OTC HUNTING OPTIONS
Arizona offers bowhunters who want to pursue giant mule deer bucks several different hunting options and seasons from which to choose from that can all produce world class mule deer bucks. The most popular hunt option that bowhunters who are interested in hunting archery mule deer in Arizona have to choose from would be the over the counter archery mule deer hunts that are offered twice a year in the great state of Arizona. There are two different hunting seasons for these otc archery mule deer hunts.
EARLY OTC HUNT
AUG.19TH – SEP.8TH
The first otc archery mule deer hunt that takes place annually would be the early season Arizona archery mule deer hunts in the velvet. These early season Arizona archery mule deer hunts typically begin in mid August and will run until the second week of September. Bowhunters who choose to experience these great archery mule deer hunts will have the opportunity to pursue bachelor groups of trophy mule deer bucks that are in the velvet and enjoy a very long hunting season that usually lasts at least 21 days. The Arizona temperatures are generally pretty warm to downright hot during this time of year and this tends to concentrate most of the bachelor groups of trophy mule deer bucks around water sources. We generally experience the highest success on these early season mule deer hunts by hunting these water sources where the most of the trophy mule deer will be congregated around from either tree stands or out of pop up style ground blinds.
OTC RUT HUNT
DEC.15TH – JAN.31ST
The second Arizona otc archery mule deer hunting option would be the late season archery mule deer hunts for hard antlered bucks that are in the rut. This archery mule deer hunt generally begins on the second weekend of December and runs all the way until the end of January. These Arizona archery mule deer hunts in the rut allow archers to hunt trophy mule deer bucks while they are very visible as they are out chasing does in the peak of the rut allowing hunters to take advantage of a hunting season that is a full month and a half long. If you are looking for a lot of very fast paced spot and stalk mule deer hunting action, with a great chance of harvesting an all time Pope & Young mule deer buck, you definitely need to experience these exciting Arizona archery mule deer hunts in the rut at least once in your lifetime.
LODGING
We base most of our late season Central Arizona trophy archery mule deer hunts out of our comfortable hunting lodge that has Satellite TV, WiFi, hot showers, and all of the comforts of home. You can enjoy some of the finest trophy archery mule deer hunting in the Western U.S. while staying in a warm lodge, getting a hot shower every night, watching your favorite team play on Satellite TV, catching up on business and sending emails with high speed WiFi internet access, eating some great meals, and sleeping in a comfortable bed.
2024 HUNT COST
All the hunts are based off of “Guide Only” packages. Hunters are responsible for the food for themselves, the guide and getting to the ranch house. Once there, the guide will be responsible for your transportation to and from the field, field dressing, and local delivery to the processor, if need be. Typically we will eat coffee and danish rolls in the morning at the local gas station before heading out to the field. A cooler is recommended for storing lunch and drinks since most of the time we will be hunting all day and not returning to the ranch house. We will eat dinner in town, approximately 20 minutes from the ranch house every night. You will come to camp with your personal gear and weapon. Once there, you will be able to get set up, settle into your room and shoot your bow on site (hunters are encouraged to bring their own targets).
- Call us: Travis McClendon 928-300-6755
CHOOSE YOUR HUNTING WEEK
Booking your hunt sooner rather than later is always a good decision. By booking now you will have more hunting weeks to choose from since many hunters wait to book until after the Arizona Mule Deer draw results are posted in July. OTC hunts start to fill up fast once hunters realize they didn’t draw, so booking your hunt now is always your best option. Below are the “Hunting Seasons” with the hunting weeks that are still available.
Fall Hunting Weeks:
- Aug 25TH- 31ST
- Sept. 2nd – Sept. 7th
- Sept. 8th – Sept. 14th
Winter Rut Hunting Weeks:
- Dec 15th – 21ST
- Dec 26th – Dec 31ST
- Jan 2nd – Jan 8th
- Jan 10th – Jan 16th
- Jan 18th – Jan 24th
- Jan 25th – Jan 31st
ADDITIONAL HUNT FEES
Deer Tag Fee – $300.00 (You must purchase a deer tag to hunt the OTC archery mule deer hunt. We also can purchase this upon arrival).
You will NOT lose any bonus points if you harvest a mule deer on an OTC hunt. However you may not harvest 2 mule deer in the same calendar year. Simply put if you harvest a deer in Jan. OTC then you may only apply for a bonus point for the deer draw in June.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS & GEAR LIST
TRANSPORTATION
FLYING: For those hunters flying in from another state please fly into Sky Harbor International. You will want to schedule a shuttle from the airport to Prescott Valley. Your guide will pick you up and drive you to the ranch house. Please schedule the shuttle before you arrival date. (40.00 approximately)