3A/C rifle deer

BigPig · May 28, 2020

I've got 16 deer points. Doesn't seem like I'll ever catch the Kaibab or Strip and I don't want to hunt course. Is this hunt worth the points? I can't find much info on it. Anyone hunted it? Pics of bucks? Any info appreciated. Thanks.

BigPig · May 28, 2020

Or is early Kaibab a better choice?

SlowElk · May 28, 2020

Are you a resident? 16 points would get you into the early Kaibab (12 AW). I was told in another forum that 9 points for residents last year put you in the bonus pass, so if you're a resident, you're in. Look at the Arizona forum, 12 AW vs 12 B.

money · May 28, 2020

3a/3c is a pretty good tag and is getting better I believe. But man, 16 points is a ton to burn. As others have asked asked, are you a resident? I'm guessing non-resident. I grew up in the unit and know it pretty well. PM me and we can talk a little bit more if you'd like.

BigPig · May 28, 2020

Sorry, I’m a NR. So I’m still a long ways off the Late Kaibab or Strip. And with point creep, I may never catch those.

sagebrush · May 28, 2020

3A/C is the best unit south of the ditch IMO. Put in as much time as possible scouting.

BigPig · May 28, 2020

Can somebody compare/contrast 3 a/c to early Kaibab for me? Crowds? Deer quantity and quality? Thanks.

chipc · May 28, 2020

BP, I was in exactly the same place as you 3 years ago. I finally got tired of the point chase and applied for 3A/ 3C with my buddy. We both had 17 points. We were hoping to have a chance at a 180 type buck. We both accomplished our goal.

BigPig · May 28, 2020

Holy smokes! That first one is a pig. Did you go guided or DIY?

chipc · May 29, 2020

Guided - Daniel Franco, Burnt Timber Outfitters. I'd recommend them to anyone. Real pro's and fun to hunt with. While deer hunting pressure is low and the country is fairly glassable in most areas there have been cow elk hunters, archery Elk hunters, archery deer hunters, etc... hunting the unit for 2 months so it seems like the deer are concentrated in pockets rather than more spread out. I live 1,200 miles from there so scouting wasn't an option. That tag was likely my one and only Az Deer tag so I wanted to make the most of it.

AZGuy · May 29, 2020

Short of having a guide or time to scout you are looking at 140-150 class bucks.

chipc · May 29, 2020

We saw 3 bucks over 175 and killed 2. However, I'm guessing that unguided without much scouting = 140 - 150 class is accurate unless you get lucky.

Karlofdawild · May 30, 2020

Congrats on those great bucks chipc. I saw the video, and heard the story about the other hunters bullet hole in the antler base of your deer. Crazy. I just wanted to also sing the praises of Burnt Timber. I hired them on a successful elk hunt last Fall. They're a small outfit of great guys, know every square centimeter of unit 3, and will work from sun up until sundown in order for anyone to have a successful hunt. Good luck in the draw.

desperatehills · Jun 4, 2020

The press this unit has gotten has killed the draw odds. I had the points to get it two years ago when a NR could draw it at 10 points. Took 14-15 last year. Now I have 12 and can apply but I am 3+ years out

tagsoup · Jun 4, 2020

desperatehills said:
The press this unit has gotten has killed the draw odds. I had the points to get it two years ago when a NR could draw it at 10 points. Took 14-15 last year. Now I have 12 and can apply but I am 3+ years out

The change to the 10% rule has more to due with that than the press I believe.

desperatehills · Jun 5, 2020

The change to the 10% rule has more to due with that than the press I believe.
[/QUOTE]

That could be the case, was last year the first year of the change that moved tags from the bonus pass to the random side?

Joe2Kool · Jun 5, 2020

Not 100% sure, but I think it was 2016 that half the NR tags moved from the bonus pass to the 1-2 pass.

swampokie · Jun 10, 2020

Hats off to chipc Very few people will give accurate possibilities in a unit. There are way too many people out there trying to downplay the units and give awful doomsday sky is falling advice to people that have invested many years and thousands of dollars to their game dept. Once again hats off! Point creep...creep...creep...but its nice to see those big ole non north rim bucks!

DanMan · Jun 16, 2020

Well I'm in with 16 NR pps. I hope it's enough but after drawing blanks in everything else this year I'm not overly confident. I've heard of at least a couple other guys putting in this year with 16 also and I think there are only 5 nr tags in the bonus round.
We'll see in a few more days I guess?

DanMan · Nov 9, 2020

I drew and had the great fortune of hunting with Daniel Franco and his team at Burnt Timber Outfitters. They are definitely the difference makers for this hunt. I'm fairly certain that without them, I would've only gotten a dink like the vast majority of others hunting this unit.
Daniel has a passion for hunting the biggest Muley bucks in the unit. He knows every road, ridge, pocket, and water hole, and he knows these bucks. I would not have wanted to gamble my hard earned points on this hunt without having him to guide me.
I also want to acknowledge and thank his partner Mike and their associate guides and helpers. All are quality folks and eager to help out. Together as a team , they will give you a wonderful overall experience.
I spent 1 day scouting and 4 days hunting with Daniel to get on a shooter. I had tried to prepare my mindset for a season long grind if necessary but thankfully it all came together for us. End result is one very happy old guy from Arkansas with an Arizona buck ?.

money · Nov 9, 2020

DanMan said:
I drew and had the great fortune of hunting with Daniel Franco and his team at Burnt Timber Outfitters. They are definitely the difference makers for this hunt. I'm fairly certain that without them, I would've only gotten a dink like the vast majority of others hunting this unit.
Daniel has a passion for hunting the biggest Muley bucks in the unit. He knows every road, ridge, pocket, and water hole, and he knows these bucks. I would not have wanted to gamble my hard earned points on this hunt without having him to guide me.
I also want to acknowledge and thank his partner Mike and their associate guides and helpers. All are quality folks and eager to help out. Together as a team , they will give you a wonderful overall experience.
I spent 1 day scouting and 4 days hunting with Daniel to get on a shooter. I had tried to prepare my mindset for a season long grind if necessary but thankfully it all came together for us. End result is one very happy old guy from Arkansas with an Arizona buck ?.

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daniel and crew are hands down the best outfitter for 3a/3c. they are killing machines and are humble at the same time. congrats on your great buck.

SlowElk · Nov 10, 2020

Good story. Thanks for coming back and telling folks how you did. Solid muley!

Moe · Nov 10, 2020

Great AZ buck! Thanx for the report..

elkchaserreturns · Nov 10, 2020

Hello BigPig,
What did you end up doing? I never saw where you told us where you put in or if you drew!
Dang fellers, those bucks are as good as any you are likely to find anywhere in AZ, north or south of the ditch!
Congrats to all!

Elkchaser

BOHNTR · Nov 10, 2020

DanMan said:
I drew and had the great fortune of hunting with Daniel Franco and his team at Burnt Timber Outfitters. They are definitely the difference makers for this hunt. I'm fairly certain that without them, I would've only gotten a dink like the vast majority of others hunting this unit.
Daniel has a passion for hunting the biggest Muley bucks in the unit. He knows every road, ridge, pocket, and water hole, and he knows these bucks. I would not have wanted to gamble my hard earned points on this hunt without having him to guide me.
I also want to acknowledge and thank his partner Mike and their associate guides and helpers. All are quality folks and eager to help out. Together as a team , they will give you a wonderful overall experience.
I spent 1 day scouting and 4 days hunting with Daniel to get on a shooter. I had tried to prepare my mindset for a season long grind if necessary but thankfully it all came together for us. End result is one very happy old guy from Arkansas with an Arizona buck ?.

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DanMan:

I was in the local taxidermist shop today measuring an antelope and I believe I saw your buck there? Congrats again.

DanMan · Nov 10, 2020

Thanks BO. Nice to know that he's in good hands?.

DanMan · Nov 10, 2020

Thanks to all you guys for your kind comments. I had hesitated to post anything about my hunt just not wanting to draw attention to myself, Lord knows it wasn't anything special on my part LOL. I'm kind of quiet and don't post very much but I have enjoyed and appreciated reading what others post for several years.
Arizona has been a wonderful experience, now if I can only draw that early bull tag someday ?

rx300cloudbeastking@gmail · Nov 11, 2020

chipc said:
Guided - Daniel Franco, Burnt Timber Outfitters. I'd recommend them to anyone. Real pro's and fun to hunt with. While deer hunting pressure is low and the country is fairly glassable in most areas there have been cow elk hunters, archery Elk hunters, archery deer hunters, etc... hunting the unit for 2 months so it seems like the deer are concentrated in pockets rather than more spread out. I live 1,200 miles from there so scouting wasn't an option. That tag was likely my one and only Az Deer tag so I wanted to make the most of it.

I know a Daniel Franko from orange county California

cmbbulldog · Nov 11, 2020

Dan - incredible buck, congrats! How wide?

DanMan · Nov 11, 2020

cmbbulldog said:
Dan - incredible buck, congrats! How wide?

Thanks for the compliment. He is right at 30"+/- a fraction. I'm not really big on numbers and scores but have always liked wide and heavy. This one looked wide to me ?

blacktailBC · Nov 11, 2020

Great buck. Big congrats

DanMan · Nov 11, 2020

I got to tell ya'll that one of my favorite parts of getting this buck is that it was a double. See the other 2 booked hunters had already tagged but Daniel's daughter
still had a tag that she had drawn. There was a buck hanging out with mine that she wanted, a really nice buck. I shot, rolled over out of the way then she shot seconds later. That was very exciting and I thought a special experience. I'm not going to take the liberty of posting pics of another person's trophy but it was a very nice double.
Like someone else posted earlier, those guys are killing machines. I would sure hate to be a big buck that they wanted to get ?.