2022 AZ ELK Draw

AZ residents

Me = no hunt
13yo = no hunt
11yo = no hunt

Boys applied for all cow youth-only hunts. I applied for a mixed bag. zero for three.

Kinda makes it challenging to get youth into hunting. Oh well, another year of video games.
 
AZ residents

Me = no hunt
13yo = no hunt
11yo = no hunt

Boys applied for all cow youth-only hunts. I applied for a mixed bag. zero for three.

Kinda makes it challenging to get youth into hunting. Oh well, another year of video games.
Do you guys all have at least your hunter's education points? If not start with that.
 
I have mine. They've both completed, but didn't think they got bonus pts for that.
Yeah if they do the AZ hunter's ed they'll get a permanent point. If you already have points, it might be easier to get a regular tag with them on the same application. There are a lot of applicants that apply for those youth hunts. Just make sure you get them out during deer season. Go south and hunt, those tags can be drawn often enough that they shouldn't just be playing video games all year, add a javelina tag in there too. Even if not, get them shotguns and go chase quail and rabbits and squirrels. There's still plenty of opportunity to hunt even if you don't have elk tags. I'd also recommend that those kids are getting applied for everything and getting points for everything so they have the opportunities later for sheep and antelope and anything else they want.
 
Yeah if they do the AZ hunter's ed they'll get a permanent point. If you already have points, it might be easier to get a regular tag with them on the same application. There are a lot of applicants that apply for those youth hunts. Just make sure you get them out during deer season. Go south and hunt, those tags can be drawn often enough that they shouldn't just be playing video games all year, add a javelina tag in there too. Even if not, get them shotguns and go chase quail and rabbits and squirrels. There's still plenty of opportunity to hunt even if you don't have elk tags. I'd also recommend that those kids are getting applied for everything and getting points for everything so they have the opportunities later for sheep and antelope and anything else they want.
We've all been on separate applications, been applying for them since they hit the 10yo requirement. Not a single tag for anything. Getting convinced that they will lose interest before they draw anything. Told them this morning that our luck remains unchanged for 2022...and I'm not sure they could've cared much less. Hard to be disappointed when they don't know what they're missing maybe.

I don't expect to draw jack with 6pts...rather expecting the 13yo to get youth-only pull in his 3rd year (plus bonus point for safety, I guess).
 
Late rifle cow tags, 6a you might have to burn your points to get them drawn but it's be better than nothing. Again, I'd get them out on a coues and javelina hunt at the very least. Those tags can be had relatively easily. Don't make them not hunt because they can't draw elk tags.
 
Late rifle cow tags, 6a you might have to burn your points to get them drawn but it's be better than nothing. Again, I'd get them out on a coues and javelina hunt at the very least. Those tags can be had relatively easily. Don't make them not hunt because they can't draw elk tags.
Have not tried coues, but all of us have been zeroes on mule deer. So, we've been trying for more than just elk. But apparently our luck is trash. I'll keep trying, of course, but I feel little empathy when I read all the BS about new/young hunter recruitment. Trying hard not to be Downer Dad, but each year gets tougher (when the odds are supposed to be going up).
 
Have not tried coues, but all of us have been zeroes on mule deer. So, we've been trying for more than just elk. But apparently our luck is trash. I'll keep trying, of course, but I feel little empathy when I read all the BS about new/young hunter recruitment. Trying hard not to be Downer Dad, but each year gets tougher (when the odds are supposed to be going up).
Well, you have to figure if there are kids that are applying for these youth tags that have been applying since they were 10, have their hunter's safety point and a loyalty point, they could be at 9 points pretty easily before they can't apply for those tags anymore. That can put a lot of stress on those with fewer points applying for those tags. I would just start applying for coues and javelina you'll at least be able to get out and hunt. Maybe you keep on applying for more mule deer hunts that can be a trophy hunt.
 
You can get over the counter archery deer tags. You can hunt Muley and coues. Javalina not tough to draw. Buy points. You should have dedicated hunter points if that's what they still call them after applying for 5 consecutive years. If you miss a year the go bye bye tho. Lots of quail ! Quail coincides with archery deer. Real handy there... Late season archery OTC runs from 12/15 to 01/31. Jan. Muley rut. Javalina tag in pocket , shotgun in truck. All set. I arrowed a buck once while was walking down to it and shot a javalina on way . I hunted area 21 a lot. Some times 19B. Looks at how many points to draw late season elk tags. Some only take 7 pts.
 
You can get over the counter archery deer tags. You can hunt Muley and coues. Javelina not tough to draw. Buy points. You should have dedicated hunter points if that's what they still call them after applying for 5 consecutive years. If you miss a year the go bye bye though. Lots of quail ! Quail coincides with archery deer. Real handy there... Late season archery OTC runs from 12/15 to 01/31. Jan. Muley rut. Javelina tag in pocket , shotgun in truck. All set. I arrowed a buck once while was walking down to it and shot a javelina on way . I hunted area 21 a lot. Some times 19B. Looks at how many points to draw late season elk tags. Some only take 7 pts.
I've had two bull elk tags in AZ and neither one of those were youth hunts. They were both very tough late rifle hunts though, came back empty handed from each, with nothing but memories. Low points, high draw odds, but low success rates. I prefer going down for the archery deer hunts anymore. It can be a ton of fun with a ton of opportunities. It might be pretty tough getting the 11 year old to focus enough for archery but there's no time like the present to learn. I know the last time I was down was a couple years ago and we hunted for a full week and had at least two stalks every day. Hunting deer in the desert with archery gear is a slow process to get close, but we were seeing at least 30 deer every day. It's always worth having a javelina tag in the pocket while doing that. Worst case though is watching which deer hunts have leftovers and apply the kids for those tags. With a hunter ed and **loyalty point** your chances are pretty good to pull one of those tags. Quail hunting is what I cut my teeth on with hunting in AZ and it's still one of my favorite things to do.

Can't over look the fast paced action of the dove season that kicks everything off too. I still need to get back down there for some of that action one of these years. Not drawing a tag is a poor excuse to not get out and do some sort of hunting, especially somewhere like AZ where the small game hunting is so abundant.
 
I've had two bull elk tags in AZ and neither one of those were youth hunts. They were both very tough late rifle hunts though, came back empty handed from each, with nothing but memories. Low points, high draw odds, but low success rates. I prefer going down for the archery deer hunts anymore. It can be a ton of fun with a ton of opportunities. It might be pretty tough getting the 11 year old to focus enough for archery but there's no time like the present to learn. I know the last time I was down was a couple years ago and we hunted for a full week and had at least two stalks every day. Hunting deer in the desert with archery gear is a slow process to get close, but we were seeing at least 30 deer every day. It's always worth having a javelina tag in the pocket while doing that. Worst case though is watching which deer hunts have leftovers and apply the kids for those tags. With a hunter ed and **loyalty point** your chances are pretty good to pull one of those tags. Quail hunting is what I cut my teeth on with hunting in AZ and it's still one of my favorite things to do.

Can't over look the fast paced action of the dove season that kicks everything off too. I still need to get back down there for some of that action one of these years. Not drawing a tag is a poor excuse to not get out and do some sort of hunting, especially somewhere like AZ where the small game hunting is so abundant.
I totally agree with your last statement . I havent had a late archery hunt in Az. since.... 2009 maybe ??? I used to go early archery at Kiabab at least once a year and most times twice and the late archery in unit 21 at least twice. I loved it. Were my favorite hunts and only 300 mi. away. The Kiabab plateau Aug. to Sept.15th is beautiful. I used to own 30 acres on the Paunsagaunt plateau in Utah a short drive from Kiabab/North Rim of Grand Canyon. It had Nat Forest on north and west borders . It was near the south end of Bryce Canyon Nat. Park. Big buck factory. North Rim, Zion and Bryce Canyon Nat. Parks all close to each other. Beautiful areas of the U.S. . Everyone should see. I sold the property there and bought 40 acres in Wy. I sold it in 2018. Too soon ! Us talking bout it makes want to go to Az. Late archery deer. I have a bunch of javalina pts.. I have a good story of a big buck in unit 21 that I made 3 trips there to try to kill. Maybe tell it in the thread "Well that didn't go well" Great thread. I but you and many have a story or to to tell. 😉
Thank got the "loyalty point" correction.
 
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