GMU 21 Unit 21 — Tucson

Coues whitetail are the marquee deer here, holding in brushy rim draws and pinyon-juniper to ponderosa transition slopes; a few genuinely good bucks come out each year for glassers who put in the miles.

• →Glass steep, brushy canyon slopes at dawn and dusk with a tripod and high-power optics.
• →Work the pinyon-juniper and ponderosa transition along the Verde Rim.
• →Coues hold tight — pick apart shaded pockets and re-glass the same slope repeatedly.
• →Rut in the desert winter concentrates bucks with doe groups.

Desert mule deer are scattered through the lower washes and bajadas; numbers and buck quality are average, best in the more open desert and grassland country.

• →Glass low desert washes and bajadas at first light.
• →Hunt the open Agua Fria grassland edges where mule deer feed.
• →Cover ground between drainages to locate scattered deer.

Antelope are scattered across the open northern mesas and grass flats of the Agua Fria country; a limited-draw tag with reasonable success where the herds hold.

• →Glass the open grassland mesas from high vantage points.
• →Focus the Agua Fria National Monument flats and surrounding grasslands.
• →Use terrain and washes to close the distance across open country.

Elk are sparse and mobile, showing along the upper timbered edges and canyons on the Prescott NF side; a few mature bulls exist but the terrain is tough and animals are hard to find.

• →Concentrate on the highest timbered rim country and canyon heads.
• →Scout water and wallows in the ponderosa transition before the season.
• →Be prepared to cover big, rough country for scarce animals.

Black bear roam the chaparral and forested drainages; low densities and low success, but opportunity exists in the brushier high country.

• →Glass chaparral slopes and canyon bottoms during cool morning hours.
• →Watch for feeding bears on acorn and manzanita crops in fall.
• →Concentrate near reliable water in the forested drainages.