jimmy the foot

am a contract worker for hospitals and i have an opportunity to either go to flagstaff, AZ or Clackamas OR.
am a western, NY and have only hunted whitetails with both shotgun and bow.
right now in Sioux Falls and have brought out my new Win. 70 30-06.
really looking to go after elk but just to hunt out west is going to be a thrill.

so what state do you think offers the best as far as hunting OR or AZ?

thank you all who reply and good luck this year on whatever game you chase.

car

That is a tough one. There is one non-hunting factor. Do you like cold weather or warm weather and I'm talking about during hunting season. During the summer you can expect alot of days over 100 in Az. Myself I'm looking at moving to Wyoming and spending Jan Feb March in Az.
The best of both hunting seasons!
car

jimmy the foot

i like it when it's warm
but see more action when it's cold
so i usually like it cold

still have to find out some more info
heard that AR was a state that drew tags so that might not be in my best interest

also could go to CO, specifically Frisco

decisions decisions for a young man to make can keep you awake at night

Torqued

I say go to Arizona. Hunting out here in Oregon for Roosevelt elk can be tuff. Mostly due to so much cover for them to hide in. I have had 5 bulls within 100 yards of me during archery season in the rut, but never seen any of them. In more open areas it allows you to hopefully choose which one you want to shoot by doing a lot of scouting and then putting the stalk on them. Here you tend to stalk them to find out what they are.

907Alaska

Arizona for sure...but I was raised there, so my vote may not count! Flagstaff may get to 85-90 degrees during the summer, but it probably stays around 75 most of the time, you would only have to endure the heat the futher south you traveled in Arizona.

jimmy the foot

boy i am really in a tough spot

AR is i am brginning to think out of the question
only because they draw tags and i don't want to be somewhere for all of hunting season without the ability to hunt
my agent comes back tomorrow so i am going to see what the contracts are like in OR and CO
thanks for all your responses and if ya have anything else to add feel free
i'll be checking this post regularly
thanks again all

RedRiverHntr

All work related options being similiar, I would choose Colorado. But then I am partial to the state.
My biggest reason would be all the things to do (things I like) when not hunting. Such as fishing, hiking, backpacking etc. Frisco is a beautiful area!!! You would be in snow skiing heaven!

halcon

I have lived and hunted in both Oregon and Arizona . They are both good places to hunt , but I would take Coloradoover both of them if it was just hunting and fishing I was interested in .

salukipv1

hands down Flagstaff! Its a place I'd seriously consider moving to. And as far as trophy quality, arizona compared to Oregon isn't even a comparison, arizona, has amazing trophy quality, though drawing tags is much more limited......the biggest elk in the world come out of areas surrounding flagstaff. I think something like 7/10 of the top elk hav ecome out of arizona, arizona has the WR antelope, though you're more likely to draw a desert bighorn tag in arizona than you are a antelope tag. Bison....mule deer, coues, desert bighorn, so hands down arizona! though youll be more limited to draw those tags....im sure there are ok alternative tags.....also new mexico is right there! which is another great state with great draw odds!

I think oregon has way more OTC tags etc.....though more hunters in the feild/less trophy quality etc....

I think youd be closer to great hunting in flagstaff than if you were in oregon......ie neighboring states

Pygmy

The problem in AZ is drawing a tag...

A resident of Arizona gets to hunt elk in his own state how often..??

Last I knew it was perhaps every 6 or 7 years....

IMHO, that sucks, but then I'm used to being able to go hunting in my own state ( and several adjacent states ) EVERY year...