Big
Game Animals in Arizona
Here is detailed
information on the big game animals of Arizona,
click on the names for more information.
Coues White Tailed Deer
(Odocoileus virginianus couesi) |
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Oct. 7- Nov 27, 2005<br>
Juniors-only deer season in selected units
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American Black Bear
(Ursus americanus) |
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General<br>Aug - Dec <br><br>
Archery<br>
Aug - Sept/Oct
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Buffalo
(Bison bison) |
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| Limited Hunts; Sept - Dec 2005 |
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Elk
(Cervus elaphus) |
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Rifle: <br>
October, November, December 2005<br>
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Muzzlel |
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Mule Deer
(Odocoileus hemionus) |
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Oct. 7- Nov 27, 2005<br>
Juniors-only deer season in selected units
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Pronghorn Antelope
(Antilocapra americana) |
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General<br>
Sept - Oct 2005<br><br>
Muzzleloader<br>
Se |
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Antelope
Antelope are gregarious.
They are found in mixed herds most of the year; except
in the spring when the bucks are alone or in small groups. In the fall, bucks
collect harems numbering up to 15 does, which they then defend from other bucks.
Antelope breed in August and September and the young are born
in May and June. The gestation period for the antelope
is the longest for big-game animals in the United States. About eight months
after mating, one or two fawns are born. The young are not spotted like the
fawns of the deer family, but instead have markings similar to the
adults. The fawns remain hidden, with the doe feeding
them several times a day until they are strong enough to travel with the adults.
Elk
The high country of
Arizona is considered home to some of the biggest Elk
in the state, if not the biggest in the country. Arizona produces more 400+ bull
Elk than any other state. I really recommend hunting the rut, which has to be
the most exciting hunt you will ever encounter. There is
an opportunity for all hunters to be able to hunt the
rut, the Archery hunt comes first followed by the Muzzleloader and early Rifle
hunts. These hunts are by far the best of the best.
Black
Bear
Bear hunting in Arizona
is like no other bear hunt in the world. In Arizona
we hunt bear in the cactus. One of the bears favorite foods is the Prickly Pear
cactus fruit, which happen to ripen around the same time the fall bear season
opens. During this time the bears are easier to locate by glassing
since most of the prickly pear cactus are located in
open country. Not all bears travel down to the prickly pear cactus, some prefer
the higher juniper, oak, and pine covered country of Arizona. The most productive
way of hunting bear in this thicker environment is by calling. The calling is
done by using a predator call, much like calling coyotes. This method is a heart
pounding experience that you will not soon forget. In Arizona
the bear tags are over the counter.
Mule
Deer
The most abundant deer in
Arizona is the Rocky Mountain mule deer. Mule deer
are not limited to any one type of terrain, being found
from sparse, low deserts to high forested mountains.
Generally they prefer the more rugged country.
Coues
Deer
The Grey Ghost of
the Desert is what Arizonians have nicked named these
southwestern white-tail deer. A subspecies of the white-tailed deer. Coues deer
are most common in Arizona's southeastern mountains, but range up to the edge
of the Mogollon Rim and into the White Mountains. They are most abundant
in areas of predictable summer precipitation. They
prefer woodlands of chaparral, oak, and pine, with interspersed
clearings.
Desert
Bighorn Sheep
At their peak, North
American bighorn sheep numbers were estimated at 2
million. Desert populations have since fallen to about 20,000;
of which about 4,500 are found in Arizona. The causes
for this decline, which occurred primarily between 1850 and 1900, were competition
with livestock for food and water and livestock associated parasites and diseases.
Buffalo
In Arizona, buffalo or bison are found
on two wildlife areas operated by the Game and Fish
Department; Raymond, located east of Flagstaff, and
House Rock, located east of the North Kaibab. Both wildlife
areas are managed to provide viewing opportunities as
well as recreation for sport hunters
Javelina
The collared peccary, or javelina, evolved in South
America and migrated north, only recently arriving in
Arizona. Peccary bones are not found in Arizona archaeological
sites and early settlers made infrequent references
to their occurrence. It's possible that the peccary
spread simultaneously with the replacement of Arizona's
native grasslands by scrub and cactus. The collared
peccary has one of the greatest latitudinal ranges of
any New World game animal, occurring from Arizona to
Argentina. The range of the peccary is still expanding,
primarily northwestward. The collared peccary, which
occurs in the United States only in Arizona, Texas,
and New Mexico, currently occupies approximately 34
percent of Arizona with an estimated population of 60,000
animals.
Mountain
Lion
The mountain lion occurs only in the
western hemisphere and has one of the most extensive
ranges of any land mammal, from the Straights of Magellan
in South America to the Canadian Yukon. The major reduction
in mountain lion distribution has come as a result of
its extirpation from areas of historic range in the
eastern United States and Canada. In Arizona mountain
lions are absent only from the extremely arid southwestern
portions of the state and those areas heavily impacted
by human development. In general, the distribution of
mountain lions in Arizona corresponds with the distribution
of its major prey species, deer. |
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