The unit’s rivers and washes can reach flood stage in a short period of time. rehlen wrote: I drew an Arizona late rifle tag for Unit 27.... What can I expect? Remember that this road is the southern boundary of the unit. The elevation in this area ranges from 3,000' to 7,000'; vegetation ranges from riparian cottonwood-willow and salt cedar along the Gila River, to Chihuahuan Desert in the lower elevations and oak w . Be prepared to wait out high water, and do not cross the river when flooded. Proceeding towards Alpine, you go through mixed conifers and ponderosa pine. 191 north from Clifton. Again, vehicle access is limited. Bears are found in good numbers throughout the unit. The Lower Blue River hunt area is defined as: Beginning at the New Mexico state line at the junction with U.S. Highway 78; west on U.S. Hwy 78 to Forest Road (FR) 212; northwest along FR 212 to the San Francisco River; southwest along the San Francisco River to Sardine Canyon; west along Sardine Canyon to U.S. Hwy 191; north along Hwy 191 to Forest Trail (FT) 14 (AD Bar Trail); east along FT 14 to the Blue River; south along the Blue River to the confluence of the Little Blue River; northeast along the Little Blue River to FT 41; west along FT 41 to the New Mexico state line; south along the New Mexico state line to the junction with Hwy 78. Small pockets at the southern edge of the unit provide dove hunting opportunities, but a trip to the unit will likely result in more scenic vistas than bag limits. Arizona Elk Specialist Outfitters. I'm a little partial to unit 5a as you can tell by my handle. This area has been hunted for the last several years, and has resulted in the successful harvest of rams scoring in the 170s to low 180s. Because the primitive area is managed as wilderness, all access to the bighorn range is by foot or horseback only. • Baiting is not lawful for bear hunting. The center of this range lies near the forks of Foote Creek at Horse Ridge. A list of licensed outfitter-guides operating in Unit 27 may be obtained by calling the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests at (928) 333-4301. In a steep unit. Re: Arizona elk Unit 27 . It is advisable to acquire an Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest map. Most all of Arizona's units have fairly easy access to the entire unit. The unit then slopes to 8,000 feet at Alpine. There are roads everywhere in Arizona. Take the Skyline View Road past Loma Linda subdivision. For bighorns taken in the Lower Blue River area, call either the Pinetop office at (928) 367-4281 or the Tucson office at (520) 628-5376 to make arrangements to check out your sheep. Trophy Arizona Elk Hunting for Arizona's best bulls. If a person is willing to invest some time into these hunts, they can be successful. This road goes west to the San Carlos Reservation line. These maps are 1:100,000-scale and include unit boundaries, … Each of these hunts has a sow harvest objective to regulate the harvest of female bears, thus ensuring the reproductive health of the population. Mature bulls can be tougher to locate and may have already migrated to their winter range. If a hunter decides to hunt those areas off the Rim, they would be well advised to use horses or plan on arduous backpacking, both to access areas with concentrations of mature bulls and to pack out their meat and trophies. Elk Hunting Unit 27 AZ . Feb 2, 2020 #1 I am hoping some of you may be able to help. The area has several developed campgrounds, and camping in undeveloped sites is allowed almost everywhere, unless posted as “No Camping.” There are several areas that have been closed to camping due to safety concerns. Arizona Hunting Regulations. I have seen white tail deer up there while turkey hunting and a few does. The San Francisco River and Blue River Canyons are usually the best places to begin scouting for a hunt. Blue Grouse Overview: Dusky grouse populations have not been evaluated since the Wallow Fire. The Wallow Fire impacted the turkey population extensively throughout the northern portion of the unit. Cold can be extreme at higher elevations. Other areas may hold seasonally abundant elk as well, so it is important to scout ahead of time to make this hunt a success. 818,764 acres. Arizona turkey hunts, merriams turkey hunts, Arizona unit 1 turkey guide, unit 6a, unit 27, unit 5b, unit 3b, Arizona merriams turkey guides, Arizona guided merriams wild turkey hunts, merriam's turkey hunting, Arizona merriams turkey, gould guides, Arizona turkey hunts, outfitters, Goulds turkey, merriam's turkey, merriam turkey, Goulds arizona turkey, hunts, royal slam, grand slam N/A Public Access 98 98 Ease of Terrain 0. Elk in the Upper Eagle Creek area may be found near Black Mountain, the Double Circles Ranch or along Sheep Wash. Elk are harvested every year in the drainages and ridges near Black Mountain. Scores. A lot of elk have remained in the islands of trees and unburned meadows that the fire missed. WapitiBob 26-Jan-11. FR 515 is a 4X4-only hunter access road built by the Forest Service using an Arizona Game and Fish Heritage Grant. Late season hunters may wish to consider hiring the services of an outfitter-guide experienced in hunting these rugged and remote winter range areas. Will never do that again! Those areas adjacent to unburned patches seem to hold the highest concentrations. Tree squirrels tend to be very inactive during stormy or windy weather. 191 south from Springerville, or, for hunters coming from the southern parts of Arizona, take Hwy. Several large bulls have established themselves in the Mitchell Peak / Grey Peak area, and are likely bulls that have come across from the San Carlos Apache Reservation nearby to the west. Another area to consider is Lower Eagle Creek. Elk Overview: Unit 27 currently offers elk seasons throughout the fall. This area is pinyon-juniper and open grassland habitat. Shane takes his first Arizona bull elk with a well placed shot on opening morning of the 2017 late season Arizona bull elk hunt with CHASE'N THE KING. Hunt Permit-Tag Application Form. Arizona Cow Elk Season Dates: Rifle cow elk hunt: Oct. 15-21, 2021. Focus on small riparian canyons and areas with abundant Gambel oak. Late season tactics are similar to those for hunting deer. Rivers and washes can reach flood stage in a short period of time. The bull is a 7x7 and green scored 383 gross. Campfire Guide. 5B … Small forest openings are also good places to find grouse feeding on forbs and berries. Below the Mogollon Rim, the Upper Eagle Creek watershed and the areas west of Maple Peak (Wild Bunch Canyon, Mud Springs Canyon) have produced many bears in the past. Elk are widely distributed throughout the northern half of Unit 27. 10 Game 19A Game 19B Game 6B Game 7-west Game Species. Some of this area was impacted by the Wallow Fire, so you may want to scout ahead of time before hunting here. The final area in Unit 27 that offers a bighorn hunt in along the Black River on the northern boundary. FR 212 will get you north of the Big Lues. Areas to look for grouse include the northern half of the unit in high elevation mixed conifer and spruce-fir forest habitats. Deer concentrations may not be as good if weather remains warm. All the areas east and west of the highway and down towards the larger canyons coming off the Mogollon Rim offer good whitetail hunting. Refer to the appropriate USGS topographic map to locate these landmarks. Look for areas from the pine-oak belt up into mixed conifer forest where snow melt has resulted in the production of new herbaceous growth. 4,038 acres. There are a couple of outfitters that have exploited this pretty heavy and there are really not many places where you can "get away from it all" anymore. The unit then slopes to 8000 feet at Alpine. Hunt Unit 27 offers trophy big game hunting for elk, mule deer, whitetail, Rocky Mountain bighorn, and javelina; it also provides good hunting for black bear, mountain lion, and turkey. If you are willing to do some serious hiking, go south off of FR 475 to Pat Mesa, just south of Pigeon Creek. To locate the private areas described, refer to an Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests map. If you have trouble locating birds, those areas along the Blue River, Eagle Creek and along Hwy 191 from Strayhorse to Rose Peak offer the best alternatives to the high elevation areas that most are used to hunting. Do not litter, and please leave a clean camp. Great habitat, about 200 hunters. The world itself is vexing enough. This road also ends and turns into a hiking trail. Hunting license fee: $160.00, Tag fee if drawn (Non-Res): $665.00. Congrats if you drew a unit 27 or 1 Arizona elk tag ! Arizona Elk Outfitters has specialized in harvesting giant elk over the past 35 years! Red squirrel concentrations can be found in the high elevation areas around Hannagan Meadow. Best late season hunting is done off horse back as they better bull bunches are several miles in from the roads. Large riparian river bottoms, such as the Blue River and Eagle Creek, can also be good locations to hunt turkey during the fall. The Blue River bottom is mostly private land. Currently, it's really good hunting. Principle food items for Abert’s squirrels during the fall are fungi (mushrooms and truffles), acorns, pine seed, and inner pine bark. If you hunt this area, be aware that much of it is private land, with some of it being posted and off-limits to hunters. Look for elk in feeding areas along riparian bottoms, wet cienegas, and open meadows in the early morning. This road is very popular with mule deer hunters, and hunting can be good on either side of this road. Elk Hunting in Arizona Game Management Unit 27 Northern half of the unit is ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forest, rolling hills, and high mountains. Basically, any area that holds concentrations of deer or elk are prime locations for finding lions. Black Bear Overview: The black bear population in Unit 27 has been stable over the past five years, with an average annual harvest of just over 30 bears.The bear population after the Wallow fire appears to be in good condition, and good hunting opportunities should exist throughout the fall. ALL OF OUR ARIZONA ELK HUNTING IS BY DRAW. So is the deer hunting. Expect to see bulls in the 370″ range with potential for 380″+. The second fall hunt is a general hunt open during the month of October until the seven-sow harvest objective is reached. Because the Blue Range Primitive Area is managed for wilderness values, use of any mechanized device, such as a vehicle, bicycle, or chain saw, is prohibited. Since the Wallow fire elk spend a majority of their time above the rim, in their summer range. … Good areas for the early fall hunt would include most of the high elevations above the Mogollon Rim from Alpine to Hannagan Meadow. It is advisable to acquire an Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests map. Nearby. Go south on FR 281 to access areas off of private land that contain herds of javelina. Spring turkey hunters are most successful by locating a gobbler on the roost after sundown, then setting up on that roost the following morning and calling the gobbler to them using a variety of hen turkey calls. Local populations of whitetail can be found throughout the rest of the unit, as well, although in much lower concentrations. Care must be taken to look for the presence of cubs with all bears considered for harvest. This area has been part of landscape scale habitat improvement projects for deer within the last ten years. Some years Arizona game and fish will switch hunts from one year to another, one year in a particular unit may be early Arizona rifle elk hunt and the next year it may be a early Arizona muzzleloader elk hunt. In the past, hunters would harvest average of 110 grouse per year in Unit 27. With turkey population numbers recovering quickly after the Wallow Fire, turkey can again be located throughout the northern portion of the unit. Mid-Quality Arizona Elk Units. Broken terrain in the pinyon-juniper type allows for good spot-and-stalk mule deer hunting. Additionally, those areas that had previously burned east of Hwy 191 did not burn as severely as those areas west of the highway and may hold more birds. Burn Areas Last 10 yrs. We were riding his "desert horses" in rough country and during a rain one of his horses I was riding slid down a steep incline and came to rest on top of me. Because the quality of Arizona’s bull elk hunts has become widely known, permits to hunt bull elk in Arizona are difficult to obtain. This map will give you an excellent view of the unit. Using a predator call can be an exciting and effective method to bring the animals to the hunter. $19.95. Packing in a spike camp into the Primitive Area to hunt from is also recommended. 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