Unit 9 Deer Disaster
Arizona
I was up in unit 9 the last few days. What a disaster that unit has been for deer (some exceptions notwithstanding). Huge areas with very few tracks in the snow. I know where some good areas are that have held deer, but basically the unit is a catastrophe as far as lost potential. G&F should be sued. The resource has largely been wasted, IMHO. But hey, there are a zillion gun permits and lots of hunter opportunity! Also, I don't buy the theory that because the unit is managed for elk that therefore it can't have good mule deer hunting. Much of the unit has terrific mule deer habitat.
Geez, look at the whole state....not a whole lot of deer anywhere.
Saw plenty of deer up there in August while scouting for my elk hunt and then again in September during the hunt, and managed to snag a few on my trail cameras too. Granted, I did not have a deer tag in my pocket, so that's likely why I saw so many.
Unit 9 used to have great deer hunting. Growing up my family hunted 9 every year and killed some BIG bucks. I cant understand why they dont manage that unit better for deer anymore. It is ideal mule deer habitat. I believe they now issue about 400 permits, but I remember when it was 2000! That place should be crawling with deer. Its a waste of great deer habitat if you ask me.
New Mexico G&F closed their unit 15 to general firearms some years ago. I believe they have a muzzleloading and archery season. It is starting to come back. It's time AZG&F did this for unit 9. I agree, the mule deer habitat is terrific. The S. Kaibab should be just as famous as the N.Kaibab for it's deer quality (even though I happen to think the N. Kaibab is very over rated)..
There are 400 rifle permits, that should go to zero with perhaps 100 remaining for muzzloading and unlimited for bow. It would still probably take a decade before something resembling a quality deer population would be able to reestablish itself.
As hunters, we like to defend the line that hunting is necessary. In cases like this, I'm sorry to say, hunting is really hurting the resource. Or more specifically, the efficiency of rifle hunting. Something has to give. And in the end, the deer population is hurt; quality is largely diminished, and the hunter ends up with what? How did issuing all those permits help anyone??
David, just wondering what part of 9 you were in? We always hunted the west side along the park fence all the way to the cataracts.
If you think the kiabab is over rated just where do you consider good deer hunting?
Vance, in the past I've hunted both east and west side. This last week I drove the west unit and saw very few tracks and saw no deer although I don't road hunt. Tracks or the absence of them when there is snow is reliable. The S. Kaibab just doesn't have the deer population. Huge areas where there the deer are extremely scarce and should be common. E.g. the south east.
Kevin, I don't want to give away my prime spot, but it has better hunting than the N. Kaibab. Given all the bowhunters, only a few really nice bucks are taken yearly off the N. Kaibab.
Vance, in the past I've hunted both east and west side. This last week I drove the west unit and saw very few tracks and saw no deer although I don't road hunt. Tracks or the absence of them when there is snow is reliable. The S. Kaibab just doesn't have the deer population. Huge areas where there the deer are extremely scarce and should be common. E.g. the south east.
Kevin, I don't want to give away my prime spot, but it has better hunting than the N. Kaibab. Given all the bowhunters, only a few really nice bucks are taken yearly off the N. Kaibab.
