Any Arizona archers out there?

[Heath F]

Howdy folks! this is my first post, so if im in the wrong place, please point me in the right direction. Let me start off by saying, Im a central Illinois boy, born and raised, and am enrolled In a Diesel technician training program at my local college. Im sponsored by Caterpillar, and come august, they are sending me out to the Tucson area (Green Valley to be more precise) for an eight week internship, and if all goes well, again in the beginning of January. I was wondering If anyone out there knows of any quality public hunting ground, or even just some nice parks for hiking and sight seeing. I wont be putting in for any big game lotteries this time around, so i'll most likely only be hunting small game. Any and all opinions welcome, thanks!

[Michael Pfander]

If you don't mind the price, archery deer does not require being in the draw.  Get a hold of me when you're here and I can point you in the right direction.  Archery deer opens the last of Aug.
MAP

[Heath F]

Ok cool,  i'll for sure look into that, thanks!

[Whip]

Not sure what you will find in August (other than heat!)  But January is a great time of year in that area. Deer and javelina hunting in that terrain is a whole new experience and tons of fun.  I'll be there myself in January.
As for hiking, the Catalina mountains are spectacular. I haven't been there in the summer but I think it should be cool enough on top to enjoy in August.
Have a great time.

[centaur]

Lots of public land, and as Whip said, the Catalinas are very nice. It is going to be HOT, but it's a dry heat   :D . Saguaro National Monument is there, and offers great views and hiking. The Huachuca Mts and the Chiricahuas are pretty close, and offer much different terrain than the Sonoran desert. Lots of outdoor opportunity in southern Arizona. You have a chance to see mule deer, coues deer, javelina, and if you are lucky, desert bighorns in the Catalinas, if the mountain lions haven't devoured them all. The desert is very much alive with critters, some of which you don't want to meet (rattlesnakes are thick).
If you like Mexican food, you will have found Nirvana at some of the local eateries.

[RookieBwhunter]

Most of the good things have been already mentioned. I lived in Az for 35+ years. January is a great time to be out archery deer hunting. That is prime rutting time and the weather is not 100 by 8 am. If you happen to be around for the August hunt I would suggest you pick up at least a turkey tag. You can get over the counter turkey, bear, mtn lion and deer for the august hunt. I would also suggest you go up to a higer elevation than Tucson. Unit 27 up around Hannigan's meadow has a pretty decent turkey population. Gives you a couple options for deer/turkey at the same time. I never saw any bears or mtn lions but the cost of the tags is reasonable. Not only that but plenty of hiking trails as well as some decent fishing streams (black river). Not sure how serious you are but you can also get maps if you want to plan ahead from  www.huntmap.com.  If you are looking to hike, Mt Lemmon (catalina mtn range) is fairly close that will drop the temps of about 20 degrees from that in Tucson/Green Valley.

[azhunter]

Lots of good info above. I would contact Michael when you get here since he lives near where you will be. Send me a PM when you get here if you want and we can discuss some things for you to do while you are here.

[Heath F]

Awesome! Thanks for the info guys! Sounds like there alot more out there than what i was expecting