OTC Mule deer in AZ

[GarrisonL]

I am new to this thread as well as new to western hunting. I’m just 20 years old but I’ve hunted white tails in Texas all my life. I am trying to gather information to go on a mule deer hunt next year. August-September or the pre rut of 2020. My main question for today is about location. From what I understand with the AZ otc tag the southern part of the state is pretty much fair game. I’m not asking anyone to give up their honey hole but my concern is : when looking at digital maps and things like that, where’s a good place to start to narrow down an area . Since this is my first time going out west I’m not nescessarily looking to kill a gian even though the possibility of that is always nice. I’m more so looking for a place to get my feet wet where maybe I can see a large quantity of deer.
if you would Like to contact me directly that’s fine too. [email protected] or 2106011260

 

[LaSportsman]

Look at AZGFD for which units are OTC and in which months. Some units are Aug/Sep and others Dec and/or Jan. Coues whitetail will be in mountains, primarily in southern part of the state. Mulies are across the state from desert to high country.

Look for food and water. OTC is low success but still a great opportunity. Javelina draw is coming up in early Oct. Put in for a January tag and double your hunt.

Get a copy of Deer of the Southwest by Jim Heffelfinger. Great book on understanding desert deer.

 

[rustednuts]

Those August hunts are hot and brutal. Water is king until the monsoons start up and disperse the deer again. I’d suggest a coues hunt in January. The weather is more enjoyable, plus it’s the rut the action is better for spot and stock

 

[Pucky Freak]

Others who have hunted this might be reluctant to pass along their hard earned knowledge gained over many hours or years regarding game locations on public land. It's a lot for you to ask someone to tell you where to go where you can see a lot of deer. It's like a treasure hunt where you ask can anyone just tell me 90% where not to go, and they're out there trying to find that same treasure - what's the incentive to give you a huge head start. As far as what might be helpful - use Google and play around with different search words including units, mountain ranges or counties and see what you can turn up from about the half dozen hunting websites that cover this, including this website. A preliminary search will reveal that this hunt is no cake walk. Someone experienced doing this hunt repeatedly can easily strike out and see few or no deer. Lastly - in the long run you're going to get way more satisfaction over devising a plan to find deer, carrying it out, and then failing or succeeding rather than someone telling you what to do and you in kill an animal. Welcome to HT.

 

[Trial153]

I love bowhunting late season Arizona otc units. Good luck....

 

[GarrisonL]

This is a 365 day license correct . So if I went to hunt in December and maybe again in January but didn’t kill a buck, I could go back in August the next year ?

 

[blb078]

This is a 365 day license correct . So if I went to hunt in December and maybe again in January but didn’t kill a buck, I could go back in August the next year ?

I believe it's a yearly license. If you bought one in Dec then you'd have to buy again in Jan, but it would be good for Aug/Sept/Dec if the units are available to hunt those months. I also think you can only take one deer a year as a NR so if you succeed with your OTC archery tag you can't get another archery, rifle, or ML tag during the draw.

 

[Blackcats06]

I believe it's a yearly license. If you bought one in Dec then you'd have to buy again in Jan, but it would be good for Aug/Sept/Dec if the units are available to hunt those months. I also think you can only take one deer a year as a NR so if you succeed with your OTC archery tag you can't get another archery, rifle, or ML tag during the draw.

The license is 365 days. The tag is year specific. So if you buy a tag good for December 2019 you’ll have to buy a new tag for 2020

I think what someone tells you depends on the type of hunt you want. Do you want a very accessible unit or one that might need you to pack in to see more deer.

 

[sbhooper]

Sounds to me like you had better try doing a little research, before casting a lure into this pond. Learn the rules and regs first. An OTC bow license in Az is no joke. Why do you think that it is OTC? There are miles of unforgiving terrain and if you hunt south, then you also have to worry about smugglers, along with the normal dangers of the southern deserts. Az has a lot of opportunity for bow hunters, but don't go in blind.