Since 2007 an increase in the number of squirrels observed has taken place, with the advent of more favorable environmental variables we are seeing a corresponding increase in the squirrel population. A few, very few elk wander south from Utah now and then. The Kaibab Squirrel is a subspecies of the Aberts Squirrel which is found only on the Kaibab Plateau, Mount Logan, and Mount Trumbull. Practice with a flat shooting rifle at longer distances before the hunt begins. Game Management Unit 12A Elevations vary from 3,000' to more than 9,200', with a large plateau, the Kaibab, comprising a majority of the unit. The majority of the unit is public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management, Arizona Strip District, 345 E. Riverside Drive, St. George, Utah 84770, phone (435) 688-3200. Just remember that there are always exceptions to the rule, and land ownership is just one piece of the puzzle. Antlerless hunters continue to enjoy high hunt success. Both of these units make up a portion of . The fall hunt is often characterized by warm to hot daytime temperatures and afternoon rains. (double face palm). At the time, the local WM told me that the local ranchers will "dispose" of any elk they find out there because elk compete with cattle for winter feed. Travel Management Planning Update: The BLM is the primary federal land management agency across unit12B. As the season progresses mule deer bucks on the plateau become more and more secretive. Areas: During the spring turkey hunt significant winter snowfall can affect access and often dictates hunting locations. Post not marked as liked . Use temperature ranges to plan and prepare for your hunt. The current population estimate is around 250 bighorn sheep. Unit 12A - first choice. It'd be a great trip to take and walk around the woods/sit some watering holes for a day or two as a bonus; and hope to be the luckiest hunter ever. "Give 100% in everything you do, unless you are donating blood.". The Arizona Game and Fish Commission authorized over-the-counter (OTC) elk tags that include units 12A and 12B and others (see regulations). The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. According to Arizona Game and Fish, Hunt No. Elk tags are offered thru the draw system. As the fall progresses the deer become more and more secretive. Areas: As stated earlier, concentrate your efforts in areas with large Ponderosa Pine trees and focus your observation skills on the forest floor. Find areas overlooking large open expanses and plan on sitting still for hours on end and glassing until you feel like your eyes are going to fall out. Do you have landowner tags, lease land, or have an lodge? Data currently indicates that buck: doe ratios, a very important management statistic, have rebounded as of late and are significantly higher than the statewide average. Your big game hunter questionnaire will no longer be mailed to you. Once a track is located the hounds are released and the lion is pursued until treed. Also, several lions are sighted each year by hunters glassing canyons and watching waters. If you plan on hunting in higher elevation, as a rule of thumb, expect the tempture to decrease roughly 5 for every 1000' in elevation gain. Be patient, many long time grouse hunters often return to camp, after a long day of walking, with an empty vest. Thanks a ton ! The squirrel is dark in color, has tufted ears, and has a large white bushy tail. Grouse, like squirrels, appear to be most active early in the morning but walking throughout the day can result in flushed birds. 586. Hunt success figures have fluctuated around the 40-50% range for the last decade, some of the highest hunt success for mule deer in the state. The population grew to about 160 bighorns within the first 8 years. Send us an email at [emailprotected] to learn more. Grouse often flush at close range in thick cover so be prepared for quick shooting. In the recent past several bucks taken on the Kaibab have been entered into the record books. A total of 52 desert bighorn sheep were transplanted in the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs area in 1984 and 1985 from unit 15B near Lake Mead. The units lower elevations, those surrounding the plateau, consist of pinyon-juniper stands, open sagebrush, and cliff rose pushes. Unit 12A is bounded on the south by the Grand Canyon, on the west by Kanab Creek, on the east by House Rock Valley, and on the north by the Buckskin Mountains and the Arizona-Utah border. Blue Grouse, Kaibab Squirrel, Merriams Turkey, Mountain Lion, Mule Deer. Be prepared for a wide range of conditions including severe winter weather. The units we hunt in Arizona: Units 6,8,10,12a,17,19,20,23. In the last couple of years, only a few elk have been spotted along the 12A/12B/12BW boundary on the west side of the Kaibab Plateau. Dreams have been realized, or shattered, on every hunt in this Unit since its inception. Finally, remember that you could be sitting in the office and enjoy the opportunity to get away and take part in the oldest most admirable sport there is. Approximately 20% of Arizona's elk hunting opportunity is found in this unit. Books and countless articles have been written on the subject. Just bad luck. Hunters are required to report their mountain lion harvest information to the Arizona Game and Fish Department within 48 hours of taking a mountain lion. Beginning at U.S. Hwy 89A and the Kaibab Naitonal Forest boundary near mp 566; southerly and easterly along the forest boundary to Grand Canyon National Park; southerly and westerly along the park boundary to Kanab Creek; northerly along Kanab Creek to Snake Gulch; northerly, easterly and southerly around the Kaibab National Forest boundary to U.S. Hwy 89A near mp 566. If old man winter has not yet shown his face follow the suggestions given for the early hunt and good luck. Concentrate in areas dominated by this type of vegetation and look for turkey tracks in the snow, mud, dust, or around water sources. The Alternative Deer Management Plan provides the guidelines for which decisions on hunt recommendations are made. That is not a problem since the other units may not have any elk at all. If you end up wanting to take a camping trip and see the Grand Canyon then 12A is a great spot. I did find some ancient droppings from over a year before but no elk. Being in position at first shooting light can be critical as the big boys are often bedded down for the day within minutes of the sun breaking the horizon. Check for current or recent wildfires in this area. No off-road travel by motor vehicles is allowed. The terrain in this unit could generally be described as plateau/canyon country. It is very sandy and requires 4-wheel drive. During the fall hunt gas, food, and lodging can be found in Fredonia, Jacob Lake, and near DeMotte Park. Areas: The Buckskin Mountains in the central portion of the unit contains the highest densities of deer and is best to hunt after mid-October. A map of the zones can be found at mountain lion management zones map. Thus it is important to be prepared with suitable shelter, plenty of food, water and lots of extra fuel. Also look for turkey scratch, those locations where flocks of turkeys have been feeding and have disturbed the litter layer of the forest floor. I will get my elk tag, hope for a turkey tag, and chase the best looking squirrels anywhere, The Kaibab. Got a Buffalo up there , why ont Elk ? The Arizona Big Game Application Deadline for Elk is 11:59 P.M. (Arizona Time) Feb 14, 2023 Our online/print magazine has everything in one location: Application info, draw details and odds, fees, hunter requirements, point structure, age restrictions, youth information, weapon restrictions, other tag opportunities, hunt planning and much more. Be prepared for extreme weather. City of Page Chamber of Commerce 928 645-2741, Https://www.azgfd.com/Hunting/Questionnaires/, https://www.azgfd.com/Hunting/Questionnaires/. This area will provide an excellent opportunity for archery and early season general deer hunters for the foreseeable future. The health and longevity of this winter range is critical to the long term sustainability of the 12A deer herd. Use the link, or scan code to get to this page and select the questionnaire for your hunt. Overview: Chukar Partridge is an overlooked game bird in this unit. Areas around Crystal Springs, Sourdough Well, and along the 610 rd near the National Park Boundary provide the best opportunity for finding the often secretive Blue Grouse. Hunters purchasing an elk tag should be aware that this unit has very few elk and is considered a limited opportunity hunt. Lesson learned! LIST VIEW. In the last couple of years, only a few elk have been spotted and harvested in the vicinity of Mile and a Half Lake south to Franks Lake, on the west side of the Kaibab Plateau. If outside of wilderness you may drive cross country to retrieve your animal. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 928 608-6200 Tree stands up or down canyon from waters can be excellent and reduce the inevitable territorial dispute with other hunters over the waterhole. Read about advertising on huntscore here. Areas of elk concentrations change somewhat year-to-year, depending on localized summer rainfall filling stock tanks and greening up vegetation. Game and fish would rather have hunters do it legally. The Warm Springs and Nail Canyon areas in 12AW, the Cocks Combs area in 12AE, and the Paria Platea have seen harvests in recent years and are good starting points. Southern half of unit is south of Mogollon Rim and has some ponderosa pine forests in the higher elevatio Elk occur throughout unit from high elevation mixed conifer near the Mogollon Rim to the Sunset Mountains just south of Winslow. Important Note: (See unit description under Unit Boundaries) 12BW includes the Buckskins to the north of the Kaibab and the west side winter range including Pigeon Canyon and Gunsight Point. The Paria Plateau has no services and is accessed from Coyote Valley Road (BLM Road 1065). Please contact any department office for additional information or to purchase an elk OTC tag. This is my first year being drawn for elk and got a tag for all 12 and 13 units for any elk and this tag is good until April of '19. Major Cities and Towns in or Near Game Management Unit and Nearest Gas, Food, and Lodging Chukar are not numerous anywhere in Kanab Creek or its associated drainages. Dreams have been realized, or shattered, on every hunt in this Unit since its inception. The majority of the unit is public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Create a free account to read the rest of this elk hunting note! This is the classic western mule deer hunt. Elk in those areas are VERY few and far between, and if I were you, I wouldn't waste any more $$ on attempting to hunt it. Arizona units down on the border can also provide some good mule deer hunting. On the ever in demand 12A late hunt, pray (if religious) for snow. Once the location of turkeys has been determined getting up early, hours before first light, is critical. Toggle between terrain, satellite, and topographic views, 1st choice license applications and licenses drawn, Draw odds for resident and nonresident applicants, Harvest stats by hunt_code, manner, season, sex, type, Average # of days between precip or snow event, Probability of other weather events (thunder, hail, etc) by by month. Learn more, 2018 Bison Hunter Packet 2017 Spring/Summer bison clinic video 2017 Fall bison clinic video. While calling can sometimes be productive, the most successful technique is more similar to archery hunting mule deer. Rifle. *There are currently no Population Management Seasons for elk tags available for successfully drawn deer hunters in Units 12A East and/or West. We hunt a variety of units in Arizona. If I draw a 12A deer tag I will be there around Labor Day. If frost has cured out the summer range forage and some cold weather has struck, concentrate your efforts in the pinyon/juniper areas and even farther out in the sage and open canyon country. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission authorized over-the-counter (OTC) elk tags that include units 12A and 12B and others (see regulations). Concentrate your efforts in areas with rim-rock and significant changes in elevation. Have fun, Maybe the trees will be in fall colors when your there, Beautiful colors that time of year. If you are considering hunting mountain lions on the Kaibab for the first time consider hiring a good houndsman/guide to increase your likelihood of success. Identification seems to be a prevalent problem for first time grouse hunters as poult turkeys, Band-tailed Pigeons, and even Northern Goshawks are often mistaken for grouse. Dont be a statistic. They were good 330-350 bulls. Adjust your hunting strategies accordingly and have fun. I'd go the end of September into early October. Finally, enjoy the finest terrain, climate, and surroundings that nature has to offer, the Kaibab Plateau. Please contact any department office for additional information or to purchase an elk OTC tag. So yes its possible, but not likely. The most common technique for lion hunting in 12A is similar to that used throughout the Rim country in Arizona. Im not at all familiar with the area but read on azgfd that the population is super low. Waterhole hunting becomes less productive as frost begins to supply the need for water. No off-road travel by motor vehicles is allowed. Unit 12A continues to provide the turkey hunter and/or wildlife enthusiast a unique opportunity to observe Merriams Turkeys. Waterhole hunting becomes less productive as frost begins to supply the need for water. It is recommended that hunters do not apply for this hunt in the draw but rather purchase the tags at a significant discount as left over tags. If you are considering hunting mountain lions on the Kaibab for the first time consider hiring a good houndsman/guide to increase your likelihood of success. 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