It’s no secret that Arizona is the home to some of the biggest elk in the country with tags that are incredibly hard to draw. With that being said, I’ve always skipped over looking at Arizona when it comes to places to apply to hunt. Recently, I talked to JP Vicente, owner of Big Chino Outfitters on Episode 065 of the podcast, who told me about this magical over-the-counter mule deer tag in Arizona. So basically, all you have to do is buy the out of state hunting license and the tag to hunt bucks that have an average trophy quality of 165-175” according to JP.
OTC License Costs:
Non-resident hunting/fishing combo license - $160
Non-resident over-the-counter archery mule deer tag - $300
This tag is valid for 365 days, meaning you could essentially hunt the January rut, August/September early hunt and then the December rut again in one year all on the same tag.
Season Dates (2019-20):
Early Archery - August 23 – September 12, 2019
Late Archery (2019) – December 13 – 31, 2019
Late Archery (2020) – January 1 – 31, 2019
Key notes about the hunt:
You will most likely be doing spot and stalk which can create some challenges in the open country terrain.
You should make sure that you can shoot your bow proficiently at 60 yards to capitalize on shots that you may not be able to get any closer.
You can hunt do-it-yourself (DIY) on public land or with an outfitter
Great optics are essential in succeeding on this hunt.
For more information regarding OTC mule deer hunting in Arizona, check out Episode 065 of the East Meets West Hunt podcast here.
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