COLBURN AND SCOTT OUTFITTERS focuses on a quality elk hunting experience for our hunters. Quality experience not quantity has been a motto of ours for years. When you book a guided hunt with our quality elk guides you will get professional, hard working, knowledgeable, reliable and trustworthy guides. Our favorite units in Arizona to hunt elk are Unit 9, Unit 10, Unit 23 North and South in no particular order.
Arizona Unit 9-This elk unit is very huntable, has pines and junipers, good concentrations of elk, this year there will be some big bulls harvested, hunters can expect to see bulls between 320-360 on a regular basis. Elk are vocal in morning and usually around water in evenings. ***The AZGFD has changed this hunt around and the Muzzleloader hunt will now be in front of the archery hunt. This has been a very controversial decision and I am not sure that I like the change. I think the Muzzleloader hunt will be better than ever. The archery hunt being pushed back could be more prime rut bugling but there is a chance a handful of the biggest bulls will be gone in the back of the muzzy hunters trucks. It will be interesting to see if the archery hunt at later dates will be better or worse. A few giants will be taken this year on the archery and early muzzleloader hunts. The 2015 Arizona Archery elk season dates are September 18-Oct. 1st and Muzzleloader elk season dates September 11-18th. We really like Unit 9 because there are only 100 archery bull tags and no cow tags at the same time.
Arizona Unit 23-All of our elk hunts in Unit 23 are conducted out of our base camp which is a 3 bedroom 2 bath house located in the heart of Unit 23. The house has showers, tv, comfortable beds and wireless internet service. Unit 23 is split into two units a North and a South
Unit 23 North Archery and Early Rifle Elk Hunts- The terrain in this unit is not as physically challenging as 23 South, more accessible by roads, good bugling, hunters can expect to see 300-350 bulls on a regular basis, can be chaotic rutting action depending on the year. This unit will produce a few giant elk this year on the archery and early rifle hunts. 2015 Arizona Archery Elk season dates Sept. 11-24 and Early Rifle Sept. 25-Oct 1. For 2015, there are 15 archery tags in the North and only 15 tags for the Early Rifle hunt which makes for an enjoyable hunt.
Unit 23 South Archery- Extremely physical terrain, low densities of elk, not for your average joe hunter, lots of distance between bulls bugling, not big pockets of bugling bulls like other units but has some big boys, 300-350 bulls are seen everyday but not in as many numbers as other three units. This unit will produce a few giants this year. 2015 Archery Season dates Sept. 11-24th. ***The AZGFD has added a 5 tag early rifle hunt in 23 South this year. It should be a phenomenal hunt.
Unit 23 is our favorite for Late Rifle Elk Hunts 2014 Season Dates Dec. 4-10th.
Arizona Unit 10-This vast terrain is very glassable, the unit consists of mainly all junipers, lots of bulls and few cows, hunters can expect to see bulls between 320-350 on regular basis. Elk are very callable in this unit, usually a bugling frenzy and lots of rutting chaos. Country is very huntable and a few giants will be taken on the archery and early rifle hunts. Seems like the quality in 10 has suffered over the last few years and not like it was in the mid 2000's. 2016 Arizona Archery Elk Season Dates Sept 9-22 and Early Rifle Dates Sept 23-Sept 29th