Late Season Archery Bull tag Unit 22N

[meatviabow]

I just drew a late season archery bull tag for 22N. I'm not familiar at all with this area but I'm going to start the scouting process in a couple weeks. Can anyone tell me what their movement looks like at this point in the year? It says on AZGFD that it's possible that bulls may be moving into the unit due to snowfall. Has this happened in past years? Any advice/recommendation on general areas to start scouting would be greatly appreciated. Not looking for specific spots just trying to narrow it down a bit. Trying to avoid being around a ton of other hunters.

[PRDATR]

2 minutes ago, meatviabow said:

I just drew a late season archery bull tag for 22N. I'm not familiar at all with this area but I'm going to start the scouting process in a couple weeks. Can anyone tell me what their movement looks like at this point in the year? It says on AZGFD that it's possible that bulls may be moving into the unit due to snowfall. Has this happened in past years? Any advice/recommendation on general areas to start scouting would be greatly appreciated. Not looking for specific spots just trying to narrow it down a bit. Trying to avoid being around a ton of other hunters.

Go out now and look for sheds.

https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/units/mesa/22/

Elk

Overview: Elk numbers in Unit 22 are stable, with a bull/cow ratio hovering around 35 bulls: 100 cows. Generally, good populations of elk exist throughout the northern portions of Unit 22. Unit 22 has been split into two subunits, 22 North and 22 South to better direct elk hunting pressure to areas where elk need to be harvested (see hunting regulations for a full description of subunit boundaries). Unit 22 North is basically the area north of Payson, and it holds the majority of the elk in the Unit. Elk in 22 South generally occur in lower densities compared to 22 North, but nevertheless, elk numbers were expanding in 22 South and few hunters were taking advantage of these elk, so the 22 South hunt unit was created for force hunters to harvest some of these elk.

The early 22 North and 22 South hunts occur in warm to hot daytime temperatures, so be prepared to get the meat cooled quickly. For all the hunts (firearms and archery), hunter success will increase with time spent glassing.

Unit 22 exists entirely below the Mogollon Rim. Annually, elk from Units 5A, 6A, and 4A migrate into northern Unit 22 when feed in the other Units dries out, or when the snow gets deep enough to make them move. The peak of the winter movement depends on weather to a large degree, but generally occurs by late November of each year. With the increase of elk in the winter months, hunters will also face the inclement weather that pushes the elk off the rim. A 4-wheel-drive vehicle will be required if the weather turns to rain or snow. Temperature will average a daily high in the 40s to a low in the 20s.

Late archery hunt success is closely related to the late October and early November temperatures. If rainfall patterns are normal, hunting around tanks from a tree stand will produce good success. It will still be warm enough each day that elk will water in the morning or evening. The September archery hunt success will be higher.

Areas: The areas around and in the fire scars under the Mogollon Rim is an excellent place to hunt for all the hunts. Areas inside the burns with standing sections of live trees will hold elk in larger numbers. The burn areas are now in various stages of forage regeneration with some of the older scars being very thick. Good numbers of elk can be found within the burn areas, especially during the later hunts. The Mogollon Rim is a magnet to elk during the late hunts because of the extensive browse that is found along its expanse. There are numerous roads that will take you under the Rim off the Control Road. Take any of these roads during the late hunt and pick a good spot to glass. More than likely you can find elk feeding on or just below the Rim itself. Take a pack frame with you if you hunt in this area because there are a lot of logs that have blown down since the fire and dragging a downed elk or driving to a downed elk is nearly impossible.

Hardscrabble Mesa (northwest corner of Unit 22) and the northern end of the Mazatzal Wilderness can be good depending on water availability.
The early hunt in Unit 22 South has several good places to check out including Round Valley northeast to the Lion Springs area, and the area around Little Green Valley. The areas west of Rye in the foothills of the Mazatzals is also productive.

For cow elk hunting in Unit 22 South, look South of the Payson Municipal Golf Club on National Forest land and in the foothills of the Mazatzals west of Rye.

The Payson Municipal Golf Course can be found by going east on Main Street in Payson off the Beeline Hwy. There is access to the National Forest directly south of the golf clubhouse.

Just be aware that it is illegal to fire a gun while taking wildlife within a quarter mile of any occupied building. That means both you and your target must be more than ¼ mile from any homes in the area. Do a thorough job of scouting the area prior to the hunt to be sure you are familiar with private and public land boundaries as well as the locations of all the homes.

[Eli]

Movement on those late hunts is more from pressure than weather a lot of the time. Go shed hunting for sure and start looking for nasty canyons and water away from roads. 
Congrats on a fun tag!

[Ed67]

I had that hunt 20 years ago. Busted my tail for the entire hunt, had fun, didn’t tag or even draw my bow. Ended up hunting a real rugged area the last week and got into a lot of elk.  I never applied for it again. 

I went back out to the same area for a friends late rifle about 5 years ago and never saw an elk.  22 used to be a great hunt many years ago but IMO it’s gone way downhill from too many tags, drought, it’s proximity to Phoenix which invites heavy UTV use. 

Good luck, my advice is hire a guide, or just get out, hunt and have fun. 
 

[Flatlander]

Welcome to the site!

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

Step one find podcasts on late elk hunts. 
step two find videos on late elk hunts. 
step three find someone with experience to come help. 
step four delete this post because no good will come from it. 

[weldor]

Water ,water, water. Stay away from the roads.  Forest service logged out a lot of the northeast end of the unit. Diamond point good area to start. Good luck enjoy!

[Orezonan]

I've hunted this unit a few times in the last half dozen years and will be helping my Dad on a late rifle hunt in 22N this fall. I'd be happy to share what I've learned so far about the unit and take some quid pro quo on what we both learn scouting this summer and fall. Private message me if you are interested. 

[meatviabow]

On 4/5/2021 at 12:02 AM, MULEPACKHUNTER said:

Step one find podcasts on late elk hunts. 
step two find videos on late elk hunts. 
step three find someone with experience to come help. 
step four delete this post because no good will come from it. 

Thanks fo the help dude. I didn't do anything you said and found a ton of bulls. 

[GJMauro12]

26 minutes ago, meatviabow said:

Thanks fo the help dude. I didn't do anything you said and found a ton of bulls. 

You haven’t tagged out yet. Summer bulls aren’t that hard to find. 

[meatviabow]

2 minutes ago, GJMauro12 said:

You haven’t tagged out yet. Summer bulls aren’t that hard to find. 

Not saying I'm going to, either. Probably won't! I'm a brand spankin' new hunter. In. the future - don't make us newbies feel like idiots. We're out here doing the best we can. But my bad for asking for some general advice. 

[Flatlander]

37 minutes ago, meatviabow said:

Not saying I'm going to, either. Probably won't! I'm a brand spankin' new hunter. In. the future - don't make us newbies feel like idiots. We're out here doing the best we can. But my bad for asking for some general advice. 

I don't think anyone here is trying to make you feel like an idiot. I think that MulePackHunter was giving you some legit advice about sources of advice that might be more fruitful than this site. To be fair, that unit gets a TON of pressure every year. I can't think of another unit with TWO early firearms hunts, an early archery hunt, a youth hunt, a general cow hunt, 400 late archery tags and two more late rifle hunts. That adds up to like 1,000 people trying to kill an elk in a unit that probably doesn't even have that many elk. The point being, people likely aren't going to be real loose with the knowledge they have about the unit.

It sounds like you are doing well so far, but to the point made above, right now is the easiest time of year to locate elk. They literally scream at the top of their lungs and give away their own location. So take what you have learned now and use it to help you scout for the rest of the fall. In terms of pressure, anywhere there is a road will likely have traffic on it. So start looking for some places to get away from those and start figuring out how to close the distance once you locate those elk.

Best of luck. Please keep us posted on your progress, I think you will find there are plenty of people willing to help you learn how to do it, even if they aren't eager to tell you where to do it.

[idgaf]

Jack in the box in Payson is good place to start

that time of year try at the edge of snow line if there is any. 

[meatviabow]

1 hour ago, Flatlander said:

I don't think anyone here is trying to make you feel like an idiot. I think that MulePackHunter was giving you some legit advice about sources of advice that might be more fruitful than this site. To be fair, that unit gets a TON of pressure every year. I can't think of another unit with TWO early firearms hunts, an early archery hunt, a youth hunt, a general cow hunt, 400 late archery tags and two more late rifle hunts. That adds up to like 1,000 people trying to kill an elk in a unit that probably doesn't even have that many elk. The point being, people likely aren't going to be real loose with the knowledge they have about the unit.

It sounds like you are doing well so far, but to the point made above, right now is the easiest time of year to locate elk. They literally scream at the top of their lungs and give away their own location. So take what you have learned now and use it to help you scout for the rest of the fall. In terms of pressure, anywhere there is a road will likely have traffic on it. So start looking for some places to get away from those and start figuring out how to close the distance once you locate those elk.

Best of luck. Please keep us posted on your progress, I think you will find there are plenty of people willing to help you learn how to do it, even if they aren't eager to tell you where to do it.

"step four delete this post as no good will come from it." Doesn't get much more condescending than that. From everything I've seen on this site people are super quick to jump all over people who they think are asking for spots. I said very clearly I wasn't looking for spots. I don't want that dude's spot. I was just looking for some general advice. I get that elk move in the winter. That's why I made this post and asked about it. 

 

47 minutes ago, idgaf said:

Jack in the box in Payson is good place to start

that time of year try at the edge of snow line if there is any. 

haha thanks! that's actually some useful advice!

[Flatlander]

29 minutes ago, meatviabow said:

"step four delete this post as no good will come from it." Doesn't get much more condescending than that. From everything I've seen on this site people are super quick to jump all over people who they think are asking for spots. I said very clearly I wasn't looking for spots. I don't want that dude's spot. I was just looking for some general advice. I get that elk move in the winter. That's why I made this post and asked about it. 

I think Mike was literally just trying to tell you that you might not like some of the responses you got (he was right by the way). Your OP asked where to go because you weren't trying to be around a ton of other people. There are dozens of podcasts and videos on this topic which don't require someone to type out a specific location on the internet where it can appear in every Google search for "Late Season archery Bull Tag 22N" for eternity. 

Yes, when people ask where to hunt, the reception is cold. But consider what you have invested in finding the elk you have so far. It requires time, gas, gear and effort. For most of us this is acquired over a lifetime of hunting and scouting. Each year habitat is reduced by some amount while tag numbers remain more or less stable. This means every year there are more people in a smaller area. That means that the knowledge that hunters have spent a lifetime gaining becomes more valuable every year. So try to understand where folks are coming from when they don't offer it up casually just because someone came on the internet and asked.

You've been offered some solid advice. You seem like you are off to a good start. Come back and share your experiences and I think you will find that people are more than willing to be helpful as you show your effort and interest.