phillyphan

Thanks to you all for your feedback. I was getting a little worried it might not be enough.

Oh yeah, sorry. I thought you were asking everyone that posted. I don't think anyone got hit today though, they just might be posting in the forum today.

8:19am

I guess we'll find out if anyone posts on Monday. I think the draw process is pretty smooth now honestly. This is the earliest cards have ever been hit. People angry at AZGF for them using cards that expired or putting in incorrect card info is that person's fault not AZGF. You just can't please everyone.

They hit cards on Monday too after all the credit cards that were declined. Had a buddy last year not get hit on Friday, was bummed and then got hit the following Monday.

Anything can happen. 16 year old son just drew unit 1 rifle tag with just the hunter Ed point.

Wife and I got 4A as well. I had 1 point and put in for cow. Wife had 2 points and put in for bull.

Wife and I drew archery tag. Son drew his 4th tag in a row. First three were youth cow, this year he wanted bull. Put in for unit 1 thinking there would be no way, but dang this kid has some luck and drew a tag.

I just landed in cali, turned my phone on and they came through. That was 10 min ago. Just checked text it says 819am.

Woohoo!!! Me, wife and son drew tags. Wife and I archery. Son got unit 1 bull rifle first time trying.

February will be the earliest we've ever had credit cards hit. I'd say they've come a long way already.

I don't understand why they can't see that I'm an AZ resident from my previous applications and retain all that information. Why do we have to enter that crap over and over again.

Cards should start hitting on the 28th.

LOL!!! Well I think her luck has finally ran out. Our unit just dropped the bull tags by 50%.

My wife has been drawn early archery bull every other year since 2014, so it's not impossible.

dang that sucks they started after the archery hunt. It seems like that's how it's going to be everywhere.

What are the temps up there right now? Does anyone know what temperatures are typically when the rut activity starts? Just trying to get an idea since I'm not really sure what triggers the rut.

My son has had the youth hunt there the last 2 years and we never seen any rut activity during those hunts, but we were just hoping maybe this time we would.

Since the rut activity was pretty dead during the archery hunt do you think it might still be going on for the youth hunt next week? Son has the 4A tag and we were thinking with how warm it's been maybe the rut would still be going on

My son turns 16 next month and has successfully harvested two cows and should be successful again next month for his third youth elk hunt. He's starting to talk about going after a bull next. What I'd like to do is put him in for archery with us? For all you experts out there is 16 too young for a bull archery elk hunt? How old did you start your kids in archery hunts if at all?

That's exactly what my son told me. dang do these kids have some luck which I think is awesome. When my son pulled the antelope tag my card got hit and I thought it was for my wife who had 16 points at the time. My son only had two or three points and she kept saying it's not for me it's for him. I kept saying no way it's yours you got it. Portal results came out and she was not a happy camper. Now I put him in for Bighorn and Bear not I my to start getting his points up there, but because I feel like with his luck he has a chance every year.

I never thought about signing a tag to him. That's a great idea going forward. Fortunately he's drawn a tag every year I have to date, but something I could do if I draw a tag and he doesn't. Thanks for the great input.

I keep going back and forth about putting him in for the youth elk hunts or the bull hunts. He's pulled a youth cow tag three years in a row and is the only one putting meat in the freezer. I feel like we probably have maybe two years left of hunting before he's off to college. That's if the opposite sex doesn't take all his attention at that time too lol. I have no doubts he'll be a hunter throughout his life, but have had several hunters tell me there's a period where their kids stopped hunting for a big period of time due to college, work, new family, etc. Anyway it just seems like he has a better opportunity to pull a tag for youth cow or archery bull, so when he expressed interest in going for bull next year archery popped into my head as the obvious way to go.

Absolutely. I'm going to ask him about it today because I 100% agree with you. If he's not excited about it he won't put the time and effort in it will require.

Now time for me to talk him into it. He has taken 2 Javelina, 2 Cow Elk and 1 Antelope with his rifle. From what everyone's saying he should be ready to move to archery.