Arizona Hunting Club & Outdoor Adventure Group

Arizona's Top 10 Best Hunting Spots Based on
Number of White-Tailed Deer Tags Available in 2007

Each year, the Arizona Game & Fish does a post hunt survey to assess the hunter harvest success rate for the White-Tailed Deer population. In the Spring, they are also conduct a survey to see how many new White-Tailed Deer fawns dropped. Based on these surveys, they allocate the proper number of Coues White-Tailed Deer hunting tags each year to adjust the White Tailed Deer herd population so that there will be sufficient food and water available to maintain a healthy herd.

Therefore, one criteria used to evaluate where the the best White-Tailed Deer hunting spots in Arizona are located is to see where the most White-Tailed Deer tags are issued. Knowing where the most White-Tailed Deer tags are issued is an easy way to learn where the the most White-Tailed Deer are available to be harvested.

However, this is only one piece of the puzzle. You also need to focus on how many 1st and 2nd applicants that put in for a White-Tailed Deer tag for each unit and the resulting draw odds for getting drawn for a White-Tailed Deer tag in that unit. If the hunt unit has a 100% draw rate, then you are almost guaranteed a tag.

The next thing that is important is the hunting success rate that White-Tailed Deer hunters had last season. While the White-Tailed Deer draw rate might have been 100% successful, if the success rate of White-Tailed Deer hunters in that unit was only 10%, you need to find out why they struck out.

Another thing we like to look at is the increase/decrease in the number of tags issued this year versus last year. More tags will increase the chance of getting drawn over last year's reported draw rates. You would be suprised at how much the drawing odds change with only 100 extra tags. Same goes for a decrease in tags. It simply might be better to focus on another unit that either has the same number or more tags available.

The choice of weapon is ultimately determines a hunter's success rate for getting drawn in Arizona. Hunting with a rifle is the best way NOT to get drawn.

However, hunting with a bow is always 100% guaranteed since you can still buy a tag over the counter. With an archery tag you can hunt almost anywhere in Arizona.

The Arizona Game & Fish doesn't report hunting success for archery hunts. Instead, focus on the same areas we recommend for deer rifle hunts. Focus on White-Tailed Deer hunt units that issue thousands of rifle tags or where the rifle deer White-Tailed Deer hunt success rates are above 50%. But please remember, a rifle can reach a lot further than a bow in difficult or wide open terrain.

Also think about the season you are hunting. Some units with high success rates are during the rut. Deer archery hunts start in August. A better archery season is December, because the deer are in full rut this time of year. The only problem is that other hunters have been in the woods for a long time shooting at every thing that moves by this time of year. Not many animals will be left in areas that are easy to find.

If you are looking for a trophy White-Tailed Deer, then you need to pull out the Pope & Young or Boone & Crockett record books to see where the most White-Tailed Deer trophies were shot over the last 20 years.

Arizona's Top 10 Best Hunting Spots for White-Tailed Deer Based on Number of White-Tailed Deer Tags Available in 2007: