Antelope

Pronghorn antelope are the most widely spread big game animal in Unit 3B. Overall population numbers are decreasing throughout the unit, which is of moderate habitat quality. They can be located anywhere in the unit, with the highest buck-to-doe ratios and highest overall numbers occurring in the northeast and northwest portions of the unit.

Woolhouse Habitat Area, south of Hwy 60, is a popular hunting area for antelope by both archers and general firearm hunters drawn for unit-wide hunts. Antelope can be glassed with ease from the numerous knolls and mountains here. Many general firearm hunters in this area fill their tags on opening morning. Hunting pressure has reduced the size, number, and quality of bucks in this area, and has been the justification for lower permit numbers. The USFS Woolhouse Habitat Area is closed to all motor vehicles. Hunters should contact the USFS Lakeside Ranger Station at (928) 368-5111 for additional information regarding this closure.

USFS lands north of Hwy 60 support antelope herds near Allen Severson Wildlife Area, Long Lake, and Ortega Mountain. Long Lake and immediate surrounding areas are central to these popular hunting locations, found just outside of Show Low. The terrain in these recommended areas is predominately flat, with large irregular open areas surrounded mostly by juniper trees. Pre-scouting will prove these herds to be quite predictable prior to opening day.

In the northeastern part of Unit 3B, hunters should scout areas near Windsor Valley, Critchlow Flat, and from Mesa Redonda east to Mormon Hill, just outside the town of Concho. The terrain here consists of gently rolling hills or flat, dry grasslands with occasional mesas. Although private land development is increasing and permission may be necessary in some of these areas, a trophy or quality buck can also be harvested as a reward for these efforts.

In northwestern 3B, hunters should scout areas from east of the Snowflake-Taylor community to Black Mesa, and south towards Flint Knoll and Love Lake. Buck-to-doe ratios are higher than elsewhere in the unit, possibly due to the expansion of housing and fragmentation of habitat making hunting opportunities more difficult. Again, with a little pre-scouting and landowner contacts, hunters may be rewarded with an above average harvest.

Elk

Elk management in Unit 3B focuses primarily on migratory animals utilizing historical breeding and wintering grounds in the southern portions of the unit. Hunt structures are designed to harvest bull elk through both early and late seasons, and antlerless elk during winter migration.

Pre-season scouting is strongly suggested prior to all hunts. Early season hunters will be able to locate elk by listening for bugling bulls. Elk during this time will primarily be at higher elevations, south of Hwy 60. November season hunters may also locate elk in small groups on Forest Service lands north and south of Hwy 60. December season hunters will find elk at various elevations, depending on weather.

Depending on snow pack, antlerless elk can range throughout the southern two-thirds of Unit 3B during late hunts. Deep snow at higher elevations prompts wintering elk to migrate northward. Large herds of elk can be located from the Timber Mesa area to Vernon, including the Woolhouse Habitat Area.

By doing ample pre-season scouting, early bull hunts can be very successful. Rutting bulls are generally located above 6,500 feet in the timbered southern portion of the unit, where open parks and meadows, in close proximity to escape cover, serve as breeding grounds. However, bulls are also commonly taken in the Woolhouse Habitat Area, the Timber Mesa area, and, to a lesser degree, north of Hwy 60.

The late season bull hunt averages 50% hunt success, with nearly one-third of those being spikes. Branch-antlered bulls are common, but unpredictable, and generally associated with dense vegetation on north slopes. Smaller bulls will be located near antlerless herds. Inclement weather will cause bulls to migrate northward to lower elevations.

Mule Deer

The Unit 3B deer population is predominately mule deer, with an occasional sighting of a white-tailed deer being reported. Although improving, recent extended drought conditions have severely affected annual recruitment of fawns into the adult population of the mule deer herd. As a result, overall deer numbers are down throughout the unit, while buck-to-doe ratios remain stable. Current hunt structure is limited to archery and muzzleloader-only hunts.

Most predictable deer hunting opportunities north of Hwy 60 exist around Mesa Redondo and along Black Mesa. These areas give hunters some glassing opportunities below upper ridges on slopes where ample browse plants exist. Most stalking will be uphill, but in brush cover favorable to the hunter. Some early morning deer will be located in lower and open flats, however, stalking opportunities are complicated for archery and muzzleloader hunters due to lack of available cover. In good, consecutive rainfall years, these areas produce moderate numbers of mule deer. They also produce the best trophy opportunities for the unit, where occasional bucks approaching 30-inch main beam spreads can be found. Establishing local contacts and pre-season scouting for fresh deer sign will greatly improve the quality and success rates for this difficult hunt.

For hunters who prefer to hunt on public lands without the complications found in northern portions of the unit, hunting south of Hwy 60 is best. Most success in this area is limited to numerous individual knolls and mountains where browse is available on the upper third of the slope. Hunters also have success in recently harvested timber sale areas, where above-average forb growth exists, or along riparian travel corridors, where a diversity of perennial plants provides adequate cover and forage. Stalking cover for archers and muzzleloaders is more than adequate in these predominately-timbered areas, but overall deer numbers are lower and locating deer will prove difficult. On the average, the larger mule deer in Unit 3B are north of Hwy 60, but some of the more elusive timber bucks are very worthy quarry for most hunters.

Black Bear

The current hunt structure for Unit 3B black bears includes fall archery-only and general firearms hunts. Both hunt seasons have non-permit tags that can be purchased over the counter.

Legal animals include any bear except a sow with cubs. This restriction requires hunters to study located animals prior to harvesting them, and establish that cubs are not nearby and simply out of sight. Studying bears prior to the kill in the early season will also limit hunters from harvesting bears with rubs on their coats during warm weather.

Baiting bears is illegal throughout Arizona, and restricted hunts limit hunting times and dates on a unit-by-unit basis.

Lake Mountain and surrounding knolls in the southeastern portion of the unit contain areas where bears are harvested annually. Hunting techniques in these areas vary annually due to weather fluctuations, and hunters should adjust accordingly. For example, acorn crops may prove to be successful hunting areas one year, while water may be limited and thereby increase success in the following year. Hounds are the most effect method to harvest a bear. Hunters should always be aware of fresh sign around water holes and drainages.

Wolf Mountain is also a popular hunting area during the early hunts due to the high numbers of bears and the close proximity to rocky slopes and thick oak stands. Other locations with high success rates in the unit are areas surrounding Blue Ridge, Little Brushy, and Ecks Mountains.

Springer Mountain and huntable areas along Billy Creek outside the Town of Pinetop-Lakeside are attractive areas for archery bear hunters. Bears in these areas are often nocturnal nuisance animals within the city limits, and Billy Creek provides them a travel corridor and daily water needs. These bears establish predictable travel routes that can be detected by scouting Billy Creek and Springer Mountain.

Timber Knoll in the Vernon area and USFS areas surrounding the Pinetop-Lakeside Country Club also provide similar hunting opportunities for nuisance bears. Bear hunters, specifically archers, are encouraged to hunt these areas to assist local nuisance black bear management needs.

Hunters interested in obtaining current nuisance bear hunting information, if available, should contact the Game & Fish Department's Pinetop office at (928) 367-4281.