Me and a buddy drew tags for unit 33 the first week of December. We have never hunted in AZ and are in South Carolina so going out to scout really isn't an option.
I'm looking for some general info to get started planning the trip. Ideally, we would like to go somewhere that we can backpack in a few miles, set up a base camp, and hunt from there. We are willing (and want) to put in some miles to get away from any crowded areas and do a lot of glassing. I have some (actually a lot) of questions to start planning and would appreciate any advice.
Can we backpack in and camp where we choose or do we have to stay in designated campgrounds?
Are there any general areas with good trail systems that we should look into (we are not asking for specific honey holes)? I imagine our hunting will be off trail but having a trail for packing in all the gear would be easier. We are are willing to go off trail for everything if it is feasible/necessary. We will have a 2WD truck, not sure if that will limit our options.
Are there places with good sources of water or should we pack it all in?
What type of temperatures should we expect?
Where can I buy a good paper map?
We really appreciate any advice you have for first time AZ hunters.
Thanks,
Daniel
