AZ DRAW SYSTEM

[Vince]

I was on another forum and somebody was asking about the Arizona Draw system. Here was a response that I thought was funny and wanted to share:

I'm looking at hunting somewhere other than AZ because the lottery system here is a farce.

Buy a point each year from date of birth until senility. Then, when senile and crippled, you will be drawn for a once in a lifetime tag. Your gun bearer, that you paid your over-priced and underworked guide two month's wages for, will cart your gun. For the rest of your year's salary you can have two men and a boy cart you, your oxygen canister, and your wheelchair, since you are now so old you cannot walk, twenty feet from the road when your game animal has been spotted.

The game animal was spotted by your guide and three assistants using NASA telescopes. They will tell you, "It's right over there, easy shot Dude." "Right over there" is the width of three counties in Iowa. In short, it's in another freaking zip code! You will hear a clunking sound as your guide puts his high tech tripod in front of you with a rifle rest. In reality it's three pool cues held together with electrical tape and BBQ Tongs to stabilize the butt of your rifle.

You attempt to dial in the yardage but you cannot even see the freaking game animal. You're thinking your cataracts are getting worse but the truth is nothing short of a 25 power optic will even discern that the brown or grey blob is anything but a rock. Your trusty rusty rifle with a 3-9 x 40 scope won't even pick up the animal's movement as he gets up from his bed, sensing that hunters are in the area, and proceeds to walk up the hill and over the next ridge.

For this you will pay two year's salary and not fire a shot. Yeah, lets all hunt Arizona.

OK, trying to be jocular here. How'd I do? I have some friends that are guides and they've helped me a bunch over the last three years, my entire real life hunting career. As for your question, I have no idea. Good luck!

I liked the jocularity and thought you all might enjoy it too.
It also helps one to understand the Arizona Big Game Draw system.

Vince

 

[DrMike]

It helps to have a sense of humor. Good one, Vince.

 

[sask boy]

Most of the time I really enjoy Saskatchewan, as we can still hunt most big game species without all the hassles :wink:.

Blessings,
Dan

 

[PJGunner]

I've been fighting the AZ draw system for the last 36 years. Nuff said? Extremely frustrating system.
Paul B.

 

[Vince]

I've been fighting the AZ draw system for the last 36 years. Nuff said? Extremely frustrating system.
Paul B.

Only 42 more years to go Paul. :grin:
Then you might, and I stress might, draw an antelope tag.

 

[wayno945]

That definitely sums up the pronghorn and bighorn draws, once in a lifetime lol. Deer and elk can be hunted every year if you're flexible with your hunting plans. Plenty of leftover deer tags in the south every year, and antlerless elk in some units is 100% draw. I'd rather hunt every year than accumulate those bonus points for twenty years just to draw an early season elk tag.

 

[Vince]

Being that my employer forces me to bid in Nov/Dec of every year for the time off for the upcoming year it's difficult to make plans.

I'm Numero Uno in seniority so that at least helps. I know when the hunts will be so I put in for the time off. Then I have to wait and see if I drew a tag. If not, I have to scramble to go out of state during that same time period. I'm really hoping I have enough points to draw a late season bull elk tag this next year.

If I don't get drawn next year I'll scramble for a cow elk tag in WY or maybe a late season cow tag in CO.

 

[wayno945]

What units are you thinking for elk?

 

[Vince]

22N

 

[killdeernow]

I want to know how Primos and other hunting companies get drawn for AZ???????

 

[Vince]

I want to know how Primos and other hunting companies get drawn for AZ???????

Me too.
Or are they hunting on the Rez?

 

[Elkman]

Vince
Does Arizona have landowner permits, or some time of landowner tag system.????? I was working on a fire NE of Tucson one spring, and the ranch manager and I became pretty good friends. He stated that the ranch was the second largest in the state with around 500 thousand acres privately owned. They managed their elk for trophy potential as well as hunted late season cows. I got the impression that they were guaranteed a certain amount of tags each year?. I believe that many of the big elk and deer that we see on the TV come off of private lands, or on private lands adjacent to public lands, where most hunters cannot access. Its still "fair chase", but they the pressure is very limited.

 

[wayno945]

Not that I know of. I believe the reservation guides get their own special tags though. Were you near an Indian reservation?

 

[Vince]

Bill,

Sounds like you were up on the Apache Rez.
They do things different in Indian country. For the rest of AZ there is no landowner tag system. I like that because it affords the "little guy" the opportunity to hunt big animals with the same chance as an outfitter/guide.

Vince

 

[PipesMac]

I used to put in for elk and deer in AZ in the 90s, never got drawn and gave up. Didn't realize back then your points kept increasing...

 

[Vince]

5 Years gets you a "loyalty bonus point" and the AZ Hunter Safety gets you a bonus point.
I think Grandma having hemorrhoids also gets you a bonus point. They give bonus points out instead of tags. Pretty soon they'll start raffling off bonus points so all us non-tagholders can feel special. Instead of saying, "I drew a tag!" we can all say, "I drew a bonus point!"
Oh wait, my kitten just had a litter, that's worth a bonus point right? :grin:

 

[wayno945]

Haha... I'm gonna laugh when you get drawn this year Vince. I had the 22N hunt last year Vince, give me a call if you want some feedback on it.

 

[Vince]

I will Wayne and thank you.