Game
Management Unit 29
Updated October 2012 |
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| Additional
Hunting Unit Report
pages |
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| Species within this unit: Black
Bear, Javelina, Mule
Deer, White-tailed Deer, Cottontail
Rabbit, Dove, Quail |
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| Unit
Boundaries |
| Beginning
on I-10 at the New Mexico state line; westerly
on I-10 to the Bowie-Apache Pass road; southerly
on the Bowie-Apache Pass road to AZ Hwy 186;
southeast on AZ Hwy 186 to AZ Hwy 181; south
on AZ Hwy 181 to the Rucker-Turkey Creek
cutoff road; southerly on the cutoff road
to Rucker Canyon road; easterly on this road
to the Tex Canyon road; southerly on this
road to U.S. Hwy 80; northeast on U.S. Hwy
80 to the New Mexico state line; north along
the state line to I-10. |
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| Black
Bear |
Overview: Female quotas set for marginal population areas, as in unit 29 have been instituted with hopes of minimizing the sow harvest from the population. If successful, better bear hunting opportunities will result in the coming years. Please review the easy steps outlined in the hunt regulation booklet to ensure that the bear season is still open after the opening week. Conformation differences between sexes are rather slight but nonetheless discernible. Taking time to observe a bear before shooting enhances the chance of your trophy being a boar and at the same time helping keep female harvest down. This year spring and fall hunts will be offered. Care should be taken to watch for cubs near a potential game bear. Small bruins are not always readily visible in dense cover. They do not always stay close to their mother. Older boars generally have greater skull mass than do the sows and have a wider eye set. Male bear muzzles tend to be wider, giving the animal a "short snout" appearance. The female nose conversely seems longer and pointy. Chest depth of course, is better for males displaying a wide view from the front and more of cylindrical body side profile. When seen from the side, sows appear funnel shaped, with the small end of the triangle toward the head. These characteristics vary considerably in young bears but hold fairly well for mature animals.
Area: Bear activity during spring hunt is not related to food supplies as much as the fall seasons. Early food sources such as grasses and manzanita fruit occur in a wide elevation throughout the unit. Bear distribution during plentiful years may be from the Pinion/Juniper zones on up to the spruce forests. In poor years bears must travel a great deal for feed, making them more visible to hunters. During the fall hunts, bears range widely is search of mushrooms, acorns, juniper berries, and cactus fruit in order to prepare their bodies for winter.
Access to bear areas in the unit may be reached from I-10 at Willcox, Bowie, and San Simon exits. A USFS land states map, available from the Forest Service, will be of great help in locating detailed entry. Major canyons of the unit all have bear populations. Consider food items available and watch for sign especially along waterways. Plan on hunting primarily on Forest Service lands. |
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| Javelina |
Overview: Javelina are thinly scattered throughout the unit below elevations of 6600'. They prefer agave and/or prickly pear covered foothills closely associated with permanent water sources. They will also occupy mesquite flats up to conifer forests within the unit. Javelina numbers are low, so hunters should be prepared to hunt hard.
Area: Access to javelina habitat may be gained from I-10 at exits at Willcox, Bowie, San Simon and Cavot. Refer to the USFS map of the Chiricahua Mountains for detailed access information. The USFS map of the Chiricahua Mountains, Coronado National Forest is highly recommended to all hunters. These are available from the US Forest Service.
Areas of average javelina numbers include
the entire north portion of the unit,
the San Simon river bottom on the northeast
corner of the unit, the Portal area
on the east central side, the Horseshoe
canyon area on the southeast edge, and
the Tex Canyon area in the southwest
sector. Other areas with huntable populations
are: West Cottonwood Canyon just south
of West Turkey Creek; Pridham,
John Long, and Rucker Canyons. In the
south, access Price Canyon from State
Highway 80, and hunt the lower terrain.
In these areas mentioned on the west
and south sides, be sure to stay on
the Forest Service lands. The north
and eastside access is south of Bowie,
San Simon or Cavot from I-10. With the
exception of a few posted areas, most
of the north and east portions of the
unit are accessible to the public. The
areas between Emigrant Canyon and Woods
Canyons are good areas. Also check the
washes that head north toward the interstate.
The Coronado National Forest map will
show most of the authorized access areas.
To locate javelina, watch for feeding signs, trails with tracks, and bedding areas. To become familiar with javelina characteristics, contact any Arizona Game and Fish Office for pamphlets describing their life history. Binoculars and spotting scopes are highly recommended. Prehunt scouting is also advantageous. |
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| Mule
Deer |
Overview:
Mule deer are distributed throughout
the unit at elevations usually below
5400'. The north end of the unit has
muleys above this level while the
east and west side populations are
below this mark.
Areas: The general distribution of
mule deer makes it rather difficult
to direct hunters, especially in view
of their nomadic characteristics.
Knowledge of land status relating
to ownership is as important as hunting
skills in this unit, since so much
of mule deer habitat is on private
land in the unit. The USFS map of
the Chiricahua Mountains, Coronado
National Forest is highly recommended
to all hunters. These are available
from the US Forest Service Offices.
Access to the west side of the unit
can be gained by leaving I-10 at Willcox,
go south on highway 186. The majority
of mule deer habitat on the west side
of the Chiricahua Mountains is on
private land. Public access here is
best at Cottonwood, Pridam and Stanford
south of West Turkey Creek and through
Tex Canyon in the southwest part of
the unit. The north and eastside access
is south of Bowie, San Simon or Cavot
from I-10. With the exception of a
few posted areas, most of the north
and east portions of the unit are
accessible to the public. South end
hunting areas can be reached from
State Highway 80 through Douglas or
Road Fork, New Mexico. Access Forest
Service lands and hunt the lower terrain.
The USFS map of the Coronado National
Forest, Chiricahua Mountains will
locate secondary roads as well as
two-track accesses.
Larger bucks usually
stay in the flat terrain during the
season. Plan on working the mesquite
flats and washes below the 4500' elevation,
except on the westside. On the westside,
bucks will be in the open, rolling
grasslands mixed with oaks and mesquites
at elevations up to 5200'. Scouting
before the season is very important.
Mule deer numbers have decreased recently
mainly due to the drought in this
portion of the state. Hunters should
be prepared to hunt hard. |
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| White-tailed
Deer |
Overview:
Since whitetail populations are well
distributed throughout the forest, hunters
will be equally successful in just about
any location in the unit above 4000'
elevation. General distribution is moderate
at elevation 5000'and up. Since the
majority of whitetail habitat is located
on lands administered by the US Forest
Service, access is very good. A Coronado
National Forest map is invaluable on
a hunt for detailed access information.
The USFS map of the Chiricahua Mountains,
Coronado National Forest is available
from US Forest Service Offices. Glassing
from high points or stalking bring results
for hunters. Most sportsmen use a combination
of the two methods. The use of binoculars
and/or spotting scopes is highly recommended.
Area: Work the upper reaches of these
drainages of the unit. Starting on the
west side of the unit, the following
road accesses are recommended: Pinery,
Pine, West Turkey, Cottonwood,
Stanford, Pridham, John Long, Rucker,
and Tex Canyons.
On the south: Price, Shake, Jack Wood,
and Horseshoe Canyons. East side: Sulphur,
Dripping Springs, Fossil, Cave, East
Turkey, Silver, East Whitetail, Jhus,
Brushy Canyons. Jhus canyon can now
be driven into and PLEASE obey all posted
signs. The landowner agreed to allow
vehicular access to the forest as long
as hunters obey all signs. If the landowner
discovers any individuals disobeying
signs, the access will be cut off. On
the north: Wood and Emigrant Canyons.
I cannot over emphasize the value of
the Coronado National Forest map for
finding access. Scouting before the
season will help greatly.
Access to the west side areas can be
gained by using the Willcox exits on
I-10 for Highway 186 and then 181. North
side locations can be reached by exits
at Bowie, San Simon, and Road Forks
exits from I-10. Southern portions can
be reached on Highway 80, east of Douglas.
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| Cottontail
Rabbit |
Overview:
Rabbit populations in the unit are good
this year. They are most numerous in
the mesquite forests close to the foothills
on the north and east sides of the unit.
Access is gained to these areas by exits
off I-10 at Bowie, San Simon or Cavot.
Area: Cottontails are well distributed throughout the unit from elevations below 7000'. Concentrations exist at moderate elevations of 4000' to 5200'. Coronado National Forest maps of the Chiricahua Mountains will be of great help in locating detailed access to hunting areas. |
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| Dove |
Overview: Mourning dove concentrations will be found along the San Simon River drainage, few whitewings will remain.
Area: In the September season, locate watering places and hunt near them. Late season hunting is similar, but expand your efforts to include areas adjacent to irrigated fields. Many of the stock tanks south of Bowie and San Simon offer good wingshooting and please pickup all shot shell hulls prior to leaving the area.
San Simon River Drainage: exit Interstate 10 at the Portal or Cavot junctions and go south a few miles to the San Simon River bottom. |
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| Quail |
Overview:
The spring rains were fair in most of
unit 29 and as a result, overall quail
numbers should be good. Some scouting
may find areas that have adult holdovers
from last year.
West side access can be gained through Willcox south on highway 186. East side access is by exits at Bowie, San Simon or Cavot from I-10. There exists a multitude of secondary access routes on either side of the unit. Coronado National Forest maps of the Chiricahua Mountains will be a great help in locating lesser access roads. These are available at Forest Service Offices.
Area: Gambel's quail inhabit lower Chihuahuan desert grasslands from elevations of 3400-4700'.
Scaled quail like the upper grasslands associated with the foothills from elevations of 4200-5500'.
Mearn's quail prefer the oak-juniper site from 4700-6500 elevations. Distribution of these quail is unit-wide with these limits given above. There will be exceptions to this, but by and large, most of the various quail will be within the stated elevations.
Once in the field, quail can be located by their tracks or calls if not seen. Hunting dogs are a great help in locating birds and retrieving them in dense vegetation. October and early November hunting usually encounters rattlesnakes in the unit so precautions are needed when using dogs. Of course, watering places are good to pick up signs of quail. Birds usually are not more than a mile from drinking water as a general rule. |
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| Unit
Summary |
| Primary
Game Species/ Hunting Month(s) |
| White-tailed
Deer |
October-December |
| Mule
Deer |
October/November |
| Javelina |
February-March |
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| Secondary
Game Species/ Hunting Month(s) |
| Quail |
October-February |
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| Average
# permits in past 5 years |
| White-tailed
Deer |
900 |
| Mule
Deer |
500 |
| Javelina |
300 |
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| Climate
Information |
| Month |
Ave.
Temp |
Ave.
Rainfall |
Ave.
Snowfall |
| January |
40° |
2.0" |
6.0" |
| February |
48° |
2.0" |
2.0" |
| March |
55° |
1.0" |
1.0" |
| October |
65° |
1.0" |
0.0" |
| November |
55° |
2.0" |
2.0" |
| December |
40° |
2.0" |
8.0" |
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| Cities,
Roads & Campgrounds |
Major
Cities and Towns in or Near Game
Management Unit and Nearest Gas,
Food, and Lodging
Portal,
Willcox, Rodeo, NM , Roadforks,
NM |
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Major
Highways and Roads Leading To
From
the East: Hwy 80
From
the West: Hwys 186, 181
From the North: I-10
From the South: Hwy 80 |
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Developed
Campgrounds
Cave
Creek, Rustler Park,
West Turkey Creek,
and Rucker Canyon. |
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Undeveloped
Campgrounds
Pinery
Canyon |
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Brief
Description of Terrain, Elevation,
and Vegetation
Chihuahuan Desert to spruce/fir forest. Elevations range from
3,500' to 9,780'. |
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Government
Agencies and Phone Numbers
Arizona
Game and Fish Department, Region
V - 520-628-5376
Coronado National Forest - 520-670-4552 |
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