AZ Folks...tarp or tent for 2nd OTC Season?

[homebru.trout]

For the members well schooled in hunting AZ..esp unit 27 and environs.

Supertarp or a tent for Aug/Sep hunt in western AZ? I prefer to roll pretty much everywhere with the super tarp as I can get my entire sleep chamber into a Kifaru G2 pouch but my typical hunts have been high country trips where I don't need to worry about scorpions, snakes, etc.

Do folks routinely go floorless in AZ without worrying about night time "friends" dropping by for a snuggle or is it better to have a nice closed off sleep chamber to avoid such encounters?

 

[Bailer]

Up high in 27 you could go either way. Lower down I’d be more nervous about floor less. I’ve had a couple scorpion stings, not the end of the world but not fun either. At one pint you mentioned western az, tent all the way.

 

[taggart_lumpy]

pretty toasty and lots of critters out still that time of year. if you go floorless i’d run a bivy

 

[Az wildcat]

Floorless and bug bivy or full tent. Two many things that bite and sting.

 

[RoJo]

Depending on where you are in 27, mosquitoes may be a bigger nuisance than scorpions. If you prefer a tarp, I would say go for it, and if you have a bug net, bring it just in case.

 

[AZ23]

Tent

 

[n2horns]

Tent, bivy or bug net. In AZ unless high up, it stays too warm and critters are out. But something to keep zipped up around you when sleeping.

 

[homebru.trout]

Thanks for the input gang. Have a bivy so I think I'll roll with the tarp + bivy. I plan to gain as much altitude as I can which hopefully will alleviate concerns over some of the nastier bites/stings. Having worked in AK for a number of years the mosquitoes are less of an issue for me.

 

[AZ23]

This is why I prefer my BA Copper Spur UL2.
Arizona Black Rattlesnake (Crotalus cerberus) - Reptiles of Arizona

 

[lchavez]

August in 27 is a beautiful time of year. Typically rain showers for a couple hours in the evenings so plan accordingly.

I don’t pack in so I have just slept in the back of my suv or tent.

Also be aware of bears. They have come into camp.

Very poor cell service in the center of unit (even Verizon).

We will out in 27 in August for archery deer.....can’t wait!

 

[cjl2010]

The blacks are sketchy.

 

[Beendare]

I've hunted 27 a couple of times....

I would recommend a fully sealed tent.

 

[Shoffman]

I'll be in unit 27 first week of September, I'll be running a tent

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[Bubblehide]

Considering the amount of rain Az get during that time of year,a tent.

 

[archer wapiti]

Are you backcountry or car camping? I spend a lot of nights on a cot across the border in NM when I'm car camping. I've slept on the ground under a tarp in the Ponderosa - Pinyon woods. No problems, but I've also seen some tremendous centipedes at that elevation down there.

My worst experience down there was during a mid-day nap. I was sleeping on the ground, in the shade of my truck in an area that had a good grass and herbaceous layer. I became aware of something crawling on my chest, it was poking me like it was and ant under my shirt... I let it crawl up to my collar (in my half awake state) and when I could feel it on the bare skin of my neck, I tried to brush it off with the back of my hand. Instant Pain!!! It turned out to be a caterpillar about 2 inches long and the diameter of your little finger. It was covered with bristles. What I thought was an ant inside my shirt was its clawed feet poking through my shirt. Not only did I get nettles all over the backs of my fingers, but now it was pissed off and thrashing back and forth, clinging onto my collar and brushing against my neck.

Bring hydrocortisone cream.