December Hunts

[Diamondbackaz]

Lets get some debate going here!! This is a copy of a coment I sent in to the game and fish during their coment period:

 

To whom it may concern,

For the past several years, it has been getting more and more to difficult to get drawn for the 16 to 20 day December whitetail deer hunts while the 4 day October hunts are sometimes have left over permits. I usually get drawn for the 10 day November hunt as a second choice. It seems that there is a real discrepancy in these hunts as I am, or anyone else, is paying $22.50 to hunt any where from 4 days to 20 days depending on the season I get drawn for. I believe either equalizing the number of days in a season, or better yet, charge more for the longer seasons. I would be willing to pay 4 to 5 times as much ($90.00 to $110.00 in this case for this years December hunt) to hunt a longer season. I believe that by raising the fees on the longer seasons, the department can increase its revenue, especially on non-resident permits as they would have to pay four times as much. This should also make it easier for people who want to hunt longer seasons to get drawn. All of the "general deer" deer hunts listed in the regs are 10 day hunts with the exception of the whitetail hunts that have three different length seasons. It is time to change this!!.

[COUESAZ]

I got drawn for a december hunt this year after putting in for it for atleast 6 years. I have had great october and november hunts in all those years of waiting.They wanted to try this a few years ago. It was shot down, And I am glad it was. I myself will not pay that much to hunt deer in the state that I support with my taxes and great amount of money spent on other hunt draws. It may sound like a good idea but I myself hope that it will continue the way it is going now. We spend lots of money to do what is our tradition and hoby as it is. We all get to hunt in the best season with our bows anyway.That is just my thoughts on this, Dimondbackaz it is a great topic thank you for the chance to debat a bit here. I hope all will share there thoughts.

[Diamondbackaz]

I have had good luck with the November hunts too. However, it use to be a 100% chance of getting drawn for my area for November and it is now down to 80%. The October hunts still have a 100% chance of getting a tag. The December hunt has a 12% chance of getting drawn. And every year this number gets smaller. It use to be you could buy left over tags over the counter and the tag was good for any southern Arizona unit from the New Mexico border over to the Baboquivaris. I feel the October hunt is a crap shoot hunt as you only have one weekend to hunt and if the weather is so horrible the whole weekend and you can't hunt, well there is always next year. You still paid 22.50 not to be able to hunt. You can see this in the success rates for the various hunt seasons. The longer the season, the higher the success rate. I am only suggesting that I am willing to pay more money to have more time to hunt. And for the serious hunter who spends a lot of money and time for scouting and equipment, 22.50 is a drop in the bucket. I feel that going tag fee based on a per diem basis will make it easier to get a longer season.

[COUESAZ]

I see what you are saying about a longer hunt. I agree it would be nice to have more than one week end for a hunt on that first hunt.. I do know a bunch of people that would rather hunt that first four day's than any other hunt . I do see things changing in the draw odds too . I do know they need to change some things . I would rather see them close down a few areas for about three years to rifle hunting and go archery only and see if that would help with the herds to grow back up. who knows that might bring some of the areas back up in the amount of tags given out.

Edited January 1, 1970 by ARIZONA GUIDE

[Arizona Griz]

I think you guys are missing the picture here. The quantity of tags and the length of the season is directly tied into the amoount of deer the Game and Fish want to have harvested. Do you really think that by charging more money for a longer hunt will increase your chaces of getting a tag. Last night someone pruchased a Coues deer tag for $120,000. The only way there is going to be an increase in the odds of getting drawn for a deer hunt is using the point system (which I am not really crazy about) and having the population increase so the quantity of tags can be increased. This state and most of the southwest has been in a droght for as long as I can remember. It was just a few years ago that there were 90,000 plus tags issued and look today, we are down into the 40,000 area.

 

I'll put it a little simplier. We are dang lucky to have 3 actual rifle deer season allowing the hunter to choose and pick his own poison with regard to chance of getting drawn. If I were you I would pray more for rain than how the Game and Fish can charge more money for lengthened hunts.

Arizona Griz.

[Diamondbackaz]

Griz, I do get the big picture, and you are right that the number of tags offered has gone down due to the drought conditions. Then on top of that you have many more people moving into the state, and many more people are applying for less tags. However thats not my issue because I have never been denied a whitetail tag yet. I can't do anything about the drought and I can't stop people from moving here. Whitetail tags are still the easiest to get except for the December hunt (most Mule Deer tags have a draw rate less than 50%). I usually put in for a December hunt as my first chioce, a November hunt my 2nd choice, and the October hunts as my 3rd, 4th, and 5th chioces. I usually get my 2nd choice. My issue is that I consider the December hunt a premium of the three hunts since it is a longer season, it is cooler, less hunters, and it is closer to the rut. I bet most of the serious hunters on this site also prefer to hunt a December hunt. The November hunt does well for me but I would prefer to hunt a longer season. Arizona Guide was right that the October hunts have the first crack at the deer. However, this season has half the success rate as the December hunt. I went out with a friend on an October hunt and just about died as it got up to 85 degrees . My feeling is that by raising the fee for the long hunt is that many less serious hunters will opt out of a December choice, and then put in for the shorter hunts which aready have 80% to 100% chance of getting drawn.. There are many types of hunters out there. I know of two different groups of guys that hunt whitetail but they are not very serious hunters. They enjoy sitting around the camp fire, drinking beer, having a good time, get up late and walk around a bit. They only go out for the first weekend and blow off the rest of the season. They are a great bunch of guys and loved the hunting trip, but all of them got skunked. Hunters like this would be less likely to put in for a more expensive season.