Spring Bear Hunt in AZ GMU 33

RoJo

WKR
Joined
Dec 5, 2016
Messages
403
Location
South Central Arizona
I'm heading into AZ's unit 33 right from work tomorrow afternoon, for a 2-night backpack scouting trip for my spring bear hunt that starts on "Cinco de Mayo". It is also a shakedown cruise for some of new gear. This will be the first outing for the new Kifaru AMR pack. The pack is completely loaded, and comes in at 42 lb, which includes 2 days of food and 4 liters of water. The weather is looking great, sunny with highs in the 60's and lows in the 40's. I'm hoping to get some digiscope pics of critters (bears or otherwise), which I'll post up.
 

Kadehunts

FNG
Joined
May 23, 2016
Messages
30
Have fun. Looking forward to seeing pics. I live in Tucson.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OP
RoJo

RoJo

WKR
Joined
Dec 5, 2016
Messages
403
Location
South Central Arizona
I have always wanted to backpack into the Santa Theresa's, and I'm considering applying for 31 for whitetails.

32 is great, but I was super disappointed to learn that the landowner closed off access to Rattlesnake Road.
 
OP
RoJo

RoJo

WKR
Joined
Dec 5, 2016
Messages
403
Location
South Central Arizona
Unfortunately, no animal pics to be had. It doesn't appear the bears are up and about just yet. None spotted, and no sign at all anywhere, even on trails where I always see bear scat and/or tracks. I didn't even turn up any whitetails. I think they're still mostly at lower elevations. Spring hasn't really sprung yet up high, so there isn't much to be had food-wise yet, i.e. not much yet in the way of new plant growth.

On another note, I came a bit too close (for comfort) to being blocked from returning to my vehicle Sunday morning by the Shovel Fire. If the wind (which was pretty crazy on Saturday) had been out of the south instead of the west, it would likely have been a different story. As it was, the fire burned right up to, but didn't cross, the Lemmon trail. I had to be escorted along the perimeter of the still-hot burn zone by a member of the Saguaro ground crew, with helicopters still dropping water a short distance away.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2016
Messages
738
Location
Utah
what approx elevation were you hunting? I'm planning just a quick weekend trip the 28/29th in a southern unit I hunted coues in last fall and saw a few big bears. Hoping they'll be stirred up by then. A guy I work with found fresh tracks this weekend at a dirt tank waaaay low, like down in the creosote low.
 
OP
RoJo

RoJo

WKR
Joined
Dec 5, 2016
Messages
403
Location
South Central Arizona
Oh, yeah, that is low. I was up pretty high, like 7,000+. I don't want to hunt low in May, it will be too hot. I'm hoping the bears are active up high by then.
 
Top