|
|
|
|
ARIZONA & NEW MEXICO OUTFITTERS AND GUIDES
Glassing with big binoculars on a tripod is the key to locating most game species.
About Us Arizona Guided Hunts is a licensed and insured outfit offering hunting trips Statewide in Arizona, as well as on some lands in New Mexico. The outfitter is USDA Forest Service Permitted to operate on the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Coronado, Kaibab, Prescott and Tonto National Forests of Arizona and the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. Other hunting areas include Private and State Trust Land. The owner and operator, Pat Feldt, is a very experienced hunter of all Western species. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology from the University of Arizona, which adds to his credibility as a full-time outfitter. This is not a part-time job for Pat. The majority of his time is spent in the field scouting for wildlife or guiding hunters. He and his guides are very knowledgeable and experienced in all species hunted in the West. With 24 years of big game hunting experience, this outfitter's expertise has allowed hunters to take many trophy-class animals while enjoying a well organized operation. Hunter opportunity is very high with AGH. This is not only due to it being a full-time operation that spends extended hours in the field, but they have developed advanced hunting techniques, have experienced guides, and excellent areas. Hunters looking for an Arizona or New Mexico outfitter guide service will find these hunts very professional, exciting and rewarding. Hunters have a great chance at taking home a trophy of a lifetime with Arizona Guided Hunts! Arizona and New Mexico offer a wide variety of game animals to hunt. Arizona Guided Hunts offers various hunting packages for many of these animals including Coues Whitetail Deer, Desert Mule Deer, Javelina, Elk, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Black Bear, Antelope, and Turkey. A.G.H. also offers daily hunts for predators. All hunts can be either archery, rifle, handgun, or muzzleloader. Our Main Guides: Each of our guides is legally licensed to guide hunters in the State of Arizona and a couple in New Mexico. They have passed exams and background checks. Each is also First Aid Certified. They are experienced in hunting the species you are after, which means they have taken that species themselves or guided other hunters for it. Each guide also has experience with all weapon types, including archery, rifle, handgun, or muzzleloader. Additionally, they are all over 30 years of age and have been hunting big game for a minimum of 15 years. They are all very personable and a pleasure to be around in the field and at camp. The following are the guides for Arizona Guided Hunts:
Helpful
Information About Your Hunt
Meals
and beverages are provided on fully-guided/outfitted hunts. Quick breakfasts with
coffee, packed lunches, and cooked, hot dinners are the norm. Snacks/goodies for your daypack are not
provided, neither are alcoholic beverages. Due
to the liability, we cannot provide alcoholic beverages.
If you drink, please bring your alcohol with you. Your
own alcohol can only be consumed off our time after the sun goes down.
Hunters are expected to meet in the morning the day prior to any big game hunt, unless specified otherwise. The optional courtesy Airport pickup, whether booking for New Mexico or Arizona, will be at the Tucson International Airport or the Tucson Airport Hotels. We will only make one courtesy trip to pickup all hunters. If you are coming on a trip for Elk, Bear, Sheep, or Turkey, it is recommended that you get a flight into Tucson two evenings prior to hunting and get an airport hotel room. We will pickup the next morning (the day prior to the hunt) and drive 2 to 4 hours to camp. Some hunters chance it and fly in the morning prior to the hunt. But if your flight is delayed or canceled, which is becoming a common occurrence, we cannot wait around. Unfortunately, if you miss your courtesy pickup due to a delayed flight, you will be required to rent a vehicle and meet us in camp. Flying hunters should get a flight that departs the day following the hunt. Hunters driving their own vehicles or renting one will be given directions to our camp or an arranged meeting area. A Hotel room is required if departing on a plane the day after your hunt. We usually transport guided hunters to hotels near the Tucson Airport in the afternoon or early evening of the last day. The hotel stay is not included in our packages. Rates are $70.00 to $150.00 per night, depending upon your hotel choice. The best approach is to book a room through the hotel's Internet site before you arrive. Pick one near the Tucson Airport. A few to look at are: Best Western Airport, Country Inn Airport, Embassy Suites Airport, Amerisuites Airport, Quality Inn Airport, and Hampton Inn Airport. The Airport hotels provide a free shuttle to/from the airport. If your flight departs on the last evening of the hunt, you need not worry about the hotel, but it is nice to have a hot shower before getting onto an airplane. Successful fully-guided hunters will have
their game animal skinned and caped for the taxidermist and/or quartered
for the meat processor. It is much less of a hassle to leave your
trophy cape or hide with us for taxidermy. If you decide to use our taxidermist, we take your cape to www.wellerswildlifestudio.com
after the hunt. You can also take your trophy cape and horns home in a
cooler as extra baggage on the plane (except for large elk antlers). There are also two options for the game meat: one
is to leave it with us for transport to our butcher. It will be sent to
you via next day air in approximately two weeks after the hunt. Note that
next day air could be very costly. The second option (most popular) is to take
some or all of the quartered game meat on
the airplane as extra baggage in a cooler with dry ice. You can also
donate some of the meat to our guides. Please decide what you are
going to do with the trophy or game meat before you arrive and let us know
beforehand. Physical
Aspects of the Hunt Potential hunters should be informed that all
hunts are physically demanding due to the rugged Arizona and New Mexico terrain.
Sometimes being successful depends upon the physical abilities of the hunter.
We do not use horses or pack animals for hunting since it is not feasible
to do so. Most of the areas we
hunt are designated as "foot-access only." The wild and
native animals rarely live in easy to access areas. These hunts sometimes
require hiking of 5 miles per day in remote, rocky and steep areas.
Sometimes a typical day involves hiking to the hunting area and not returning to the base camp
until the sun goes down. We highly recommend conditioning yourself for the
hunt so you can enjoy it to the fullest. There is nothing worse than
getting sick from over-exertion or being sore for the duration of the hunt.
Getting in-shape for the big game hunts entails hiking a few miles several times a week, aerobics,
mountain biking, and/or using a stair climber.
Hiking does not mean walking on flat ground, but rather on an incline. If there are
large hills or bleachers near your hometown, use them to your advantage and
hike. The conditioning should start a few months ahead of time. **A
Note on MARKSMANSHIP** For Our RIFLE Hunts: Arizona and New
Mexico are known for big canyon hunting.
Almost all big game species we hunt live in the mountainous terrain or open
country. The
canyons in this type of habitat may be large and wide open with little cover.
This sometimes makes it hard to get a close-in stalk. Animals may be
spotted at vast distances and stalked upon to cross-canyon shots. In this
type of country, it may be hard to get closer without being detected or without
the animal leaving the canyon before you get over to his side. It’s hard to explain to an Eastern flat-lander
that hasn't hunted this type of country,
but sometimes you just CAN’T get any closer.
Sometimes
it is a must to take rifle shots from where you are if you want that trophy of a
lifetime.
It is recommended you site-in your rifle at 200 yards. Make a chart of the bullet drop at 50-yard increments from 200 to 500 yards and tape it to your stock. The chart should be a table showing the distance versus the bullet drop. Also, if your scope has target turrets, learn how to use them. It is a far superior method than hold-over. Just find the range, look at the chart on your stock, click in the distance, and hold dead on the animal or target. It is much more precise than “hold over” or reticles with distance bars. The "bar system" (for example B&C Reticle) on some scopes can work, but I have yet to see someone use it correctly in an actual hunting situation. If you are using this system, remember to always use the same power setting, especially when shooting at the animal. For
Our ARCHERY Hunts:
Arizona and New Mexico are known for big canyon hunting. Almost all big game species we
hunt live in the mountainous terrain. The canyons in this type of habitat
may be large and wide open with little cover. This sometimes makes it hard
to get a close-in stalk. It’s hard to explain to an Eastern flat-lander
that hunts the forest,
but sometimes you just CAN’T get any closer.
Your game animal may be stalked upon from vast distances. You might
find yourself in a situation, because of topography or loss of cover, that you can
only get within 30 to 60 yards. In this type of country, it may be hard to get closer
without being detected. Sometimes it is a must to take shots from where
you are if you want that trophy of a lifetime. As a final Note: Each year it seems like someone goes home empty handed because he couldn’t make the shots or couldn’t hike the hills to the quality areas. He leaves the hunt kicking himself in the butt for it. By doing the things previously mentioned, you will only increase your chances of taking that trophy of a lifetime. Please practice shooting and give some effort to prepare
physically for your hunt.
Licenses and Tags: Interested big game hunters must apply for a hunting license and/or permit-tags through the Arizona Game and Fish Department or New Mexico Dept of Game and Fish, with the exception of bear and archery deer (over-the-counter or mail in AZ). We will assist all hunters interested in booking a hunt with the application process. Interested hunters will be placed on our assistance list. New Mexico hunters will be sent a State required "service contract" before they apply. The applications with instructions will be provided to interested Arizona hunters after the beginning of January for elk and antelope, in May for sheep, fall javelina, and deer, and September for spring hunts (javelina and turkey). Deadlines to apply are in early March, June and October, respectively. The New Mexico drawing deadline is early April, so the application process and contract will be provide beforehand. It is recommended that hunters wanting to book a hunt should apply for both New Mexico and Arizona. This will increase your odds of drawing a tag.
A hunting license and tag or permit-tag is required for all big game animals. Non-resident hunting licenses are $151.25 and residents are $32.25. AZ Permits and tags range in price:
Each hunter is required to have a hunting license in Arizona, therefore, these permit-tag fees must be added to the hunting license fees of $32.25 (Res.) or $151.25 (NonRes.). Arizona has a bonus point system which increases your odds of drawing a tag. Each time you are not drawn for a particular species, you earn a bonus point. You will be refunded the tag fee but the Arizona Game and Fish will keep the hunting license fee and give you the bonus point. It will give you a better chance of obtaining a tag for the next year's draw. Bonus points are becoming an essential part in successfully drawing elk, pronghorn, buffalo, sheep and high quality deer tags.
Our Policy: Cancellations, Terms, and Conditions A minimum nonrefundable deposit and a service contract is required upon booking
a hunt. The remaining balance is due with payments or upon arrival in cash or certified money. No hunt will be considered booked until
the outfitter receives the deposit AND hunt contract. The deposit and/or any
payments are nonrefundable. Any money paid cannot be transferred from one
person to another. If
the hunter submits a deposit before the lottery drawing and does not draw, the
deposit will be transferred to the next season or until the hunter draws a tag. If
the hunter cancels a hunt, the deposit will NOT be refunded; though, it can be
applied towards any vacant hunt of equal or greater value and only if a permit or tag can be easily
obtained. The balance due will be adjusted
if there is a difference in hunt fees. This rescheduling can only be done one time. If the hunter chooses to apply the deposit to
one of these hunts, the rescheduled hunt date must be within the same calendar
year as the original hunt date, meaning before December 31. If a 2 on1 partner cancels, the remaining hunter will
be required to pay the 1 on 1 rate. All hunts must be paid in full before any hunting takes place.
Although the main goal is for each hunter to fill his tag or kill, it is not a
guarantee. There are no refunds. The hunter acknowledges all risks
involved in hunting. The outfitter or guide cannot control WHEN,
WHERE, or IF the game will be found because wild game animals can be
unpredictable. Sometimes animals may be
found in steep or undesirable areas. Hunters
must note that we have no control over weather or any unexpected events that may
slow a hunt. There is no refund for unused days, such as: late
arrivals, tagging early, departing early, bad weather, unexpected events, Acts of
God or any event that may slow or stop a hunt. If a guide becomes injured, ill or leaves due to
an emergency, the hunter might be paired with another hunter and his guide.
The outfitter will do his best to replace the absent guide as soon as
possible, but it may not be possible. We
break camp if all hunters tag-out early, which means if all hunters tag-out by
the second day, the hunt is over. A successful big game hunter that tags
earlier than the other hunters has the option of departing if using his own
transportation or staying until all hunters are finished. If a hunter has not
filled the tag before the hunt is scheduled to end, he (she) has the option of
paying at a daily rate for additional days. The fee must be paid in full before
hunting the additional days. A hunter that bags the wrong animal type for his
tag (i.e. doe, cow, or hen) or exceeds the bag limit, even by mistake, will need to be
reported to the authorities and the hunt will end.
Hunters must also understand that qualified guides other than the
outfitter may guide them. It is not possible for the outfitter (Pat Feldt)
to personally guide all hunters. These terms and
conditions are a common practice among most outfitters. We recommend cancellation insurance for all of our guests. If you have an unexpected circumstance which causes a cancellation of your trip, outfitters and others in the travel industry will not refund your deposit. A cancellation/travel insurance policy is the solution. You can be reimbursed for monies forfeited if unforeseeable circumstance happen to occur. It is very reasonably priced (3.5%-5% of travel costs) and well worth it. Click here for more information.
Hunters interested in booking any hunt should contact us as soon as possible because spaces are limited and are filled usually 3 months to a year in advance. Be sure to visit the list of items to bring.
|
|
Home | Other Hunts | General Info | Rates | Contact Us | Stories | Links | References |What to Bring This website last updated: April 30, 2008 Copyright © 1999-2008 Arizona Guided Hunts. All Rights Reserved. "Arizona Guided Hunts" is a Registered Trade Name. |