Just a couple comments on what I bolded from the previous post. Montana does not have OTC tags for NRs for elk. They are draw only and if there are tags that are leftover then they are sold on a first come first served basis similar to Wyoming. It will be almost impossible to draw an AZ tag for any decent unit without a ton of points that will take years unless you get real lucky in the draw the way they issue their tags.
And what pray tell would your background be that would make it easier for you than most? You have no idea what you're getting into when you have a bull down and miles to get it out at elevation and the areas they live in. Fill us in on how you could make a statement like that when you've never elk hunted before please! Look in the CO and ID websites to answer your last question, as the answers are right there with a few minutes of reading!
Figure on at least 4 trips if you're by yourself and that's boning everything out. If you're talking about going in very many miles by yourself on a backpack hunt and think you can get all that meat out in a typical bow season, you are fooling yourself and need to rethink that alone. You can't just plan a trip praying that the weather is cold like you mentioned, as it's not uncommon for it to be in the 60s or even 70s during the day even at elevation. We actually had some all the way up into the low 90s at 6500 this past season the last half of September. Coincidentally, the fellow I helped pack that 330" bull out 2 miles is only 28, is a cut above most as far as being in shape, and was in the same profession that you are with the BLM until two years ago when he got smart and used his engineering degree to get a well paying field job with a big oil company in Wyoming.
Your right top gun, my apologizes. Apparently I miss read the regs on that. And I should have been more specific on "If you have time". I was referring to having the time (or years) to get drawn. I lived and hunted in AZ for all but the last 3 years of my life. I usually would draw an elk tag 2 out of 3 years, but for late cow hunts. I have friends who have been putting in for trophy bull tags for 15-20 years without any luck. That's why I compared it to winning the lottery.
No problem man! AZ is a great state for hunting and, although it usually takes a ton of points to get a real good tag, a lot of decent hunts can be had in just a few years if you want to hunt other places, do cow hunts like you mentioned, or do late season hunts. I was out there several years ago in 6A helping a buddy on his archery elk hunt near Flagstaff and we had a ball and were into elk 13 of the 14 day season.
