New Or Noteworthy For This Year

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Arizona's Mule Deer Breakdown

Arizona's Coues Deer Breakdown

Arizona's Bighorn Sheep Breakdown

Arizona's Bison Breakdown

ARIZONA'S 2024 DEER, BIGHORN SHEEP AND BISON APPLICATION OVERVIEW

Note: The online application deadline for Arizona deer, bighorn sheep and bison is June 4, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ARIZONA time. You can apply online here.

STATE INFORMATION

Below you can find important information and an overview of Arizona’s rules/regulations, the draw system, bonus points, tag and license fees and an interactive boundary line map on our State Profile. Once at the State Profile, you can find even more information on applying in Arizona. You can also view the Arizona mule deer, Coues deer, bighorn sheep, and bison profiles to access historical and statistical data to help you find trophy units.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit www.azgfd.com/hunting/draw and login to your AZGFD portal account. If you have not created a portal you will need to take the necessary steps to do so. Once inside your portal click on “Apply For A Draw.”

Applicants must possess a valid Arizona hunting license to apply for a hunting permit. That license must be valid on the last day of the application period (June 4, 2024). Check your AZGFD portal account.

IMPORTANT DATES AND INFORMATION

Note: The cost of the permit will only be charged if you are successful in the draw. If you are successful, AZGFD will attempt to charge the card used when you applied. If the card is declined, they will not attempt to contact you. They will move past your application to the next applicant in the queue. Make sure the card you use is current and has the room to accommodate the permit(s) you applied for!

Drought in Arizona

2024

2023

2022

2021

Overall, Arizona is in a good position for antler growth this year, but perhaps not quite as good as it was in the fall of 2023. The state is currently mostly in abnormally dry conditions. The outliers are in portions of the Kaibab and Strip units which are in great shape. Those highly coveted permits are tough to draw but for the lucky few that do draw should see great antler growth. Bucks are coming off a great moisture year from the winter of 2022/2023 and are in great body conditions and the early green growth is good. Provided Arizona continues to get a few mid summer monsoon rains, 2024 would once again be a great year to cash in your bonus points and hunt deer! 

BORDER ACTIVITY

We regularly get questions about the potential danger of hunting units occurring along the US/Mexico border. If you are hunting north of Interstate 10 there is little to worry about in this regard illegal immigrants or issues related to trafficking. 

If you choose to hunt south of Interstate 10, the odds of having any type of interaction with illegal immigrants is low but not nonexistent. Immigrants and traffickers are very aware of the hunting seasons, and the influx of hunters in the mountains at these times and do what they can to curb the number of potential interactions they have with people of any kind. 

The bulk of the illegal immigrant movement happens at night. In the daytime, these groups of people are often in the bottom of a canyon or shaded up during the day and trying to remain undetected. They often travel all night and sleep and seek cover during the day. The most common time to have interaction is right at sun up or right at sundown. When hunting early in the morning and just prior to dark, you should be more vigilant of your surroundings. Water sources, wash bottoms, and canyons are potential points of travel and contact. Water sources can offer great ambush deer hunting opportunities but the chance of an encounter with immigrants goes up. When you are hiking, stay on the ridgebacks and, if you cross a canyon, don’t travel down it or up it for long distances if you can avoid it. Always have a satellite messaging device and be aware of your surroundings. If you are truck camping and day hunting from a vehicle it may pay to leave some water and food outside the vehicle to deter break ins. Also, cover or remove any gear left inside your vehicle. The odds of having an interaction are low, but be prepared and be aware of your surroundings at all times. Should you have an encounter, keep a cool head, remain calm, and alert border patrol as soon as you can safely do so.

The Arizona draw system

Arizona has a bonus point hybrid draw system where 20% of the deer permits are allocated to the applicants that apply with the most points for any given hunt and the remaining 80% of the permits are randomly allocated with weight given to the number of bonus points you have. In essence, the more bonus points you have, the more chances you get in the draw. For example, if I have 11 bonus points I have 12 chances in the random draw (one for each bonus point I have plus one for this years application) Nonresidents are limited to no more than 10% of the total permits for each hunt code for antlered deer. Out of that 10%, up to 5% can be allocated to hunters in the bonus pass. [Bonus pass is the process that awards permits to maximum point holders.] After that, the remaining 5% can be allocated to nonresidents in the random pass (second pass).

For bighorn sheep and bison, 20% of the total number of permits statewide are reserved for maximum point applicants. Nonresidents are issued up to 10% of the total statewide bighorn sheep and bison permits and no more than 50% per hunt code. Up to one nonresident permit can be awarded if a hunt offers two or three permits. If a hunt has four or more permits, two could be awarded to nonresidents. Be aware that nonresidents can apply for hunts that only have one permit, but are not eligible to draw. For nonresidents, make sure you apply for hunts that have more than one permit available. Hunters may only harvest one desert bighorn sheep, one Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and one bison in their lifetime in Arizona.

Bonus Points

Bonus points are species specific. Applicants gain one bonus point for any species they apply for and are unsuccessful in the draw. You can also apply for points only, but Arizona allocates a portion of the permits randomly in the draw, so we highly recommend applicants apply for hunts. The only reason that an applicant should apply for points only is if they cannot afford the time off to hunt or the money for the permit. 

Arizona also offers two more options to gain extra bonus points. One is to apply for five consecutive years. In this case, you will be awarded a “loyalty bonus point” which is an extra bonus point. This point will remain as long as you continue to apply. If you miss a year of applying, that loyalty point will be purged. The other is the “hunter’s education point”. Applicants can complete an AZGF approved hunter’s education course in person in Arizona or they can pay to take the online course. The online course fee for nonresidents is $300 and $150 for residents. Applicants must be 18 or older to take the class. In this case, a permanent bonus point will be awarded for every species for life. 

If an applicant does not apply for five consecutive years for any given species, the bonus points for that species will be purged. If an applicant draws any of their hunt choices, all points will be purged, except for the loyalty and hunter education point (if the applicant had those).

Hunt choices

Applicants can apply for up to five hunt choices on their application. Only your first and second choice are considered before moving to the next application. This means an applicant's third, fourth and fifth choice will only be considered if there are leftover permits after every applicant has had their 1st/2nd choices on their application considered. Be aware that if you draw any of your choices, your points will be purged. For that reason, we advise applicants to only include first and second choices unless they are willing to burn points on the types of hunts that make it to the leftover list. Bonus points will not be impacted if you obtain a leftover deer permit in the first come, first served process.

Group applications

Up to four applicants can apply as a group for deer. Nonresidents and residents can apply together on a group application. Bonus points for the group will be averaged and rounded to the nearest whole number (rounded up if equal to 0.5 or greater). If a group application is successful in the draw, all members of the group will receive a permit provided there are enough permits to cover the group. Nonresident permits come out of the nonresident quota. Arizona will not over-allocate the permit quota to accommodate a group application. This means if a group of two applicants was selected and there was only one permit remaining in the draw, that application would be unsuccessful and they would move to the next single applicant.

Youth and mentoring opportunities

Youth can apply for and hunt big game in Arizona at 10 years old. They must have completed a hunter’s education course and purchased an Arizona hunting license. That license is only $5 for youth (10 to 17). We highly recommend that you begin to apply and build points for your youth beginning at age 10.

Arizona has a unique program that will allow a parent, grandparent or legal guardian to transfer a permit they have drawn to their youth (10 to 17). The youth must have a valid hunting license and completed hunter’s education if they are younger than 14.

Arizona also offers Youth Only deer permits. The Youth Only permits are good opportunities to get your kids in the field. You can explore the hunt odds for these hunts within the stand alone draw odds in your Insider research platform.

Leftover first come-first served permits

After the drawing is completed all remaining permits for deer are available on a first-come-first-served basis. The left-over permit will be listed online at www.azgfd.gov/hunting under the big game draw section. The process to obtain a left-over permit is different than it is in other western states. Applicants will need to print and fill out an application with their choices from the left-over list and send that in by mail on or after July 8, 2024.

CURRENT MULE DEER HERD CONDITION

The past two years have been much better water years, and with Arizona being one of the drier states in the nation, water is that much more critical for mule deer populations and good antler growth. The upcoming fall hunts are going to be good in terms of antler growth and with the trail camera ban it’s likely that there are going to be some older age class bucks that will seemingly pop up out of nowhere. When you think of Arizona mule deer hunting most hunters immediately go to the units north of the Grand Canyon, the famed Arizona strip units 13A and 13B, and the Kaibab Plateau which includes units 12A and 12B. The Arizona strip will continue to produce some of the best bucks harvested anywhere in the world and the Kaibab has gotten better over the last few years due to the early successional vegetation growth that is coming back after recent fires.  Both areas will be excellent this year, and if you have the points to draw I’d strongly suggest that this is a great year to use those points. Even if you have very few or no points, it might be worth a shot to swing for the fences and apply in these areas in hopes you have some luck in the random pass of the draw. The only other area I have included as a top tier option is units 3A/3C. There are not the caliber of bucks in these areas that occur in the others I already noted, but they offer great hunts with a good population of bucks and can be drawn with fewer points. 

The rest of the state does not offer the same trophy potential but the populations and availability of tags is really good. If you are looking for an opportunity to hunt deer and harvest a buck, there are plenty of hunts that can be drawn relatively easily. Whether you are looking for the buck or a lifetime or just an opportunity to hunt, I would suggest that applicants apply for hunts this year. It’s going to be a great year of deer hunting in Arizona.

How to uncover hidden gem deer units

Use Filtering so you can search for exactly the type of hunt you are looking for. Sort success rates, percentage of public land and trophy quality to find a quality hunt that most hunters may not be keying into.

TO GET STARTED WITH FILTERING

The points system

MANAGING POINTS AND EXPECTATIONS

Coues deer and mule deer use the same bonus points pool.

2024 maximum bonus points for deer: 27

In my opinion Coues deer is one of the most underrated hunts in the west. Good mule deer permits are getting harder to draw and Coues deer permits have remained relatively easy to obtain and the quality is very good in almost every unit. Most units offer 3 to 4 hunts, the early seasons being hotter and more dry while the latest hunts are typically cooler and bucks are far more visible due to the fact that they are moving towards the rut. The later seasons are harder to draw but still much easier than the best mule deer hunts. Similar to mule deer, the antler growth will be very good this fall and if you are sick of chasing the mule deer draws, I would suggest you consider Coues deer. For hunters who love the game of long glassing sessions and the challenge of spot and stalk hunting, Coues deer represent a very fun hunt. As you look through the table below, you’ll see far more top tier options and it’s worth noting the number of bonus points required to draw. An applicant could likely hunt great units, during great dates, and hunt 4 times or more within the same timeframe  it would take to draw a good mule deer tag.

HOW TO UNCOVER HIDDEN GEM UNITS

Using Filtering and Draw Odds, you will be able to study additional information like trophy potential and success rates to narrow down where you would like to hunt. If you want to hunt Coues deer every year, you can. In the table below, we offer hunts that were drawn with no points and have harvest success rates greater than 30%. In addition, there are many hunts that can be drawn that have slightly lower harvest success rates.

Harvest success and trophy potential are very good throughout the state.The highest hurdle is actually drawing a permit, and if you look at the odds for every hunt in the state the outlook is bleak to say the least. At this point, most of us will never be guaranteed a chance to draw, but with permits being randomly allocated as well I think it’s definitely worth applying. Someone is going to draw, you should have your application in the running. As noted in the draw system portion of this article, 20% of the total number of permits statewide are reserved for maximum point applicants and nonresidents are issued up to 10% of the total statewide bighorn sheep permits. Knowing that, it’s imperative that applicants with less than max points are aware of the hunts where random permits are regularly drawn. Since 20% of the permits are allocated to applicants with the highest number of bonus points in the bonus pass the bulk of those bonus pass permits are going to be drawn by residents (there are more residents with more bonus points than nonresidents) in the best trophy units. This means that nearly 90% plus of the sheep tags that will be drawn by nonresidents will be in the random pass for units that are not top tier trophy units. 

If you are lucky enough to draw a desert bighorn permit, you have a very good opportunity to look over a good number of rams and harvest a mature animal. If you have less than 33 or 34 bonus points as a nonresident, review the table below for good and best option hunts to apply for. The hunts listed as worst, are hunts that regularly do not allocate a random permit because the permits are allocated in the bonus draw.  

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep populations are much lower than desert sheep, as such the permit numbers are much lower. On the other hand trophy potential is phenomenal, with every unit offering the opportunity at a ram north of 170” plus. Many units produce rams in the 180” class. As is the case with desert bighorn sheep, applicants with less than max bonus points should pay attention to the table below that indicates the best hunt options to apply for that historically drawn random permits.

THE GOHUNT HIT LIST UNITS FOR ARIZONA DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP

As previously noted, the best odds of drawing a permit are in areas where the trophy potential is not quite as good. The top-tier units in the state will produce 170” to 180” class rams most years. Those units are also the ones that will require maximum points or all the luck in the world to draw a permit.

Managing bighorn sheep points and expectations

THE BIGHORN SHEEP POINT SYSTEM

Arizona desert bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep use the same bonus points pool.

2024 maximum bonus points for Arizona bighorn sheep: 35

Arizona has two separate bison application periods. The upcoming draw is for the hunts listed in the table below and will occur during the fall of 2024. The hunts available are for cow bison or yearling. The draw for mature bull bison occurs in the September-October application timeframe. One thing to consider is that applicants can apply in both this draw and the Sept/Oct draw and build bison bonus points in both draws. This is the reason why when you look at the number of bonus points there are applicants with as many as 57 bonus points. The odds of drawing a bison permits are low and the cost of the permit for nonresidents is expensive even for cow bison at $3,265. If you can afford the permit and want an opportunity to hunt free range bison I suggest you apply. 

The Raymond herd hunts are almost guaranteed success should you draw. The hunts in the House Rock area is much tougher, with the bulk of the bison inhabiting terrain within Grand Canyon National Park. The bison occasionally drift out of the park and with local intel or scouting there is a decent chance at success. Water is the key factor on whether the bison will move out of the park, if water is plentiful the bison will not leave the park. If it’s dry and water within the park is limited the bison will move out to hit water tanks and ponds located on the National Forest. Overall, it’s getting harder to harvest a bison and it will likely require a guide or ample time in the field to both scout and hunt.

*12A (excluding the closed northeast portion of House Rock Wildlife Area)

Managing points and expectations

There is currently not a mature bull bison hunt available in this application period. If you are looking for a chance to hunt a trophy bull, you will need to apply for a point in this application period and wait until the fall application period to submit your application for an actual hunt.

If your goal is to simply draw a bison hunt and a cow or a yearling bull sounds like exactly what you are looking for, then this is the draw period for you. The odds are steep even for the cows, but you don’t want to miss any chance to draw whether it's this deadline or the fall deadline.