Arizona - Worth the wait/cost?

[LopeHunter]

AZ is almost impossible to draw a pronghorn when compared to WY. AZ does have a lot of Coues deer tags and some early hunts in some units are leftover after the main draw so could hunt every year while building your deer points. The good, not great, elk tags can be had each decade. The mule deer tags are tough and the Strip tags are not as likely to provide a great hunting experience as the UT Henry's. My opinion, though.

Do you apply for any states as a non-resident for multiple species? Not sure where you currently apply out West. I am thinking of the Western states. As a NR. NV is less than AZ but only if do not buy the hunting license but that means you are not earning squared bonus points. UT and TX are though odds are very slim for a handful of trophy tags even after 10 years of applying. NM has some great pronghorn and good elk and deer and is less to apply than AZ if elect the license refund.

OR is more. WA is more. ID is more and have to pick a subset of species. MT is more. WY is way more. CO is more. KS is less but only deer is on the table.

 

[CATAHOULA12]

bhunting .... as mentioned by BF. Apply for the elk draw every year! The worst that can happen is you walk away with a bonus point. So, as long as you can spend the money on NR fees DO IT !! Best of luck in your quest.

 

[HighDesertSage]

+1 for AZ, it is worth it. I was born there, and I see some of the bulls my cousins take. Just a matter of time until I get my tag.

 

[WapitiBob]

You can span 2 years with the license if you're just applying for Elk. Buy it on the last day this year and use it next year. Buy a new one when you draw so it's valid when you hunt. Just remember AZ in on a 7 year schedule so in another 5 or so, the dates will kick back and you'll have to start over.

 

[Lv2hnt]

"Healthy" bull elk, lots of public land, milder weather --- Simon says go for it!

 

[Flatlander14]

I am assuming to buy points you need to have your application in by 2/13 as if you were applying for a tag?

 

[wannakillabigbull]

I am assuming to buy points you need to have your application in by 2/13 as if you were applying for a tag?

Yes. And you can buy a point specifically, you don't have to apply for a hunt if you don't want to.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Having scored a 19A antelope permit and 13a mule deer permit with little to no points in AZ - I’ll say there could be worse ways to drop a couple hundred bucks per year.

 

[3855WIN]

OP, you say you have a young family and wouldn't be able to get down there for other hunts while you build points. You are from Wisconsin. The problem with most of these draw situations is that the hunter needs to correctly time the year they draw with vacation time. It's awesome to be able to drop everything and run out West for a week plus to go hunting. That isn't realistic for many of us. My major vacation dates are planned a year in advance. I have to say I'm going hunting Oct 20-30th, for example. What draw hunts fit that time frame? Also, the kids will get more expensive. Cars and college may be on the horizon. Most people put family before hunting.
Arizona is hard to beat. But there are also states that will be a days drive closer to Wisconsin. They may allow you to plan a bit better for the year you will draw. They may also have a cow hunt in a unit you would like to bull hunt in one day. There are states that have a fair number of 300" bulls that are not Arizona.
I'm not saying to skip Arizona, but maybe throw in another state or two with it. Good luck!

 

[BOHNTR]

I've drawn 4 AZ archery bull elk tags in 25 years as a non-resident.....It's a no brainer for me, as I bowhunt OTC deer throughout the year as well on the same license. Worth it to me......especially when I become a resident in a few months.

 

[805Bowhunter]

I've drawn 4 AZ archery bull elk tags in 25 years as a non-resident.....It's a no brainer for me, as I bowhunt OTC deer throughout the year as well on the same license. Worth it to me......especially when I become a resident in a few months.

I've always wondered about that but haven't ever asked. What happens to your points if you move? Do they just stay with you regardless of if you are becoming a NR or Resident?

 

[wannakillabigbull]

Points are points in Arizona. Regardless of whether you move in or out of state you keep your points.

 

[MNHunter]

Yes, its worth it!

 

[Satchamo]

You can span 2 years with the license if you're just applying for Elk. Buy it on the last day this year and use it next year. Buy a new one when you draw so it's valid when you hunt. Just remember AZ in on a 7 year schedule so in another 5 or so, the dates will kick back and you'll have to start over.

Can you elaborate on this a bit? Do I have to wait until the last day of application exactly or can I do it now and just make sure I apply before this date next year?

 

[WapitiBob]

Your license needs to be valid on the closing date of the application period so you apply on the last day. The app period will close one day earlier the following year so the prior license will be valid. You just need to be cognizant of the year that everything kicks back. 2022/2023 if I remember correctly.

 

[bhuntin]

I really appreciate everyone giving their input on applying to AZ for elk. This time of year really gets me thinking about future hunts and places I would like to go someday and thats what prompted my question as I want to hunt all the places for all the things. Let me start by saying that I am almost a little upset at myself for even putting an inches of antler as a prerequisite for this post. My goal is not some magic number to determine weather a hunt was a success or not but rather the experience gained. It just happens that the Gritty Bowman Podcast just had a very relevant podcast on the topic with Donnie Vincent episode 313. It is well worth your time. What struck a cord with me is that more than the inches of antler is the experience that I have. I also took a good hard look at my own personal goals and aspirations for the next 5-10 years. While AZ sounds like a great place to start applying there are other great states that fit my bill without the price tag associated with AZ (five years of applying at current rates $925 plus cost of tag if drawn so $1590 in total). I also have aspirations of going to AK in the next ten years and $1600 would go a long way in making that happen and I could still hunt elk in other states in the mean time. The kicker for me is that with my current job I pick my vacation for the next year in Oct or Nov of the year prior. So I picked my vacation time for 2018 in Oct of 2017 so I don't think its worth taking the risk of tags I might or might not draw.

Maybe in the end I'll be missing out but in the mean time I keep wondering what a "rat on cheeto" looks like. Randy maybe you can do a youtube video on that. In the mean time here is what I've found on the topic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56TVusuP1SQ

Thanks again everyone for your input and good luck in your draws this year!

 

[Khunter]

Your license needs to be valid on the closing date of the application period so you apply on the last day. The app period will close one day earlier the following year so the prior license will be valid. You just need to be cognizant of the year that everything kicks back. 2022/2023 if I remember correctly.

You do not have to apply on the last day to have your license start on that day. There is a field to specify what date you want license to start during license purchase. I had never had my AZ license span 2 license periods but will starting in 2019 when I will not have to buy unless I draw. nice.

 

[Satchamo]

You do not have to apply on the last day to have your license start on that day. There is a field to specify what date you want license to start during license purchase. I had never had my AZ license span 2 license periods but will starting in 2019 when I will not have to buy unless I draw. nice.

At what point in the process do you select the dates? I'm to payment and never saw anywhere to select dates and don't want to pay and find out I can't.

 

[Satchamo]

At what point in the process do you select the dates? I'm to payment and never saw anywhere to select dates and don't want to pay and find out I can't.

Nevermind, I found it. You have to buy your license separately. If you go to the point application and but your license from there, you don't get to select dates. You have to buy the license through the standard portal then your can go to the application system and enter your license number

 

[idahofishnhunt]

I would make Arizona my highest priority of any states that require a non-resident license purchase as a requirement to apply. The return is far greater than other states that require a NR license purchase.

There is no other state that requires a NR license where you will realistically draw an elk or deer tag with 6-8 points. You mentioned the late rifle hunts in AZ. They are similar dates, I would say better dates, than the late seasons of Nevada and Utah, both of which require far more luck to draw with 7+/- points. You get to hunt the same caliber of elk that the early rifle and archery hunters are chasing. Just tougher conditions. Having hunted elk in most western states, if you told me I would get an AZ late rifle elk tag every other year in exchange for no other limited entry elk tags the rest of my life, I would be on that like a rat on a Cheeto.

The same with deer. You can have some excellent hunts at some pretty decent point levels in AZ.

With AZ being a bonus point state, there is nothing that prevents you from rolling the dice while you are building points. I tell people that unless you have some serious time constraints that year preventing you from going hunting, I would never just "buy a point." I would apply and hope I am that guy we all roll are eyes about; the guy who strikes the jackpot with low points and grabs one of the great tags.

I like AZ having some glory deer tags that are promoted heavily by the application services. That gets many high point apps focused on the Strip or late Kaibab hunts. In the process, a lot of high point guys ignore the other hunts, some of which can be really good hunts for the points invested.

Antelope and sheep are merely lottery tickets you can buy for $15, given you already have the licenses. Unlike a few lucky Hunt Talkers, I expect to die with my AZ sheep points intact. But, I dribble away a lot more than $15 on other hunting expenses that turn out to be an ever worse investment.

You ask, "Is it worth it?" I asked the same question when I started carpet bombing the western states in the mid to late 1990s. Every year I asked the question and every year I realized more and more that it was definitely worth it. Today you may question that investment. Three years from now you will be glad you did it. By the time you are old like me, you will call it some of the best money you ever spent.

Now that CO is going to allow applications, effectively the purchase of points, without full application fee, you should build there. And the same for Wyoming. But, if you budget allows, carve out enough to get in the Arizona system as soon as you can. You won't regret it when you are sitting on a rock, admiring an Arizona sun rise, and knowing that there are some great bulls within a two mile radius of your location.

Regarding if you were just getting points. Do you have to apply for the point only option during the time of the application species for that animal...or can it be done later like WY?