Arizona deer

[HighDesertSage]

Wondering if you guys could help me out here. How many points would I need to just be in the running to draw a 12AW tag as a nonresident in Arizona. I tried to find this information, and I'm having a difficult time locating it. I'm just curious if it is even possible with only one to three points, or if I can expect a 10 year wait for a rifle tag up that way. And $160 for license plus an application fee is getting a bit steep for me. Also, the way I understand the Arizona big game draw, everybody at least has a chance. Is this correct?

Thanks for the help guys as always I appreciate it.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Also, I should clarify that I am only interested in the earlier rifle season. Not the late hunt. Thanks

 

[Big Fin]

In 2013, 24 of the 50 non-resident tags were drawn in the random draw to non-residents with six or fewer points, so based on last year, the answer to your question is "Yes, it is possible to draw with one to three points."

 

[LopeHunter]

I may be mistaken but in your first year in the draw you show up in the draw stats as "0 points" so 4 preference points in the draw reports is actually the 5th year rather than the 4th year of applying without drawing. Seems by definition that preference points are not part of the random draw so if that is the case then does not matter if have 0 or 20 points as the draw shifts to the random portion.

 

[big28hunter]

Also, the way I understand the Arizona big game draw, everybody at least has a chance. Is this correct?

According to my outfitter I hunted coues deer with last year, yes!

 

[O C Hunter]

I drew the early season rifle tag in 12A East in 2010 with 3 points as a nonresident. The Kaibab Plateau is highly over-rated. It has great potential, but is over-hunted. Don't overlook the juniper/pinyon pine areas at lower elevations. They will tell you to look up high, but there are deer down low and very few hunters. Don't forget to bring your shotgun for a Kaibab Squirrel for a mount. Also, cow buffalo may be available, but are hard to locate.

 

[junior88]

overrated my a$$

 

[chuckyd313]

Kaibab is not overrated. its one of those "coveted tag" areas. if you get drawn there and shoot a small deer its because you were impatient.

 

[sagebrush]

Just as a point of information on how the AZ draw works, you get one random number generated for each point you have. The lowest number goes into the draw. The first pass is sorted by number of points then random number, 20% of the tags are issued in this pass. The first pass is referred to as the "Bonus Pass". A new random number is generated for each of your points in the second pass and again the lowest number is used. The second pass is referred to as the "1-2 Pass". The maximum number of tags issued to non-residents for any hunt is limited to not more than 10%.

So as long as the 10% non-resident cap is not reached in the Bonus Pass, you always have a chance to draw in the 1-2 Pass.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

Kaibab is not overrated IMO. I hunted it 10 years ago and had a shot at a buck over 200" and saw lots of nice bucks on the late hunt before I connected on a 175 . I was with a friend 2 years ago when he killed a mid 180s buck and agree that if you are patient and hunt hard you can kill a trophy buck there. Late hunt is much better but obviously hard to draw. There aren't monsters behind every tree but they are out there. The roads get pounded hard so get off of them especially after the first day.

The 2 late seasons I have been there I've seen lots of guys shooting dinks. It's their right to do that, but it's a head scratcher to me for such a premium tag to shoot a forky horn. If hunters were more restrained then the age class could improve.

 

[Oak]

"Overrated" is in the eye of the rater, and the number of points it took to draw the tag. Seriously, the points systems which have made "premium" tags take upwards of 2 decades to draw, along with the cherrypicked stories in the Huntin' Fool, Eastman's and the like, have somehow made people believe that if they ever draw a "premium" deer tag, it is automatically going to translate to a "premium" experience. It is nearly impossible for the majority of the highest demand units to live up to the expecations of someone who has waited 1/4 of their life for the tag.

When I attended the AZ non-resident hunter orientation, I was struck by the number of guys there who were near max points, had never hunted mule deer in their lives, and were trying to draw a Strip tag. Most of those guys couldn't have told you if a buck scored 160 or 180, and many of them would have been perfectly happy with a 160 buck if not for the hype created by the hunting rags and forums. Most fail to realize that unsuccessful hunters rarely make the magazines.

Meanwhile the Reasonable Expecation is quickly becoming a thing of the past. I believe the USFWS has actually given it "warranted but precluded" status.

 

[sagebrush]

The Kaibab will give you a legitimate opportunity to hunt in a place where big bucks are harvested every year. As a mule deer hunter, what more could you ask for? There is no hunt, including the Henrys and the Strip, that will guarantee a hunter a "trophy" buck. Hunts that take decades to draw might give you slightly better odds at a big buck than the Kaibab, but that is a young man's game who is willing to hunt those units once in their lifetime.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

I agree with Oak and Sage
Sad that guys waste forever applying instead of actually hunting. The pressure of that many points and expectation from the horn porn mags can make those hunts less enjoyable than they should be. Bottom line is that there are trophy deer on the Kaibab and it's a great hunt.

 

[BOHNTR]

The Kaibab is a magical place......with some tremendous bucks seen annually.