Proposed fall, spring hunt recommendations for 2022-2023 available for review

[.270]

Arizona G&F has released their Fall and Spring hunt recommendations. The biggest change I can see is that they are opening OTC deer archery back up to statewide but with a quota system, similar to how they handle bear hunts. From what I interpret the unit quota starts in August 22 and goes into the January 23 hunt. Instead of being the calendar year with the quota resetting on January 1st. There could potentially be many units closed by the time January rolls around to combine with archery Javelina hunts. The mule deer tag quota is very low in multiple units and they do take the hardest hit from archery over coues deer.
It does appear that statewide AZ G&F is cutting mule deer tags and offering more of those single permit glory tags, like they did last year. A rifle tag for coues starting August 1st, doesn't make sense to me. They are not even close to having their antlers fully developed in early August.

https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/archive/AZ-Hunt-Recommendations-Fall-2022-and-Spring-2023.pdf

 

[CouesKelly]

The OTC quotas feel very conservative. Mule deer especially. A lot will depend on the monsoon and how many deer get killed on water in August/September, but I think we will see a lot of units close before the January hunt. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
I did like seeing that some of the units that they removed from OTC to a draw last year and previous years were put back in the OTC category.
Personally, I was disappointed to see the number of the new limited entry/glory tags they proposed. I'll probably still put in for the elk and Gould's tags because I am a sucker for a chance at either of those, but it was sad to see the deer tags in there for the super early dates when they cut so many deer tags overall.

 

[CouesKelly]

Happy to see Sheep tags go up by 18 as well.