Arizona
(Note: This overview was extracted from the December 2007 issue of The Huntin' Fool) 
Arizona has two separate application periods for big game tags. Applicants wishing to apply for elk or antelope must apply early with a February application deadline. Sheep, deer, and buffalo applications are typically due in June. The early deadline caught many hunters off guard as Arizona has generally had one of the latest application deadlines of any of the western states. The early deadline helps hunters find out their drawing results by the end of April instead of a few weeks prior to some of the earlier hunts.
Arizona has a bonus point system where every year that a particular applicant applies and is not drawn they are awarded a bonus point for any species they applied for. For every bonus point earned, that applicant will have an additional chance in the draw to obtain a limited entry draw tag. The number of bonus points a hunter can obtain increases by one every year, thus there is not a ceiling on the number of points one can accrue. A permanent bonus point may be earned by traveling to Arizona and taking a hunter education course. This can be a modified version of hunter education if the hunter has taken a course in another state in recent times. A loyalty point will also be awarded to hunters who have applied for a particular species for 5 consecutive years beginning in 2001. In a nut shell, your name will be entered into the hat once for applying, once for every bonus point earned per species, once for the loyalty point earned per species, and once for each species applied for if you have taken a hunter education course. The maximum number of bonus points that can be earned increases by one each year with no limit.
Arizona has had an online application system available in recent years. In 2007, many of you who applied late in the application period for deer and sheep may not have been able to apply online as they had some trouble with the company they outsourced the online applications to. They have said there will most likely not be an online application system available for the 2008 application season. In Arizona you must front all of the tag fees when applying on paper. To apply in Arizona, all applicants must purchase a non-refundable hunting license either prior to applying or at the time of application. The quality big game animals available in Arizona are well worth the investment!
Non-residents are limited to “up to” 10% of the tag quota for a given hunt except for sheep and buffalo, where non-residents are limited to “up to” 10% of the total tag quota and may only apply in units with two or more tags.
Furthermore, 20% of the tags per hunt code for deer, elk, and antelope are reserved for applicants who have the most bonus points. Twenty percent of the total number of sheep and buffalo tags are reserved for applicants with the most bonus points. This 20% reserve is taken right off the top prior to the regular drawing. This means that in certain cases for premium deer tags, and in some years, premium elk tags, the non-resident quota is filled with max bonus point holders. Members of The Huntin’ Fool staff petitioned the game and fish commission to alter the allocation of non-resident permits to limit the number of tags going to max bonus point holders to a maximum of 50% of the tags available to non-residents to allow a chance for applicants with less than max points or youth hunters a chance to draw a few of the premium tags. We were denied for now, more on that later.
Arizona has both Rocky Mountain and Desert Bighorn sheep. You may not apply for both on two separate applications, but may choose Desert as a first choice and Rocky as a second choice. Arizona is one of the best states when it comes to trophy Desert sheep! Every year some 170 plus rams are harvested with a lot of rams harvested in the 160 class. Most of the sheep units are not too physical with most having good access and plenty of glassing points. The Rockys in Arizona are not known to be giant, although every so often there is a 180 class ram harvested. There are very few Rocky tags issued compared to the total number of Desert sheep tags. Sheep points are sheep points, there is no segregation between the two species.
The elk in Arizona are incredible most years. In drought years, Arizona is especially susceptible to smaller antler growth compared to other states. In 2007, we’ve heard of a number of 400 plus bulls being harvested including a 420 plus bull in unit 9 during the early rifle hunt and a 430 plus bull in unit 6 during the archery season. To have the best chance at an incredible elk hunt with decent drawing odds, hunters need to be proficient with archery gear. It is by far the best season. There are a few early rifle hunts with limited tag numbers, but drawing odds are terrible. Remember that on extremely dry years, true trophy hunters should apply for “points only.”
Arizona is capable of producing giant Mule deer across the entire state, but the units north of the Colorado River are managed for trophy quality and the best bucks harvested come from those units every year. The Kaibab and the Strip make up the best units in the state, which are units 12A, 12B, 13A, and 13B. They have rifle seasons in November with the 12A and 12B units having late seasons extending into the first part of December. Limited tag numbers during the rut make for a quality experience and a chance at a giant buck while maintaining excellent quality. If you don’t have maximum bonus points, you should consider applying for an early rifle season on the Kaibab (units 12A or 12B) as you will most likely never draw the late seasons.
Arizona has the most Coues deer of any state in the U.S. with some trophy bucks in most units. The state is managing for opportunity and not trophy in most units. They have excellent drawing odds with bonus points being used for both Coues deer and Mule deer. Deer points are deer points, there is no segregation between the two species.
Arizona is known for giant antelope with some great bucks harvested this year as well. Continued development is taking a toll on the best antelope herds, but world class bucks still exist. As you can tell from the tag prices, (more than double the price of the deer tag) Arizona is extremely proud of the antelope they have!
No matter what the species, Arizona is one of the best states in the West. They have opportunity for everyone regardless of your hunting goals. Apply and enjoy a tag of a lifetime!