road hunter heavy unit with a pretty generous allocation of tags. But AZelk hunts are in general a couple notches above others. You should have a great time.

 

[Texaz]

I have spent a lot of time in 6B. A friend had an early archery tag a few years ago and we spent every weekend for a month before the hunt in the unit. By the day before season opened hunters were camped all over the unit, in the parks, beside the tanks, pretty much everywhere possible. During our scouting before season we always found elk in numerous places. Opening morning those elk were some place else. Although we did manage to locate a few bulls during the hunt, there was no bugling. The unit is very flat, other than the canyons, and does not offer much opportunity for glassing.

 

[Setcams4u]

I have spent a lot of time in 6B. A friend had an early archery tag a few years ago and we spent every weekend for a month before the hunt in the unit. By the day before season opened hunters were camped all over the unit, in the parks, beside the tanks, pretty much everywhere possible. During our scouting before season we always found elk in numerous places. Opening morning those elk were some place else. Although we did manage to locate a few bulls during the hunt, there was no bugling. The unit is very flat, other than the canyons, and does not offer much opportunity for glassing.

Welcome to HuntTalk. Did you guys hunt all fourteen days? What were the weather conditions like for your hunt? Did you have any luck hunting water?

 

[RJ19]

I have spent a lot of time in 6B. A friend had an early archery tag a few years ago and we spent every weekend for a month before the hunt in the unit. By the day before season opened hunters were camped all over the unit, in the parks, beside the tanks, pretty much everywhere possible. During our scouting before season we always found elk in numerous places. Opening morning those elk were some place else. Although we did manage to locate a few bulls during the hunt, there was no bugling. The unit is very flat, other than the canyons, and does not offer much opportunity for glassing.

Did you guys fill your tag? Can't wait to get out there!

 

[Texaz]

i don't remember if we hunted the entire season, definitely hunted most of the season. Weather changed significantly during the hunt, started out clear and warm and later cold with light snow. No shots fired. We did hunt water a few times with no sightings.

 

[J_Cham13]

Will be heading to this unit here in a couple weeks with an Archery bull tag. I had plans to visit the elk woods this summer, but a job change and life happenings made the 32hr round trip from Austin, TX a little tough.

Been doing a ton of e-scouting and was able to talk with Steve Chappell for about a half hour and hear his experience of 20+ years ago. I’ve focused on the western edge of the unit because most of what I’ve seen online has been referencing the middle part of the unit, south of the Indian reservation. My thought is most guys hunting AZ are inherently lazy, and will focus on that area because it has a lot of roads. Hoping by staying west I can get away from the majority of the people.

Would love to compare notes with someone who's hunted it recently or knows the area. Feel free to PM

Thanks!